Feminism: Figure it Out

Why should women be treated differently from men? Why are female workers still paid less than male workers for the same type of work? This problem is not only occurring in less-developed regions such as the Middle East or certain countries in Africa. Countries such as China, the US and Korea—these highly developed or developing countries still have issues regarding gender inequality.

Emma Watson, a celebrity, feminist and participant in the HeForShe organization created by UNWomen, stated, “I have realized that fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating.” She believes that when women fight for their own rights, freedom and liberty, they are called out and are shamed for “man-hating” or degrading men.

Feminism is simply not about stealing men’s rights. Instead, this is a concept used to abolish gender stereotypes and reduce gender inequality, which should benefit both genders. It is a movement seeking to give women the same rights men commonly receive and the same privileges men enjoy. Contrary to some people’s beliefs, this is not already the case, even in so-called progressive countries. In many places, women are still expected to become housewives, and are portrayed as dependent, emotional and weak. Economically, it is documented that female workers all over the world receive less pay than men in similar jobs and even in the same workplaces. This is called the gender pay gap.

In addition to the above-mentioned “legal” gender discrimination, crimes involving sexual assault and harassment are still happening today, and although these affect both men and women, victims are predominantly female. Women are harassed in workplaces, in schools, on the streets, and even in their own homes, in places where their husbands have the right to treat them as they wish (including involuntary sex) just because they are married. In the UK, for instance, a study from this year by the Revolt Sexual Assault organization found that nearly one woman in ten had been raped in college, and a shocking 62% of students (male and female) had experienced sexual violence during their university years (source). These issues don’t end after college, either: the #MeToo movement was a recent high-profile campaign in which countless adult women spoke up publicly about sexual abuse and harassment by their bosses, colleagues, and acquaintances—especially men with public authority and respect that helped them conceal their crimes. This exposed many celebrities and men in power for their habits of sexually victimizing women, alerting the world to the extent of the problem.

Numerous men still believe that they should stay neutral if not actively oppose feminism, simply because they are not the “main characters” in the issue. Again, feminism is not solely about giving basic human rights and equality to women, it also supports the reduction of gender stereotypes. In this regard, men can be the “main characters,” benefitting from new acceptance of many different versions of masculinity, and the reduction of unfair policies about military service, paternity leave, adoption, child custody and other areas where individual rights have traditionally been influenced by gender. Even when they are not the main beneficiaries, men on the neutral side are acting as bystanders of an internationally significant fight. Why not help and support feminism if it is not going to do any harm? How could giving equal rights to half of the human race be a bad thing for the world, or for men?

As a journalist for AISG’s newspaper, I asked for the student body’s opinion. Over half of 60 students that took my survey stated that feminism was only supporting female rights. I was rather disappointed, as more than half of the respondents were not aware that feminism could also advance men’s fair and equal treatment. For instance, reducing traditional gender stereotypes not only protects women from sexual harassment and violence; it also protects men from the same abuse. Although women have been the main victims of sexual violence, men are also being victimized. However, these cases are often ignored and have not been taken as seriously as cases where women were victimized. Additionally, numerous men have been told to look masculine, strong and buff. They are told to be emotionless, to cry less and to act “cold” towards certain situations such as death, failure and heartbreak. To support feminism is to support the act of banishing these cultural stereotypes, protecting men as victims as well.

To get an in depth point of view, I chose some students to ask about their opinion on feminism.

Thomas B, a senior, commented that from his perspective, feminism could be further supported and advertised, as he barely sees any campaigns or activities reinforcing gender equality in China. Additionally, issues such as lack of employment and educational opportunities for women are evident. Although China is working on reducing discrimination between genders, they still have space for improvement.

Junior Abby P. emphasized that people today “think of feminism as a concept to make women superior,” which is “not the case, [as it] is simply an act to benefit both men and women.”

To receive a wide-ranging opinion from both females and males, I asked a Beacon reporter, Carmen C, and Gabriel, one of the editors-in-chief, for their detailed perspectives on feminism. Please note that these two reporters already have some background knowledge about the feminist movement.

Carmen said, “From my perspective, I heavily support the feminist movement and specifically the movement to reduce gender stereotypes. Equality between genders has improved drastically throughout time. However, there are still stereotypes limiting women’s capabilities. An example that I have experienced many times is how men are usually told to carry heavier objects as they are expected to be stronger than women. Although this is often the case, having these stereotypical mindsets already is a form of segregating the two genders, which feminism aims to get rid of. Well-known organizations such as HeForShe and the #MeToo movement are only noticed and given attention in Western, developed countries. I hope that these movements and organizations soon reach out to more Asian countries and to the less developed countries, as many Asian cultures still have the mindset of pro-males (重男轻女, 남존여비).

Gabriel added, “Regarding feminism, I have very mixed opinions. I support the overall idea and purpose of feminism since this ideology is ‘an advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of sexes.’ It is true that the women’s rights have been oppressed perennially, compared to those of men in history. Feminism is most likely to be the key to creating more jobs, opportunities, and high office positions for women, eliminating gender roles, protecting women’s rights in society, etc. However, as all ideologies that end with “-ism” (for example, communism and Social Darwinism) contain flaws regardless of their seemingly perfect purposes and goals, the original purpose of feminism has also begun to [diverge from the above definition], leading to the formation of radical feminism. As a citizen of Korea, this issue of radical feminism is very problematic due to the actions and words of those radical feminists. As a result, many Korean citizens’ perspectives towards radical feminism—and even feminism as a whole—are very negative. If equal rights and opportunities are given to all, both sexes should have equal responsibilities and duties as well. Yet, in the case of South Korea, many radical feminists wish to have more rights, but they wish to stay away from the responsibilities. It is truly unfortunate that the careless, offensive actions of those radical feminists [have] caused the entire feminist [movement] to be viewed negatively. If feminists wish to make feminism work in any society, it [will take] patience and continuous effort as it would be impossible to change the status quo in a short period of time.”

The purpose of this article was to raise more awareness of feminism and its correct definition. We are not forcing everyone in this community to support and stand for feminism; we are simply encouraging it, and were curious about AISG’s opinion on this often misunderstood topic. We believe the members of our community owe it to the human race to think about this movement, and make rational, deliberate choices about their support.