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Are You a Feminist?


bethiedrama101

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I believe in feminism, but, as vals said, not the one given throughout the years which serves as an excuse to get a special treatment, I believe in feminism as a way to reach a gender equality within every single person in this world.

Unfortunately, this issue is in many countries just a dream which vanishes when it faces real life, where there are thousand of differences between men and women. However, if we fight constantly, in a future we will be able to turn what we now see as a dream into a reality.

Nonetheless, I disagree with the name used to described this belief, I think it should be called something like neutralism or equalism.

 

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By the way, if you want to check out my new thread here it is: http://www.ibsurvival.com/topic/31335-give-your-opinion-about-the-ib-now-you-will-have-a-chance-to-vent/

Edited by BrianHQ
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The definition is "the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men."

 

The word feminist has stigma, so the way i see is it to focus on the meaning.

 

If you want gender equality, then you are a feminist by definition.

 

So yes, I am feminist, because yes, I believe gender discrimination is not okay. 

 

P.s just listen to Emma Watson's speech: link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-iFl4qhBsE 

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I believe I am a feminist. However, I seldom use this term to identify myself as I don't think a simple "adjective" or self-imposed "connotation" can define me. Feminism is a part of my set of beliefs which greatly influence my way of being and thinking, but do not define who I am.

 

That being said, I support feminism in its true form, advocating for the great number of destitute and unprotected women around the world. Both genders are necessary, they are neither better or worse. Comparing the value of each gender would be like comparing apples and oranges. Each sex is different from the other. We complement each other so I believe neither gender has the right to subtract rights or benefits from the other. Women should have an equal value to men in society.

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  • 3 months later...

Yes, I'm an intersectional feminist, if it abides by its definition of "promoting gender equality".

 

I think there's a shallow portrayal of feminism that comes up a lot in the media, of women being feminist if they punch guys out, wear red lipstick and commit felonies. That's all well and good, sure, but I think real feminism is all women being equal as well, regardless of whether they're homemakers or businesswomen or 'ditzes'.

 

The thing with feminism that's difficult to swallow is the fact that men might need to make changes to their personal lifestyles... there is no such thing as getting "special treatment". Women have been unequal for years; if anything it's men that receive special treatment in society, so really it is a question of equality. I can understand how others might perceive it otherwise if they've been conditioned to believe so.

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I definitely stand for gender equality. Do I want to classify myself as a feminist it depends on the definition of feminism. If its a person who is for gender equality then yes. But for example in Finland there is a mandatory military service for all men but not women, that's not equality either.

I think that how far a person makes it should depend on his or her abilities, not the gender.

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I feel equality is subjective. For example, its a fact that women (mostly) are not as strong as men. So it will be a little hard to have women in the like Special Forces. They simply don't have the strength to carry the weights and run the distances. But in terms of stuff like pay, respect etc, definitely. There needs to be equality in some things, but some things is impossible. 

Another thing, there are certain things that are understood to be a man's job or woman's job. For example, Men are generally expected to pay for the first date/prom. I'm not debating right or wrong, im just stating a common idea.

So back on track, i feel that there is a necessity for equality in somethings, but there are certain cases where equality is NOT possible.

Just my two cents, please don't jump on me ;D

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I feel equality is subjective. For example, its a fact that women (mostly) are not as strong as men. So it will be a little hard to have women in the like Special Forces. They simply don't have the strength to carry the weights and run the distances. But in terms of stuff like pay, respect etc, definitely. There needs to be equality in some things, but some things is impossible. 

Another thing, there are certain things that are understood to be a man's job or woman's job. For example, Men are generally expected to pay for the first date/prom. I'm not debating right or wrong, im just stating a common idea.

So back on track, i feel that there is a necessity for equality in somethings, but there are certain cases where equality is NOT possible.

Just my two cents, please don't jump on me ;D

Hypothetical question: if there was a woman who could perform as well as men, could she be accepted to the special forces in your opinion?
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Yes, I am a feminist. Unfortunately, absolute equality between men and women does not seem realistic. But history has shown that bringing the divide of equality closer together is very much possible. The reason I don't think 100% equality will ever be achieved is because for that to happen, the majority of women need to support the cause, along with males. But there are so many women out there who are unable to (financially, against the law) get an education and because of their lack of education, they are already "inferior to men." If women are being told they will never be equal (which a lot are), then many eventually give up. There are some who give up fighting right from the start, others who fight for the feminist movement for some time, those who never even start and the few (comparatively) who continue to remain proactive. 

