Seeing as Tuesday 8th March was 'International Women's Day' I thought I'd share my thoughts on gender equality.
Feminism: the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.
It genuinely blows my mind that there are people in this world who do not agree with this idea and actually believe that women should not be treated equally to men. Why is it fair that women should be expected to get married and have lots of babies? Why is it fair that women shouldn't go out to work and achieve their own goals? Why do so many people seem to think this is okay? Because it's not.
Feminism: the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.
It's 2016. We've moved way past the age when women were expected to stay at home and look after their children. For some women that is their dream and they're perfectly happy with that. But for so many women that isn't their plan. I'm lucky enough to live in a place where I can have a good education and, in the future, I'll be able to have both a job and a family. The point is there are far too many women for whom that isn't a possibility. Take Saudi Arabia for example, as of December 2015 women had never been allowed to participate in elections, and it is still socially unacceptable for them to drive a car.
Despite living in a country in which women are supposedly treated equally to men, I still receive my fair share of sexism. I've been catcalled, stared at, judged for not wearing makeup (by other women), and told I'm not a true Marvel fan because I must only be interested in "the attractive superheroes". This kind of thing isn't fair in any shape or form.
"I'm not a feminist but I agree with equal rights." That's something I'll bet we've all heard before. The problem is that there are a lot of negative connotations associated with the word "feminist". It wouldn't surprise me if there are many people out there who would identify with being a feminist, if only they understood what it meant. Feminists are constantly stereotyped as angry, crazy and unconventional. What we should be known as is brave, strong and intelligent. So, to the men who don't identify as feminists, please try to put yourselves in the position of women. Please try to understand that feminism does benefit you too. Achieving gender equality means removing the ridiculous stereotypes that are forced upon both women and men, such as this idea that men shouldn't cry or display any weakness as this is a sign of femininity. To the women who don't identify as being feminists: re-evaluate your definition of feminism because I guarantee you and thousands of women around the world will benefit from it. You may not think you "need" feminism - and maybe that's the case for you - but that doesn't mean you should ignore the women across the globe who do need it.
My point is: women can wear trousers if they want to, women can watch superhero films if they want to, women can become lawyers and doctors if they want to. But the thing is, women can also wear make up if they want to, watch chick flicks if they want to, become a hairdresser or mum if they want to. Women don't have to conform to your social expectations. Women can do whatever they choose to do.
