Different definitions of feminism

story by Melanie Reese ≫

In recent months, the feminist movement has become widely popular and has gained attention from politicians, celebrities and more. Not all the attention has been in support of the movement, for many people have varying personal definitions on the term ‘feminism’, and what the movement represents in general.

How do students at EHS define feminism? Definitions on the popular term differ.

“Feminism, to me, is the theory that many women have been taught and pushed to believe that, as women, we are treated unfairly and are not given the same rights as those of men,” said Kolbi Shanks, Sr.

Opinions on what feminism means can be vastly different than other students’ opinions.

“People get very mixed up on what they believe feminism is,” said Haley Hoffman, Jr. “Feminism, to me and to pretty much everyone involved in feminism, is advocating equal rights for ALL women, all around the world.”

The divergence in how students define feminism barely scratches the surface when compared to the chasm that divides students’ personal beliefs.

“There are many issues that I disagree with when it comes to feminism,” said Kennedy Shockley, Sr. “To start, I believe that the wage gap between men and women is absolute garbage. First of all, men’s bodies were designed to be stronger and faster than women’s which enables men to do more strenuous jobs that some women cannot do. This can result in higher pay. Also, women tend to WANT to take care of the kids at home and prefer to be stay at home moms which sways the average wage of women across the country. Women also tend to want to go into early child care and psychology which doesn’t pay nearly as much as a man who decides to go be an engineer which is a common job that is done by men (according to the Huffington Post only 20% of engineer graduates are women and only 11% make up practicing female engineers).”

Shockley also believes that  the feminist movement as a whole focuses too narrowly on violence done to women by men.

“Another issue of feminism is that women are claiming that they are the only victims of harassment and assault. Women do get abused, and raped etc. and that is an awful thing that I cannot imagine going through and I believe that every measure should be taken to reduce the rate of this happening and that men should be punished greatly for doing these acts. But at the same time, men are also abused and harassed. According to afuturefree.com boys make up half of those who are sexually exploited commercially in the US. And in 71% of nonreciprocal violent cases, the woman was the instigator.”

There are different viewpoints on the equality standards present in America and Hoffman feels that Americans should fight for equality of women and men in America and countries around the world.

“I support fighting for equal rights to men, such as equal pay, the right to choose what they can or can’t do with their bodies, not to be catcalled, etc. But I do not agree with some extreme measures where people attack men specifically, when it is indeed not ‘every man’,” said Hoffman. “I believe in America, women have a lot of rights thankfully and much more compared to other countries. But there is still the wage gap, abortion laws, the way that most rape cases are settled, etc. I personally do not face much adversity, but I do still get catcalled and I do wish to one day receive equal pay to my male coworkers of the same position.”

The topic of the wage gap is a very common component of the feminist movement. Kolbi Shanks thinks the wage gap is misrepresented and often overstated.

“One thing I do support is the fact that women and men who work the same jobs should be paid equally,” said Shanks. “I’m on board with that. What I don’t agree with is the thought that men are automatically paid more just because they are men. That is not the case. Men typically work more demanding and dangerous jobs than women do. The ‘wage gap’ is not a thing.”

The rights of women in the United States is a major aspect in the feminist movement. Although in the U.S., there are contrasting opinions on what rights women have, and what they don’t have.

The notion that women already have rights is a common argument. The opposing view is that women in America are not yet equal, and need to fight for rights for both American women and women of other nations.

“I think the rights of women in our American Society are extremely overlooked,” said Shanks. “As I stated before, we have the right to an education, speech, religion, any job we want, etc. Women have created such a double-standard society by expecting fair treatment and equal rights but also expecting so much from men. We have the same rights as men, and expect to be treated the same, but ask for so much more.”

Shanks is referring to the social expectations that on one hand place women as direct equals to men, but on the other expect a man to treat a woman “as a lady’.

“Women ask for a man to take them out on dates and treat them good and are deemed ‘disrespectful’ if they aren’t, yet some get offended by a man offering to pick up a check or help with a car problem because they feel ‘underestimated’. How do women expect to be treated the same as men, but expect men to treat them as if they are better?”

Internationally, the voice of the American feminist movement often serves as a beacon to guide the feminist reforms in other countries.
“In a way, I do support the typical American feminist for a specific reason,” said Hoffman. “Americans have life very, very good. We are mostly extremely fortunate to live where we do and have what we have. And for the most part, Americans have more rights than most countries. But feminism in America is giving a voice to those who cannot be heard. In many third world countries, where women’s rights can be very minimal, the women cannot speak out on a wide scale to fight for their rights. But in America, we can freely express that and get the word out for those who cannot. We are speaking for the girls who are sold into slavery, tortured for doing sexual acts before marriage or for pregnancy from rape. Women who may not have a job or the life she wants because she must stay home, cook, clean, and have children.”

When it comes to supporting or not supporting the movement, people are quick to offer their opinion.

“I don’t support the typical American feminist,” said Shanks. “Honestly, it embarrasses me, as a female, to have the possibility of being grouped in as one. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been taught that you get what you work for. For generations, in my family, the women have worked hard and earned every penny they’ve been given to support their families. It’s the 21st century. Women are more respected now than they ever have been and have more rights in the US than other women in any part of the world.

Shanks believes that women who are ‘marching for women’s rights’ are more trying to march against President Trump.

“Obama was in office for 8 years and none of these things were changed, or even brought up, although these were what Obama promised pre-presidency,” said Shanks. “None of these protests were an issue when he was in office but now they are? How is that?”

No matter the support or lack thereof of the movement, students still have hopes for the future society that they personally want to see.

“My hopes for the future of women lay mostly in dreams of equality,” said Emma Schmidt, Sr. “I want to see girls lifting each other up instead of tearing each other down. I want to see an end to shaming. I want stay at home mothers to feel as empowered as business women. I want to see a time when old white men cannot pass legislation about our bodies. But really, the future of women involves everyone. The future of women is just as much about things like there being baby-changing tables in all men’s bathrooms as it is about closing the wage gap. The future of women has to be about working together. It just has to be.”

Hoffman shares her hopes for the future.

“My hopes for the future of women is that in every country of the world, women and men are completely equal,” said Hoffman. “Children can grow up never facing adversity, and learn to instead love and care for each other. If you are against feminism… My question is: why? If your reason is ‘Women in America never face any discrimination.’ While that is false, yes we do not face nearly as much as other may, but in other countries there ARE serious issues.”