soapbox: why i’m proud to be a feminist
I know mentioning the word feminism to some is off-putting and may even prompt negative connotations. As someone who claims to a feminist and has studied gender, I struggle with this idea that feminism is a negative thing; that it supports disadvantaging men to empower women. Feminism, to me, is a tool with which you can choose to view the world. It is about challenging the power hierarchies that allow structural inequality to exist. It is about asking questions and accepting that the answers are still unknown, but continuing to ask them anyway – to highlight the silences and make noise. Feminism is about subscribing to a particular type of politics. A politics that does not support privileging of one sex above the other; a politics that recognises the impact women have in contributing to a stable family life and economy and a politics that is not content with surface-level equality but demands that every woman and every girl can feel equal.
It baffles me that people in Australia argue that we don’t require feminism any more. I understand that there will always be resistance against any -ism, but feminism is the most challenged -ism we have today. And why? What are we afraid of? That women may one day receive the same treatment, respect and recognition as men? God forbid!
One of the reasons we desperately need to continue feminism and apply a gender lens to viewing the world is evident in the criticism of Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard. While I may not have agreed with all of her policies, she is a woman of integrity, of purpose and of incredible resilience. Gillard was criticised and asked questions that aren’t asked of men. She was an atheist, unmarried woman, with no children – she represented everything but traditional femininity. This is where surface-level equality can be deceiving, highlighting that while we claim we have progress by allowing women top leadership positions, the questions asked of women are not the same of men. Gender equality is not about equal position titles but rather equal treatment and experiences as men.
Some people I’ve encountered suggest feminism should be replaced with a different term – one that represents the gender lens it adopts. What I’ve learnt is that labels can be both positive and negative. Feminism has such historical importance. The reason I have the ability to receive an education, choose my path and have a say in my family and career is due to feminists before me. The reality is that we women in Australia can call things a choice because of feminism. While some may choose to view feminism as a label of exclusion, labels provide people with something to rally around. In the 1960s, many rallied as part of the civil rights movement to combat racism, leading to the infamous dream of Martin Luther King Junior. We now need men and women to use feminism to unite to address sexism and inequality. We need to extend Mr. King’s dream to include not being judged or disadvantaged by the sex we were born, but rather allowing boys, girls, men and women to prosper, free from oppressive structures.
The struggle with feminism in today’s society is that we now have little room for discourse, particularly in the West. We have created a culture of certainty, where unanswered questions are unacceptable and intelligent and thought provoking conversations often end in ‘I’m right, you’re wrong.’ To ask questions and accept that there may not be answers takes courage. To lean into the discomfort of not knowing but challenging the hierarchies that allow inequality to exist is incredibly courageous. To know that many may disagree with me actually gives me energy – because if I’m not upsetting someone then I’m clearly not being bold enough. What upsets me is that many people, in refusing to engage with these questions and conversations, are refusing to budge from the accepted and entrenched norm that underpins our society and that is that women are lesser than; they are “the other”.
All I can say is that I choose to be bold; I choose to support a politics and a way of viewing the world that does not seek to oppress, but empower; that rejects that women are “the other” and that says your sex should not dictate the privileges you gain. So for those who ask: I’m proud to be a feminist.
Want to get on your soapbox, Lipsters? Get in touch with Jo at [email protected]!