There's also the fact, as some have mentioned above, that people abuse the word "feminist" or "feminism." They start using it in context where it doesn't encourage support but rather LOSES supporters and that's the problem. Over the years, the terms "feminist" and "feminism" have been used so loosely, in such a way where it's own definition is perceived differently than what it truly means. THAT'S why I believe females and males will never be equal. It's quite unfortunate and it hurts to say but that's what I believe is the realistic viewpoint of the movement.

Edited by IbTrojan
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I absolutely advocate for gender equality, but I feel that it is something that is harder to achieve than it seems. Creating laws that guarantee gender equality is easy compared to actually guaranteeing gender equality in our culture. However, forcing people to accept gender equality is ineffective. Rather, people have to embrace equality as part of their culture. 

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I feel equality is subjective. For example, its a fact that women (mostly) are not as strong as men. So it will be a little hard to have women in the like Special Forces. They simply don't have the strength to carry the weights and run the distances. But in terms of stuff like pay, respect etc, definitely. There needs to be equality in some things, but some things is impossible. 

Another thing, there are certain things that are understood to be a man's job or woman's job. For example, Men are generally expected to pay for the first date/prom. I'm not debating right or wrong, im just stating a common idea.

So back on track, i feel that there is a necessity for equality in somethings, but there are certain cases where equality is NOT possible.

Just my two cents, please don't jump on me ;D

Hypothetical question: if there was a woman who could perform as well as men, could she be accepted to the special forces in your opinion?

 

Yes, she should be, but I mean on an average, women just cannot perform as well. Though the exceptional cases should definitely be accepted.

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I feel equality is subjective. For example, its a fact that women (mostly) are not as strong as men. So it will be a little hard to have women in the like Special Forces. They simply don't have the strength to carry the weights and run the distances. But in terms of stuff like pay, respect etc, definitely. There needs to be equality in some things, but some things is impossible. 

Another thing, there are certain things that are understood to be a man's job or woman's job. For example, Men are generally expected to pay for the first date/prom. I'm not debating right or wrong, im just stating a common idea.

So back on track, i feel that there is a necessity for equality in somethings, but there are certain cases where equality is NOT possible.

Just my two cents, please don't jump on me ;D

Hypothetical question: if there was a woman who could perform as well as men, could she be accepted to the special forces in your opinion?

 

Yes, she should be, but I mean on an average, women just cannot perform as well. Though the exceptional cases should definitely be accepted.

 

 

Going along with this idea, it's generally true that men are physically stronger than women due to biological and physiological reasons. There are exceptions, yes, but overall a woman isn't going to be as strong as a man or have the same endurance levels. As an example, many of the armed forces in the U.S. have recently allowed women to become soldiers on the front lines (infantry people) rather than simply being in the armed forces but having a different job (such as medical professions, hospitality, maintenance crews, etc). The U.S. Marine Corps have actually allowed women to join the infantry for quite some time now, but no woman has been able to pass the physical requirements yet.

 

The requirements for certain physically intensive jobs should be the same for men and women, and if a woman can meet those requirements, that's great. However, if I'm trapped in a building that's on fire and a firefighter that happens to be a woman can't lift me out of the building, that doesn't do either of us much good. It boils down more to the requirements and nature of the job in this case rather than trying to please every person. The jobs should be open to either sex for equality, but both sexes should have to meet the same physical requirements rather than a woman having an easier physical fitness test than a man, which is also equality.

 

I'm quite progressive, hold several feminist ideals, and am pro-equality for both sexes but there comes a point where we can't make exceptions for everyone, just for equality!!11! 

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  • 2 months later...

As much as I believe in gender equality, I find it hard to accept the term 'feminism' because of the connotation many women have given to it throughout the years. Don't get me wrong, but nowadays there are many women who use feminism as an excuse for a special treatment.  Even in my limited experience of things, I've come across many women who were not too scrupulous when insulting the other gender. Why is this acceptable? Does an empowered woman really have the right to pigeonhole all males as "stupid pigs"? Maybe if we started calling it "equality", some individuals would not use it as a justification to back up their actions.

 

My stance of feminism is pretty much as above. I think there are issues with both genders, and if we are to achieve equality we must act accordingly. I think Emma Watson's HeforShe movement is really positive, her speech on YT at the UN is worth a watch.

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