Who's afraid of feminism? NOT US
Let’s celebrate feminism and a more equal world, as we commemorate international Women’s day this Sunday.
IT really is quite simple: if you believe girls have as much right to education and that women have the right to decide the course of their lives, you believe in feminism. If you think a woman deserves to earn as much as her male counterpart, you hold feminist beliefs.
Feminism is a movement for gender justice and equality. It isn’t about women being better than men or taking away the rights of men but rather that women derseve the opportunities that are given to men whether at home, at the workplace, in society or in political and economic arenas. It is about putting an end to gender discrimination. It is about ending sexual harassment and gender-based violence.
What feminists demand is a world that is fair to both women and men and transgendered people.
“The feminist movement has given women back our lives. It freed us and is still liberating women from the oppression of patriarchy and the ensuing discrimination. It gave us the vote, the right to education, to work, to choose your own partner, to be an equal in a marriage, the right to health, to expect respect and equality,” says women’s rights activist Ivy Josiah.
Regretfully, because of a lack of understanding of what feminism really is about, many – both women and men – don’t want to be identified as feminists.
Feminists have been stereotyped as being man-hating extremists.
“There is serious misinformation globally that feminists are bra-burning, ranting women. This came about because in the 1980s women’s movement, there was an incident in the United States where some women burned their bras as a sign of protest. This spread in the mass media and remained in people’s minds as the representation of feminists,” says Loh Cheng Kooi, executive director of the Women’s Centre for Change Penang.
Loh says that many, especially men, are threatened by feminism because it challenges fundamental relations in the family, workplace dynamics and social structures.
“Many husbands and male bosses still feel their wives and female employees should not question what is given. Any woman who does question or challenges is labelled as ‘aggressive, demanding feminists’ and are looked upon negatively.
“As a result, many women prefer not to be identified as feminists even though they want the right to not be discriminated and treated unequally,” she says.
Do we need feminism
As long as there are people believe that women invite rape because of how they dress or behave, we need feminism. As long as women are discriminated in the workforce (like relief teacher Noorfadilla Saipin who had her job offer revoked because she was pregnant) - we need feminism.
As long as pregnant girls are taken out of school and married off, we need feminism. As long as women continue to be bullied and intimidated at home, we need feminism. As long as the state fails to protect women, we need feminism.
For although the Federal Constitution guarantees gender equality, it isn’t always enforced.
Violence against women and children continues to rise, alarmingly.
“Malaysian women have come a long way to achieve more equality especially socially and in education. But the stark reality is that sexual violence against women and girls is on the increase and women’s bodies are being violated.
“With the increase in extremism, women are being told that their dressing cause rape, they should behave properly and where the male ideology is being propagated. It is therefore important to speak out against these violations and promote respect and equality to benefit women and men in society,” says Loh.
Sisters in Islam communications officer Alia Ali believes that gender consciousness and sensitivity are still lacking among Malaysians, partly due to cultural and religious influences.
“We need to support feminism, not just in Malaysia but in all societies. However, the need to support feminism in Malaysia is because gender sensitivity is really lacking. We see it in our leaders and also other individuals who are in the public eye.
“The discrimination of women have been justified under the guise of religion. Imagine the message it sends to young girls, if people in power continue speaking in gender insensitive language and women and girls are made to feel any less adequate than men. Feminism needs the support by both men and women to counter this narrative,” she says.
To mark International Women’s Day this year, we invited fellow Malaysians to tell us why they are feminists and why they support feminism.
Most agreed without hesitation and responded swiftly. It was also heartening to see many men onboard.
So despite the insensitive and downright degrading comments on women we have to endure from time to time, there are enough of us who continue to support and fight for women’s equality. It’s only the right thing to do.