Feminism is a word that is immensely popular. When it comes to defending rights of women, conversations have been going on for centuries whether it is through secret societies or through open public debates.
But why then is feminism so misconstrued?
According to Cambridge Dictionary, feminism means the belief that women should be allowed the same rights, power, and opportunities as men and be treated in the same way, or the set of activities intended to achieve this state.
Why do people hate feminism?
Walking on the streets, randomly asking people what feminism means, the reply would always be ‘equal rights between men and women.’ In the speech given by Emma Watson at the HeForShe Campaign 2014 organized by the UN Women, she talks about how men are often stereotyped on the basis of their gender, how men also suffer the problems of not being able to express themselves freely.
Why do people not know that intersectional feminism also exists? Is expecting equality not just egalitarianism rather than feminism?
She also says, ‘I am from Britain, and I think it is right that I am paid the same as my male counterparts. I think it is right that I should be able to make decisions about my own body. I think it is right that women be involved on my behalf in the policies and decisions that will affect my life. I think it is right that socially, I am afforded the same respect as men.’ However, In a country like India where women have always been suppressed, where still in some communities birth of a girl child is seen as a curse or as a burden to be married off as soon as she turns 18.
How can we expect equality between men and women globally?
How can we expect equal pay between Deepika Padukone in Padmavaat to that of Shahid
Kapoor and Ranveer Singh when she had a much bigger role and screen time than them? How can we expect the Indian Women’s Cricket Team to have as many matches as the men’s team when the number of viewers of both are significantly different?
In India, as a feminist... I would like to say I do not expect equal treatment. I want fair treatment.
I live in a country, where marital rape is still not criminalised, where when SC took to talking about it men on twitter took to trending “#MarriageStrike”. I live in a country where teenage educated girls don’t have the knowledge of “intersectional feminism”, where to them wearing lehengas is seen as a sign of oppression. I live In a country where periods and menstruation are still seen as a taboo topic, and not a natural functioning of our body.
I want women, of my country and of the world, to be given a better chance, a fair chance. This, is what feminism is and always will be, truly about.
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