The problem with feminism
Flawed construct should be replaced by gender equality
Feminism has become a fundamentally flawed construct. The original purpose of the feminist movement was to instate equal legal rights for women, but as often happens with social movements, momentum has carried us far past equality to a place that is counterproductive to the authentic feminist spirit.
(For the purpose of this article, “men” and “women” can be understood to include those who identify as such, regardless of their physical sex. I leave interpretation to the reader.)
Yes, women are still often treated unfairly. This became apparent to me in high school, during a group project. I was the only female in the group. I stated that I would cover the written portion of the project, and one of the boys told me not to worry, that he would take care of it. I wonder what he’s doing now.
Indeed, many women are undercompensated in the workplace, overworked in the home, and struggle to be recognized intellectually if they’re found to be sexually desirable.
Women deserve to be respected as much as men do. The problem with modern feminism is that it suggests that to be respected, women have to be more like men.
Humans of all gender identities exist on a multitude of spectra. Our physical and mental characteristics are not necessarily determined by what’s in our pants, but to say that men and women are generally the same is fallacious, and does not support gender equality.
“Anything you can do I can do better” is not exactly helpful or accurate. Can I lift as much weight as my 6-foot-3, 200-pound male partner in the gym? I can’t. Trying to do so would probably injure me, and claiming to be capable of such a feat would just be blatantly unreasonable. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t women out there who can, but higher levels of testosterone and increased muscle mass tailor men to lifting heavier weight than women typically would. Again, we are speaking generally.
Biologically, males and females are different. This statement seems pretty obvious based simply on a glance downward, but this also includes how our brains tend to function. To truly achieve gender equality, we need to stop pretending this isn’t a fact.
Denying our biological differences only sets us up for failure. There are evolutionary reasons for typically “feminine” or “masculine” characteristics, and recognizing this shouldn’t cause offence. Our differences come down to raising offspring. We can debate the finer points, but ultimately, in an evolutionary context, if there were only one set of gender characteristics within a mated pair, children would theoretically die of starvation. If both parents prioritized goal-oriented risk-taking, both might bite it hunting for food, leaving their children unprotected, whereas if both parents prioritized communication and emotional connectivity, perhaps neither would be willing to part with their children and risk their lives to hunt in the first place.
These may be generalities, but they’re real generalities, based on the history of how the human species raised their offspring. Because society is now structured differently from a hunting and gathering lifestyle, people of all gender identities are (ideally) free to pursue whatever goals and passions they desire without the necessity of following a particular child-rearing paradigm.
But, this doesn’t alter our biology. I reject feminism in favour of gender equality, and I mean to include all genders on the spectrum.
The problem with feminism is that instead of telling children that they can be whomever they want to be, we’re up in arms over little girls who just really want to dress as princesses for Halloween. Princesses aren’t taken seriously. They aren’t tough. Princess imagery is seen by feminism as a brainwashing ploy to keep girls focused on the flimsy and frilly, so that they don’t realize their own value beyond appearances. But, instead of empowering girls, this sends the message that femininity is weak and of lesser value than masculinity, which — correct me if I’m wrong — is the very opposite of historical feminism’s intention.
Gender equality means that I should be able to wear a pretty dress and still be acknowledged for my intellectual aptitudes.
Laura Furster is a writer, artist, and journalist living in downtown Hamilton. She can be found on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram, and at www.laura-furster.com. Contact: laura.furster@outlook.com.