Being a Feminist, Belonging to Humanity.

Feminism gets a bad reputation. People who don’t quite understand, what it is associate feminism with something aggressive and exclusive: women-only and we-hate-men kind of vibes. While it’s really not that. 

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines feminism as: “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes”. It’s about equality and it’s about women doing whatever they want to do – without the society or any individual pressuring them into it.

Feminism at its core is about equality of men and women. So many people offer up the argument that women are not the “same” as men so there can’t be equality. In other words, because their bodies are different (many say “weaker” and smaller), and because men and women have different physical capabilities, these physical differences mean equality is not possible. The issue here is about equal rights and equal access to opportunities.  Men and women don’t have to be the “same” in physicality to have the right to equality. 

It’s about respecting diverse women’s experiences, identities, knowledge and strengths, and striving to empower all women to realise their full rights. It’s about levelling the playing field between genders, and ensuring that diverse women and girls have the same opportunities in life available to boys and men.

Being a feminist simply means believing in equal rights for all genders. It’s not about hating men. It’s not about women being better than men. It’s not about eschewing femininity.

-Suyash Khanna