I’m lucky enough to say that for the past two years, I’ve had the opportunity of being with a girl that loves me for who I am and has helped me improve as a person. As the time progressed throughout our relationship, I noticed that she had this massive bank of knowledge and passion for social issues within our country and the world. One of her strongest passions is for feminism. I had never spent the time to think much about feminism and how it could affect others until I met Tori Garrett, my girlfriend. With her help, I’ve been able to notice social issues and how they affect others more effectively. I’m proud to say that I’m dating a feminist, and she’s dating one as well.
Feminism is defined as the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. So let’s start off by analyzing the social aspects of feminism. One of the main social issues that hits close to home is sexual assault on college campuses. According to a new survey taken by the Association of American Universities, 23 percent of women said they experienced some form of unwanted sexual contact while at college. Unwanted, nonconsensual sexual contact is anything from inappropriate touching to rape.
Although 23 percent of female students experience unwanted sexual contact, 100 percent of women in our culture experience the threat of sexual violation. As men, we don’t regularly think about, or even have to deal with the worry of being sexually assaulted while at college. For most guys, there is nothing that we do on a regular basis to protect ourselves from being assaulted. Women, on the other hand, are constantly checking behind their back to make sure no one is following them, using the buddy system when they go out to parties, parking in well-lit areas, and knowing where all of the safety boxes on campus are in case anything were to happen.
Women should feel safe on campus instead of having to worry about every turn they make, but it’s the culture that has been established where some guys think it’s “a compliment” to catcall a girl while she’s running or, in even more extreme cases, waiting until a girl is blackout drunk at a party to take her home. This is unacceptable, and as men we need to stand up to say 'no' to this kind of behavior to help provide a safer and more welcoming environment for women everywhere.
A major issue that feminism seeks to fix is the amount of women in politics. According to the Center for American Women And Politics, women account for only 19.4 percent of representation in Congress. This means that nearly 80 percent of the decision-making power belongs to men. When most of these men are on average 57 years old and grew up in a time where women were still seen as housekeepers or having to please their husband to be a good wife, how is it apt that they get to make decisions that will determine what women get to do with their bodies, in cases such as abortion, or even if birth control will be covered by the government? There needs to be a stronger political voice by women in decision-making roles so that various issues surrounding women can be solved effectively. Men in decision-making roles should stand up for women’s issues as well, because they aren’t just “women’s issues;” they’re people issues.
Lastly, women in business have a much harder time rising to positions of power within a company, or even just getting paid as much as man. Today, women on average are paid only 78 cents per every dollar that a man makes. While this statistic has been improving over the years, it’s still an atrocity that women can be paid less for the same work, in the same job, for the same employer. In 2010, nearly half of all workers nationally reported that they were contractually forbidden or strongly discouraged by their employer from discussing wages and salaries with other employees. As a Business major and an aspiring entrepreneur, it sickens me that business owners can willingly pay men more “just because.” The workplace should encourage growth and opportunity, but when women don’t get paid equally, you, as a business owner, discourage opportunity within the workplace by essentially saying, “I pay based off of who I think will work best, not on performance.” There’s no place in business, or society, for inequality of payment. Women and men of all races deserve to be paid equally when performing the same job for the same employer. Business owners should also encourage women to ask for raises or promotions. Women only hold 22 (4.4 percent) of CEO positions at S&P 500 companies. By encouraging women to ask for raises or promotions, business owners are promoting the fact that they are happy to be discussing wages and providing equal opportunity in the workplace.
Feminism isn’t just for women; it’s for everyone. As a society, we should all be promoting equal rights for women of all races. I’d like to thank Tori for helping me realize how important feminism is. Feminism should not be a negative stereotype that persists still today. Feminism is a way to promote equality for women in society. Every person should consider himself or herself a feminist.
If you enjoyed reading this, let’s start a movement to promote feminism across all platforms of society by sharing #ImDatingAFeminist, and start the conversation about what feminism really is.
