“To me, feminism is the belief that women should receive equal treatment to men. This encompasses many areas such as pay, voting rights, education, and more. I think the goal of feminism is to level the playing field between men and women as much as possible, but recently it seems that feminism is often mistaken for women’s rights over men’s, or the overcompensation of the imbalance. I identify with the definition of feminism that equates to equality of the genders.
Feminism is a term I hear often at events that focus on raising awareness regarding identities and communities– events such as UGA training and trip leader training (recently). At these events, feminism usually carries a positive connotation. However, feminism is a term also surrounded by ideas of protest and anger at times, and in these contexts it may carry a negative connotation, depending on who hears it.”
-Yumi
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“I would define the word feminism as the advocacy of women’s rights for the ultimate goal of gender equality. Furthermore, I would then define gender equality as equal opportunities for all genders across the spectrum. And by equal, I don’t necessarily mean equitable, since there are indeed biological sex differences. For example, lines at women’s restrooms tend to always be longer than lines at men’s restrooms. I have heard the term feminism used in both positive and negative context in the media. Often times, we attribute the movement for women’s suffrage, education, and career expansion to the tremendous work of feminists. However, feminism at times does receive what I consider an undeserved negative connotation. Backlash against this movement associate feminism with extremism and even misandry. It’s often easy for the media to cherry-pick quotes out of context from self-proclaimed feminists from what I have seen. All in all, I identify with feminism, but in reality, I know very little behind its history and major advocates. However, I do see the need for gender equality in present day United States and across the world-especially in third world countries. The glass ceiling, markedly low ratio of women in top career positions and STEM fields, testify to the continual need for feminism for example. In third world countries, studies provide evidence that increasing access girl’s education improves the overall economic performance measured by GDP.
After reading a segment from ‘A Day without Feminism,’ I found myself wondering what more needs to be accomplished to truly achieve gender equality. I am shocked by the backwardness of society just 30 years ago described in the piece. I’m left intrigued by how much men and women both suffered under a patriarchal, abstinence only society.
‘Part of my distance from feminism sprang from an ignorance certainly shaped, in some inchoate way by the cultural attitudes toward feminism. When my older sister, then in college, went through a brief radical feminist phase, I didn’t know how to interpret her behaviour.’ Dicker, ‘History of US Feminists.’
This quote captures the author’s initial antagonism towards feminism before she valued the need for the movement. Her early experience was formative for eventual interest and understanding of feminism. She describes herself as ignorant when referring to his sister’s “radical” phase because she ‘was a studious good girl intent on following the rules.’ This quote parallels the ‘A Day without Feminism’ description that women were expected to “obey their husbands” but not the other way around and how women were taught to limit their sexuality as to not tarnish their image. I found it interesting how in both cases, submissiveness and diminutiveness were qualities that people celebrated. By being a so-called ‘good girl’ Dicker experienced an unwelcoming view of feminism. As a result, even women at times denounced feminism based on patriarchal cultural perceptions.
After reading the two pieces, I felt that I relate with Dicker’s initial disgust towards feminism. The derogatory term ‘Feminazi’ gets thrown around often in the media and I also initially focused on what I thought were extremist feminist beliefs rather than the true beneficial movement that feminism captures. A question I have is: What reasons would people have to fear feminism when it advocates the wellbeing of both men and women of all backgrounds?”
-Andrew
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“My personal definition of feminism promotes equality across genders. Interestingly, my first encounter with the term ‘feminism’ was back in middle school, deriving from the ‘Power of Madonna’ episode of the television series Glee (the episode involved its female characters taking a stand against their respective partners). In this context, feminism was a term that encouraged empowerment and respect. However, I’m also a regular scroller of 9gag, an online platform for user-generated posts, typically targeted towards men. Usually, posts about “feminism” are rebutted with comments pointing out the double standards regarding many feminists. I do know that many Korean men are frustrated by the women’s call for equality when the men are expected to fulfill their materialistic desires and treat them with such delicacy when Korean women seem to forget the mandatory army service only being applicable to men. Taking both positions in mind, I do believe that both sides seem to only keep their own arguments in mind and conveniently disregard the other side’s strife. However, as a women who wants to start a business and be regarded with the same respect that a male counterpart would receive, I do identify with the idea of equal treatment between males and females.
Upon reading ‘A Day Without Feminism,’ the lack of opportunities for women really struck me. It made me think back to all the wonderful accomplishments and scientific, technological innovations discovered by men, which could have had a role in perpetuating the idea that men are better suited for academia, but then you also have to realize that women were never truly given the chance to study, research, and perform those same discoveries. Before the reading, I had a slightly negative impression of feminists through the attitude of some (although I agreed with the ideal ideology behind it), but the quote ‘when a boss demands sex’ reminded me of a lot of times when I saw the corrupt nature behind the Korean entertainment industry and how it treats women. It definitely realized the blessings that the feminist movement has had on my life. Dicker’s viewpoint is also something I can relate to. As I was reading it, I found myself thinking about the complaints of my brother who attends a small liberal arts college at the sensitivity of the women at his school and how he felt ‘feminism was being shoved in his face.’ This also stained the idea of feminism for me, but as I read it, it felt reassuring to read from someone who shared my viewpoint at one point in time and to appreciate the efforts and strife of women, particularly mothers.”
-Chloe
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“In my opinion, feminism is symbolic of women empowerment and the belief that women are just as capable as men. I believe that men and women are inherently better at some different things, and that women deserve the same opportunities to succeed as men. Feminism applies to almost all aspects of life, but I hear of it most in the government, the workplace, athletics, and academics. I respect feminism and agree that women have historically been oppressed and continue to be at a disadvantage to men, for example, wage gaps or maternity leave. However, my belief is rooted in the media’s portrayal of feminism instead of my own experiences, so it’s hard to identify with feminism. Nevertheless, I believe that there are still unfortunate gender stereotypes about women, for example, regarding their intelligence or physical strength.
Understanding some of the history behind feminism has helped me better understand a key motive behind the movement in that it’s more than just about achieving equality across sexes. I like how Dicker writes, ‘Should women want merely to copy men, though?’ Rather than constantly comparing men with women, I also prefer to think of feminism as a movement towards liberation. Baumgardner’s “A Day without Feminism” introduced me to many successes since the 1970s, and realizing that ‘husbands are likely to die eight years earlier…’ made me further appreciate feminism because it has affected men’s lives as much as it has women’s.”
-Michael