Before we began writing this article, we knew not everybody was going to try to understand the views of the writers behind an Odyssey article, but we want more people to be educated on this movement called Feminism. This was penned by Odyssey's own, Maria Erste and guest writer Ian Kieffer.

If you are like us, you’ve spent much of your life not understanding the need for feminism. What we saw on the news was a bunch of men-hating women who burned their bras and protested for rights that we thought they already had. This is the typical perception of feminists. But now that we're in college, we’ve learned that feminism is not what they show on the television. In order to write this article professionally, we researched reasons why people don’t consider themselves feminists and put these reasons next to the facts presented about gender inequality. What really solidified the fact that we were feminists was Emma Watson’s speech to the United Nations, which we’ve attached to the bottom of this article. Please, take the time to educate yourself on this movement that fights for issues affecting your own life.

So you say you’re not a feminist because you stand for equality and respect ALL humans, not just one gender. Just by standing for equality, you support feminism, whether you admit to it or not. The definition of feminism, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “The theory of the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.” This does not exclude one gender. The word “feminism” may be misleading because the stem “fem” is used, usually implying females. This word was coined in the 1890’s when the Women’s Rights Movement came about and women were fighting for their right to vote, which was a right that men had that women did not. The word has since stuck around, despite, the Women’s Rights Movement ending. However, the definition has remained and is still used to emphasize equality among men and women. As the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, Emma Watson says “It is not the word that is important. It's the idea and the ambition behind it. [...] We are struggling for a uniting word, but the good news is, that we have a uniting movement.” If you think everyone should have the same rights and opportunities, then by definition, you should consider yourself a feminist.

So you say you’re not a feminist because feminism has a bad stereotype to it. Yes, there is such a thing as radical feminism. This is the kind that is presented in the news and gives feminists a bad name. Stereotypes such as masculine women, angry and bitter haters of men, lesbians, and the idea of matriarchy are all common misconceptions. Feminists can be feminine, and this isn’t a bad thing. They can wear dresses and makeup or can be sporty: it doesn’t matter. Feminism is about this idea of equality, and we don’t have to look a certain way to be considered a female (this includes the aforementioned masculine women and lesbians). In addition, feminism is not about gaining the upper hand of men. We are not all anti-men and don’t want to take away their rights. If men and women both support each other, we will one day be able to reach gender equality. The thought that feminists hate men then carries over into sexual preferences, which causes the assumption that all feminists are lesbians. The freedom to express one’s own sexuality is, actually, another issue of the feminist movement. Lastly, feminism is used as an effort to restore the imbalance of power among the genders, not to gain more power over another. Many cultures live in patriarchal societies, and they’ve led to abuse and control in relationships among men and women. We do not want to continue this trend, and having a patriarchal or matriarchal society would cause more harm than good.

So you say you’re not a feminist because men are unequal in some stances, too. Heck yeah, they are! Let’s take a look at what feminism has done for men: First, it has successfully overturned laws discriminating against men. For example, in 1976 the court case Craig v. Boren, filed by a plaintiff in Oklahoma, there was a drinking age policy in which women were allowed to drink when they turned 18, but men weren’t allowed until they were 21. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ruled this as a stereotype that men are more aggressive while women are more passive, and it should not be written into law. In addition, it led the FBI to change the definition of rape to include men. The old definition read, “carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.” Feminists also fight against gender roles. If a man is not considered “masculine”, society judges him. This is unfair, and hopefully, one day there will be a day when gender roles are not as strongly considered. Feminists work for the equal rights of both genders, not just females.

So you say you’re not a feminist because you want to have a spouse and a family one day. You don’t consider yourself independent and maybe want to be a stay at home parent. As the writers of this article, we want that too. Being a family person does not mean you can’t be a feminist. Writer Sadie Trombetta says, “The fight is for a woman’s right to choose her own lifestyle, whether it is in the boardroom, in the home with the kids, or some combination of the two,” (Women’s Rights News). There are feminist policies in some (not all) countries including childcare, maternity leave, and gender equality in the workplace that actually lead to higher fertility rates. These policies make gender equality in the workplace and at home more realistic, AND they change the culture. This means that once these policies are written into law, it changes the way that these policies are viewed. The government recognizes them as legitimate, and thus, people will take them more seriously. There are many countries that do not offer this kind of support for families. Even in the United States, no one is guaranteed maternity leave. However, if you want to be a stay at home parent, you can respect that there is such a thing as childcare in the United States. Not everyone has this luxury. As the writer, Chaunie Brusie says, “When women are supported in marriage, at home, and in the workplace, families can thrive.” (Babble.com) We need of these policies for family life to be successful.

So you say you’re not a feminist because you don’t want the things that feminists are fighting for. Feminism isn’t always the fight for rights that you want for yourself. Especially in the United States, women are almost entirely equal to men. However, the belief that your needs reflect the needs of others is an ethnocentric thought, which means that what you see in your own culture reflects how you think other cultures are. Take the United States, for example: women have the right to vote, choose who they marry, and do what they want with their bodies. This is not the same for every nation, and we need to acknowledge that. So you may be saying what do another culture’s rights have to do with me? Here’s one example: do we all remember when Greece almost went bankrupt? Well, it happened, and we were there, along with other nations to help bail them out. Women contribute greatly to the economy when they have jobs and education. Without them, the economy may tank in that nation. We’re not saying that’s what happened in Greece. We bailed them out because of their economy tanks, which affects every other nation who provides imports and exports to them. Women need to be granted the right to jobs and education in more countries in order for them to thrive.

So why should you be a feminist? We are feminists because there are women in this world that are not granted the same opportunities that you might have. We are feminists for the men that are not considered “masculine” if they cry, because gender roles are taken far too seriously. We are feminists for the men and women that face oppression and do not feel equal in the world. While equal pay is our biggest concern in the United States, it does not stop at that for other nations. We’d like to live in a world where everyone is allowed the opportunity to receive an education, and a world where girls are not aborted because it’s assumed they won’t provide for their family. As a Caucasian, American male and female, we have been lucky and privileged to obtain an education, to participate in voting, and know that we would be allowed to be married to someone by our own choice. Look past your privileges and please, see that men and women need to be equal in every sense of the word for our nation and our world to reach its fullest potential.