Introduction
Feminism is the advocacy of equal human rights for women based on gender equality between men and women. It outlines that women and men should have equal rights and opportunities in social, political, and economic settings. Feminism supports the idea of equality for all human beings and condemns the aspect of superiority that is demonstrated by either gender. Feminism is used to campaign for equal rights between men and women; however, opposers argue that it is a concept used to reverse gender roles by making men inferior. Individuals should be feminists as it explores the importance of changing social beliefs and gender constraints that leads to inequalities between men and women.
Debate on Feminism
All people should be feminists to show commitment to woman’s liberation and as a way of supporting men to hold discussions with females on sexuality, physical appearance, opportunities, and gender roles. Becoming a feminist will consist of campaigning for the rights of females and putting efforts into making the world a better place for women. Feminism will not criticize or challenge the idea of the biological roles of men and women. Still, it will tend to revolutionize the concept of sexism by bringing equal opportunities for both men and women (Liss and Erchull 85). It will take both genders to have equal rights and will work towards removing the injustices that limit them from prospering. Moreover, it will create a way for a successful society that includes all people regardless of their gender status. women will be empowered by creating equal opportunities and allowing men o have their chances. Empowering women in the concept of feminism does not mean taking away the opportunities set for men. It will teach the community to have respect for females to achieve a prosperous society that is based on gender balance.
It will encourage individuals to do away with social and cultural constructs that lead to misunderstanding of gender in areas of sexism and roles. Individuals will be at the forefront of educating people that masculinity in society is created if there is no equality between men and women. Feminism will be about basic human rights whereby women and men will have equal capacities in political, economic, and social settings. If all individuals become feminists, women will be given the same capacity to reason and education, contributing to society’s social, political, and economic prosperity (Queen 92). In the past, feminists have struggled to achieve equal basic rights for women, such as fair presentation, education, the right to vote, and personal sovereignty. It is high time to change the ideology of feminism, and everybody should embrace it as a basic human right for each gender.
Feminism should be embraced by all, as it will take centuries for women to have equal opportunities like men if it fails. Though there has been tremendous progress in education, employment, voting, and suffrage, true gender equality has a long way. Today still, women find it difficult to find a fair presentation in political policies or democracy and personal sovereignty in most world areas (Adichie 2014). Women find it difficult to secure an elective position, and most of them end up in the hands of men. Many nations have enacted legislation to support women’s presentation through the gap between men and women is quite significant. In employment, men secure the high ranks position, with females being left to secure the lower ranks positions. Those who secure job opportunities must be able to bear the dual burden of women’s labor, where they must struggle to balance their careers and families. The balance sometimes is difficult to achieve, and they are left feeling quilt about their labor choices, making them less productive. Feminism will have a great place in ensuring women have a conducive working environment.
Feminism questions the patriarchal culture and beliefs attached to gender rules and maintains its belief in freedom of choice. The freedom of choice is extended in marriage, employment, having children or not, clothing, and many other stereotypes attached to females. It supports the idea that women should be given the freedom to make independent choices and choose what is best for them. Feminism will populate how norms are created and their role in a social setting (Adichie 2014). Norms in society are created to draw a boundary of what is accepted or rejected in society. They will attempt to serve the role of patriarchal surveillance that will ensure gender roles and values are followed. If individuals do or see the same thing repeatedly, it becomes normal. If men are assumed to be superior in society since they are the breadwinners and women are taken as primary supporters, it becomes naturalized (Almeida et al., 2020). Norms are set in a way there cannot be easily undone, thus making it difficult for individuals to do away with them. Feminism will address norms issues and how they can be handled to ensure there is no biasness in society.
We should all be feminists because women suffer socially and physically due to gender. Discrimination towards women is limited to workplaces and throughout society, where they are seen as second-class individuals. Women are not allowed to choose the type of life they want to live as, in many instances, they are not allowed to prioritize their careers against getting married. Unlike women, most men are allowed to live a free life without a family, which is perceived as a misfortune if they fail to get children. In their professional careers, women are expected to sacrifice their careers and assume the responsibility of taking care of the family (Harding 26). If women sacrifice their careers at the expense of raising their children, their dreams have succumbed, and their success level in life is reduced. Unlike men, women are expected to remain innocent, pure, and humble, limiting their identities and desires, and men are not held up to the same expectations as women. Ironically, men are praised for demonstrating their masculinity, such as being sexually promiscuous. Feminism embraces women to have equal rights as men and attain equal treatment in society.
