By: Anika Gupta
Feminism is the belief of equality in all the sexes. This is the definition that we should all know. Although it has been clear that there are problems where people have had to step up in order to prove equal rights, there is more to it than that.
To start off, we need to get rid of misleading rumors. A common assumption is that feminism is the act of women overpowering men. While a lot of feminist movements have been advocating for women’s rights, that is simply because much of the world, even today, does not allow women to have equal rights as men do. For example, a woman who does the same job as a man for the same amount of time, but is paid less. According to a study done at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain, “Women are on average 30 percent less likely to be called for a job interview than men with the same characteristics.” These are only a few examples of issues that should be confronted. Likewise, there are disadvantages of being a man in society as well.
It is just as important to talk about the expectations of “being a man” in society. Obviously, people will try to fix the more difficult and serious problems at first, which may be more focused on women. Male privilege exists, but there are many things people do or say toward men that they may not recognize are sexist. For instance, it is a stereotypical belief that all men are physically strong and do not show any emotion. If they cry, they are seen as weak. This should not happen. People should be able express their emotions out of free will, not gender. Another example is peer pressure. Although you do not have to be a man to face this, statistics show that men are more likely to use products containing tobacco than women are. There are many factors involved in this, but one of the main ones is people encouraging the fact that men could be expected to do these things as they get older to be considered “manly” by society.
So, people should be treated equally regardless of their gender. It may not be like that right now, but gender equality has come a long way and is continuing to each day. You can contribute to that by recognizing and addressing issues to educate yourself as well as others, while keeping an open mind to learn more.
Σχόλια