Feminism is Not Just for Women

A feminist is a man or a woman who says, yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it, we must do better. All of us, women and men, must do better.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Feminism as a movement focuses on liberation, from the prescribed gender roles. Men, women and LGBTQ communities must be involved in this movement because all have been victims of gender norms prescribed by our society. A feminist is one who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes.

Human beings are assigned a gender at their birth. It is either masculine or feminine. Our society has also set some rules to define who is a woman and what all should be expected from a woman. Same goes with men and LGBTQ communities too. Women are constantly told that they are not equal to men. They are often criticized for their physique and are supposed to be subservient to men.

While men are meant to be adamant ,they are not allowed to express their feelings through tears but only through anger and dominance. They are not likely to choose the work of a caretaker or homemaker because those are typically reserved for women. When women are valued based on their physique, men are valued for their net worth, job and position in society. LGBTQ communities are affected the most by gender bias. They are not even regarded as a part of society. It seems like society seems to be blind to their existence. Being born to any gender should not deprive anyone from having individual freedom.

Feminism advocates social, economic and political equality of sexes. But it is a depressing fact that there is a lot of hatred towards this ideology. And mostly this hatred comes from men.

Despite the fact that there is ‘fem‘ in the word feminism it never means this is a movement of women to subdue men. There are lots of misconceptions about feminism. Women are not involved in this movement to claim all the CEO posts or to take off their bras. Being oppressed for decades they were deprived of equal wages, equal opportunities and acknowledgements.

This movement will help them to break all the shackles of exclusion. Women’s success is never going to be a threat to masculinity. Mankind evolved through the age of machines into the digital age. This age does not look for people with physical power, but for those who are intellectual, creative,innovative and skilful. If one is skilful enough he or she or any non binary person can hold any position.

Society taught men that they are superior or ultimate superheroes. But the societal scripts imprisoned men in colourful cages and women and other genders in colourless cages. The important fact is that all are caged.

A cosmetic brand for women changed its name because it aided the sexist views of society. But there is another product still in the market which exhorts men to be fair and handsome.

Society has got some fairness attributes for both men and women. Some colours, especially light colours, are not considered manly enough. ‘Man-up‘ , ‘boys will be boys‘ are some phrases which praise men for their idolized character. But these phrases overshadow some facts which need crucial assistance in present times. Men are four times more likely than women to commit suicide.

There are several reasons for the same. Most important is the social norm that men are presumed to be risk takers and adventurous. They endure greater exposure to physical and chemical hazards. Their stress to become the breadwinner of a family affects their mental health. Men also have more access to weapons like guns which makes them vulnerable to suicidal death. High use of alcohol and drugs are also found in men.

There are not enough laws to help men who face harassment and bullying. They are even considered as savages who have no control over themselves. They are not given enough child care leaves or allowances even if they aspire to be a good father for their children. Men are called hippies if they apply nail paints, grow their hair or beard, have tattoos or piercings etc., but these actions belong to self expression which is a part of individual freedom.

Women account for 50% of the global population. But as we go to higher and higher positions in a society we only see a few women. Women are stereotyped as weaker gender. This makes them vulnerable to sexual harassment, domestic violence etc. Even if they find it hard to cope up with gender norms they pretend to be a social product.
After years of education all they are allowed to aspire for is marriage. Marriage tends to be a business in which ownership of a woman is exchanged from father to husband. Societal scripts also say that women lack confidence, she is less capable of making money or getting higher education.

“War is for man. What maternity is to woman” – Benito Mussolini

The most depressing fact is that our society still preserves these age old fascist ideologies. Some cultures sympathise with women because they suffer through period pain, they are supposed to leave home when they get married, they go through a tedious process to give birth to a child etc. Despite all these, women deserve to be respected as a human. Women do not have enough representatives to speak for them in politics which is an important reason why women are not developing progress.

LGBTQ communities still find it hard to speak about their gender. They are considered as sexually overdriven people. They face tremendous difficulties growing up in a homophobic society. They are preys of harassment and discrimination on a regular basis. As students, when they find their identity not the same as the one prescribed to them at birth, it makes them mentally stressed. Homophobic society estranges them and they end up lonely and confused.

They are even forced to attempt suicide. Some religions reject these communities. These communities pretend to be heterosexual and even marry according to societal norms for fear of rejection by family and society. Many drop out from schools and migrate to other places when being continuously subjected to bullying by friends and family. Some even live a lonely life hiding their sexuality in order to find jobs and salary. Their lives are also natural. They also have the right to live and access to opportunities. They are also worthy of acknowledgement, respect and love.

Society is not an organization of strangers. We are all a part of this society. If we want to make changes in current society we have to change our perceptions. Apart from some different hormones, sexual organs, and some biological abilities, men, women, or non binary people are all the same. None of these genders want too much focus on themselves. Feminism advocates equal focus. Throughout the decades our technology evolved, our culture evolved and now its time for some evolution in the idea of gender. Feminism can bring about significant changes only when every human being regardless of gender, race and age becomes a part of this movement.