We should all be feminists as men and women are different, but not in a way that will legitimize gender inequalities. There are significant differences between men and women, but they should not be the basis of legitimizing inequalities between men and women. For instance, there are differences in biological appearances between men and women, which leads to logical division between them. Women can give birth while men have physical strength important for family survival. Historically, this difference made women assume different gender roles where men were supposed to provide the family with strength for survival and women to take care of the children (Phillips 1987). Today, physical strength is not considered as important in ensuring family survival; thus, it should not be used as the basis of gender inequalities. Today, the world requires individuals to have intellectual skills to survive, hence the need for both women and men to have equal opportunities to secure these skills. Feminism does not favor any gender in terms of opportunities as it advocates for equal opportunities for both males and females for society’s social and economic success.
We should all be feminists not because it is the current trend in many parts of the world but because it is the just way to treat all human beings. Human beings are created equal and should be given equal treatment. No individual is created on a superior basis to others; thus, no one should look down on others. Feminism assumes all individuals deserve equal human rights regardless of their gender. We should embrace a culture focused on human rights and gender equality as part of international human rights. If individuals are feminists, they will create awareness of gender equality, ensuring men and women have a balanced life (Federici 468). A life that is not based on discrimination or prejudice because of one gender status but a life based on equal treatment for all human beings.
Conclusion
Feminism is the advocacy of equal human rights for women based on gender equality for the sexes. It outlines that women and men should have equal rights and opportunities in social, political, and economic concepts. We should all be feminist as it unearths the importance of transforming social beliefs and gender constraints that promotes inequalities between men and women. If all the constraints are unearthed and addressed accordingly, all humans will live in a just world where everyone is given equal opportunities and freedom of choice. Feminism advocates for basic human rights whereby women and men will have equal capacities in political, economic, and social settings. Equal opportunities in all social settings will ensure its success, and each individual will be happy as they will be part of the success.
Annotated Bibliography
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. We Should All Be Feminists. Anchor Books, 2014.
We Should All Be Feminists is a book by Nigeria scholar Adichie that explores the role of feminists in its commitment to woman’s liberation and supporting men to hold discussions with females on sexuality, physical appearance, opportunities, and gender roles.
Almeida Junco, Yulexis, and Norma R. Guillard Limonta. “The Importance of Black Feminism and the Theory of Intersectionality in Analyzing the Position of Afro Descendants.” International Review of Psychiatry, vol 32, no. 4, 2020, 327-333. Informa UK Limited, Web.
The article by Almeida et al. explains the importance of black feminism and how women of color should be given similar presentations in economic, political, and social settings. No woman should be discriminated against because of their gender or gender roles, as we are all human beings.
Federici, Silvia. “Marx and Feminism.” Triplec: Communication, Capitalism &Amp; Critique. Open Access Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society, vol 16, no. 2, 2018, 468-475. Information Society Research, Web.
This article by Federici explores the importance of Marx and Feminism in the current world. Marx and feminism are the most critical radical movement of our times as they are faced in day-to-day activities.
Harding, Sandra. Is There a Feminist Method? 1987, Web.
The article Is There a Feminist Method is an article by Haring Sandra which explores the challenges the fundamental challenges in how social sciences has viewed women and men and their social life. It explains how traditional views about women and men can be corrected to accommodate current needs.
Liss, Miriam, and Mindy J. Erchull. “Everyone Feels Empowered: Understanding Feminist Self-Labeling.” Psychology of Women Quarterly, vol 34, no. 1, 2010, pp. 85-96. SAGE Publications, Web.
This book is written by Liss and Erchull and explores how the ideas of feminism make everyone feel motivated. It gives an account of human identification in society as a feminist and explains the difference between feminist and self-labeling feminists.
Phillips, Anne. Feminism and Equality. New York University Press, 1987.
The book Feminism and Equality by Phillip Anne holds that human beings are created equal and should be given equal treatment. No individual is formed on a superior basis to the others; thus, no one should look down on others.
Queen, Carol. “Sex Radical Politics, Sex-Positive Feminist Thought, and Whore Stigma.” Taylor & Francis, 2001, Web.
The article by Carol explores how the politics of sex radicalization affect feminism and the stigma associated with the concept.