There are two sides to every story- here’s ours
The oxford dictionary defines feminism as the movement for equality of both the sexes- not less, not more- EQUAL. It is as simple and as uncomplicated as that.
We are living in the 21st century where we see women going to offices, we see them earning and driving, so then why DO we need feminism?
Did you know, that for every dollar a man earns a woman earns 82.3 cents? Eighteen countries still have married women ask their husbands for permission to get a job. Out of the 796 million illiterate people in the world, two-third of the whole are women. And About 33,000 girls become child brides every day!
It has been more than a 100 years since women in the USA earned the right to vote, but women still haven’t earned the right to breathe freely. We still haven’t earned the right to walk outside at night alone feeling safe and sure, we still haven’t earned the right to freely wear what suits us without being commented upon, we are killed for saying ‘no’ to men, therefore not only do we need feminism but we need it now more than ever. Women may have earned numerous rights, but we are still burdened with societies expectations, prejudiced mindsets and have to face crimes committed against us.
Looking at the condition of women and the low standards to which gender equality has fallen, it is shown, that we need feminism more than ever, and yet the irony is that, every so often people confuse the word feminism with sexism and the whole wide difference between both those terms goes unnoticed. I agree with the fact that pseudo feminism is not one hundred percent right and should be ignored, but that does not mean one stops supporting feminism as a whole.
At the current rate, it is said by the World Economic Forum’s recent Global Gender Gap Report it will take about 108 years to reach full gender parity. Imagine! 108 YEARS from now! More than a century later, and who knows even then we may reach it. The only way to make this deadline or earlier possible is to work up progress and start supporting gender equality.
However, one thing I’ve learnt this far is that women alone cannot fight this war for gender equality- we need support from all the genders so that the change made is profound and lasting! We need the support of the ones that hold higher power in this patriarchal society- but for that, we should not have to ask them, we should not have to make our problems appeal to them or have to convince them that this is worth fighting for, because I am sure they must be aware of all the reasons given by the news and world around them.
I understand that not all men are misogynistic, and not all men commit such crimes- but all men are aware of them! I see men watch content which includes crimes against women, rape and prejudiced society and I see them disturbed- but I also see the same men the next morning go back to normal work like they did countless times before, leading on with the same lives as they did before- not making changes.
Why do your toes not curl when you look at this sort of news? Why do you not have to hold on to your cushion when you see these things on the news because that is the only way to let your anger out? And if this does happen to you, what are you waiting for? Your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your wives are preys to these predators- so why are you still continuing to not fight this? Again I say, this fight cannot be fought on our own, so please, I urge you- WAKE UP.
Further, a Forbes Magazine article states, ‘many of the measures concerning gender equality interplay with the economy and more specifically, the workforce’. This ever increasing gender pay gap is usually due to several reasons like- misogynistic superiors, hostile environments, motherhood etc.
Low participation of women in the workforce is not only forming yet another barrier between the genders but also impacts the economy hugely. According to a report by SCIKEY research, 6.56% of female professionals excelled in the workplace, which is a double of their male counterparts, a low 3.26%, yet for every dollar a man earns a women earns 82.3 cents.
We are nowhere close to end, but we will be once we take a step. We may have gotten ourselves into a big loop hole, but I assure you, there is a way out of it, and the first step is to start talking about it. The only way to reach at the light at the end of the dark tunnel is TO START WALKING TOWARDS IT.
