Don’t’ Call Me a Feminist, C.J Peckham, March 18, 2018
Has feminism failed? Stats
Canada findings may lead us to believe it has. Women are under-represented in
political and leadership roles, but over-represented in positions traditionally
held by women, like teaching, nursing or administrative roles. Women spend an
average of 50.1 hours per week on childcare compared to the 24.4 hours spent by
men. And perhaps most alarming, women are the victims of criminal harassment,
and sexual offences a whopping 78% and 87%
respectively.
The disparity goes beyond
boardrooms, kitchens and courtrooms. It’s in common language used to describe
ordinary life; phrases like wingman, and right-hand man are still in heavy use,
while the greatest insult one can hurl at a man is still calling him a woman.
These are real life examples
of the failure of feminism. And while it is true that women are still plagued
with gender-based issues from womb to casket, I don’t believe it is because we
live in a patriarchal society or that it serves men to keep women oppressed.
I believe it is because the
feminist movement is inherently flawed.
Feminism is defined by the Oxford
Living Dictionary as being concerned with advocating for women’s rights on the
basis of “equality of the sexes”. Most feminist circles also suggest this
inequality is attributable to men, and men alone, and further assume their
intent was routed in malice. This leads me to three points.
First, I may not be able to
speak to the thoughts of men from generations past, but I can say that the road
to hell is paved with good intentions, and it does seem that some of the
beliefs held about women were not necessarily routed in evil, but simple
ignorance. Furthermore, today, there is ample evidence in society that many men
support women’s rights movements. Second, as human beings we are all born into
this world inherently equal to one another regardless of our sex/gender.
Therefore, men cannot take away from women that which is a part of their
nature. And third the sexes being seen
as equal is not what is at issue, so much as it is the sexes being seen as
equally valuable.
This perspective that women
are not as equally valuable permeates society and shapes our attitudes toward
women overall. Here I make a point to augment it is a societal attitude because
it is not men, and men alone who hold these beliefs, nor are women victimized,
or oppressed by men and men alone. This distinction is necessary because as women
we owe it to ourselves and humanity to be honest. We can no longer afford to be
arrogant under the guise of ignorance. We do not own suffering. We too commit crimes,
we often objectify ourselves, hurt ourselves, each other, our children, and even
our men. We are not perfect. We are human. Only when we embrace our humanity, and our fellow men, will we finally be
ready to value ourselves and work together to put an end to this ugly human
rights issue.
Sources:
Statistics
Canada, Women in Canada: A Gender-based Statistical Report
Government
of Canada, Status of Women Canada, Gender Equality
Women
in Product, The Right Words for the Job: How Gendered Language Affects the
Workplace
English
Oxford Living Dictionaries, Feminism
I think this article has particularly a strong beginning and an end. It catches the reader's attention with the first question, and ends with a very valid argument that women do not only "suffer"in the hands of men and patriarchy but also in the hands of other women. I believe this is a very significant topic to discuss, also in relation to the #metoo movement. When do we start discussing how -some- women who are in powerful positions as gatekeepers mistreat (abuse, bully, oppress, etc) other, younger women... and men?
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