I recently read an article about a young female claiming that she is not a feminist, and that it is completely okay for her not to be. She explained in article that she wants equality in pay, opportunity and treatment, but she also loves the idea of raising her children and cooking for her husband. Now, I understood why she felt like she could not identify as a feminist. She says defining feminism completely wrong.
Lets start from the beginning, Feminism means equality for both sexes. Equality meaning laws that ensure fair treatment, opportunity, and protection for both sexes and not just when it benefits women. For example, many people believe that legal matters regarding custody of children are rigged to benefit mothers. The legal system should be set up to support men and women equally and fairly.
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This leads me to my next point. Feminism does not, in anyway, mean that men should be diminished. Men are not evil misogynists; They are just given an unfair advantage that we should all seek attain. Once again, it is about equality.
So back to the points that the original article mentioned, feminism does not discount femininity or family values. Every individual has a right to determine their own lives. You can be a stay-at-home mother and still be a feminist. They don't discredit each other. Just because you are not in the traditional workforce doesn't mean that you cannot believe that the women that are in the workforce deserve equal pay and opportunity. You can believe in chivalry and still be a feminist. If you have traditional family values, you can still be supporter of equality in opportunity. It should be a woman's choice to clean the house, make dinner for her family, and spend a majority of her time raising her children. It is a wonderful choice for many women, but it should remain a choice. No one should be confined to gender roles. That goes for men as well, men should not be confined to being the bread winner; They should have the choice of being a stay-at-home father.
To the girl who wrote that she was not a feminist, I hate to break it to you, but you are. If you believe in equality for sexes, you are a feminist period. It doesn't matter if you're male or female, straight or gay, employed or unemployed, black or white, you can be a feminist. Redefine Feminism.
