Alexandra Black - Feminism Is...

Feminism is a movement that fights for change. Early feminists campaigned to end slavery, and for equal suffrage and human rights for women. Later feminists continued this progress, focusing on other inequalities affecting women, such as in education and relationships. Today, the movement is still powerfulcalling out sexual harassment and addressing the sexism in everyday situations.

Most of us will have heard the word feminism but might struggle if someone asked us to explain it. What is feminism, and who is it for? It doesnt have to be complicated. As the UK campaign group the Fawcett Society has stated, the simple truth is if you want a more equal society for women and men then you are in fact a feminist.

For every book about feminism there are probably as many definitionsits diversity is both its joy and challenge. Common to most definitions, however, is a belief that men and women, girls and boys, should be treated equally (and a recognition that, at the moment, were not). Its not about arguing that men and women are the same, nor that all women are the same. It is a belief that despite our differences we should all be treated fairly and with respect. It is about equal rights and opportunities for all.

Feminism is about action. It is a movement that seeks to bring about positive social change. And it has been massively successfultransforming society at all levels. Many women across the globe now have the vote, a right to an education, and more representation in the media. But theres still a ways to go. Although many of its goals have been set in motionthere are laws on equal pay, rape and domestic violence are crimes in many nations, divorce is more accessiblethey have not all been achieved. Women in different parts of the world face different daily challenges, and, even in the developed world, poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and violence remain issues for some.

Feminist thinkers focus on the interplay of gender, race, disability, sexuality, class, and power to make sure feminism is relevant to us all. They see the shared aspects of womens experiences while being aware of differencein identity, lived experience, and forms of privilege. And its a myth that feminists think that women should have more power than men. In fact, the social change that feminists want would benefit all people, freeing both women and men from restrictive gender roles. Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, in We Should All Be Feminists (2014), says a feminist is a man or a woman who says, yes, theres 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. A feminist is someone who fights for equality, who challenges prejudice, discrimination, and sexism. To be a feminist is something to be proud of!

A central idea of feminism is that we are living in a patriarchya society that values men over women, and where men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it. So have the odds been stacked against women from the start?