Mistaken perception of feminist ideas is a serious issue for our society. The anti-feminist community has grown to a degree where some believe that by fighting for women’s rights, feminists oppress men and try to banish them from society. I have seen a number of opinions on social media and news regarding women taking men’s places in leading positions in companies, claiming that this is a sign of reverse discrimination.
Clearly, this is not true because women are assigned higher jobs, not because there is a hidden intention to disparage men, but since talented female employees are treated objectively based on their professional skills. Baumgardner and Richards (2000) explicitly describe the concept of a “glass ceiling” that existed for a long time in the past to prevent women from career growth (p. 46). This principle does not view women as intelligent and helpful members of society, which is what feminism is trying to change.
Among other significant arguments for feminism, there are a lot more sides to how working women were oppressed. Baumgardner and Richards’s article mentions that in the 1970s, many jobs had a specific appearance or “sex appeal” criteria for female employees, and the bosses did not hesitate to harass them directly (p. 46). At the same time, many positions and fields were entirely forbidden for women. Those unfair rules made young girls believe they are unworthy and can only become men’s assistants or “accessories.” The feminist movement strives to change this view and show that people can be qualified for any job regardless of gender.
Baumgardner and Richards (2000) make it clear that many life choices used to be made for women as if they were not capable of deciding for themselves. Personally, I believe there are no such characteristics inherent to only one gender, so I support the feminist idea that women should be given all the job choices and career opportunities.
Reference
Baumgardner, J., & and Richards, A. (2000). A day without feminism. Independent Weekly, 46-47.