FEMINISM

Written by: Pravartika Gandhi

Nowadays the word ‘feminism’ is misinterpreted and thus disliked by a number of individuals. Several men and women refrain from calling themselves feminists so as to not fall into a notorious section of the society. Though such people do not oppose gender equality as such, there are millions of people who, yet, both inwardly and outwardly do not support the idea that there should be equal rights and opportunities for men and women. Sadly, due to the resistance by these people, women rights, which we consider to be human rights, are still only available to a few.

“Feminism is the radical belief that all women are human beings.” If so, then a segment constituting half of humanity ought to be given the same treatment as the other half. Yet, at the same time, uplifting women is not synonymous to abate the respect of men. Equality emphasises that we support and empower women where justified, not in any and every situation merely to gain attention. Similarly, even though the name suggests femininity, its main idea is to promote sexual equality and eradicate gender bias. Feminism and feminists stand for men when they face discrimination for expressing traits which we consider to be humane, but not masculine.

Hence, in my opinion, feminism is a movement for rectifying our misdeeds to our mothers, grandmothers and for developing a brighter and better future for our daughters. Concomitantly, a step enabling “both men and women to feel free to be sensitive and to be strong”.