Feminism: the belief that all genders should have equal rights and opportunities. By definition, feminism is for both men and women. Gender equality is necessary for an individual of any gender to be able to achieve full potential, so why is it that feminist movements throughout history have been majority women? Even IHS’s gender equality club, SWIS, is mostly female. It makes sense for men to be as much a part of the movement for equality as women are, but the truth is that they aren’t. This fact became especially obvious in the wake of Social Justice Week and SWIS-led events aimed at increasing male involvement in feminism.
It seems that this lack of activism on the part of men is largely because men feel that feminism does not apply to them. After all, the movement is called feminism. For a long time, the movement for gender equality has been associated only with “women’s issues,” but this is no longer the case. All genders are disadvantaged by our current patriarchal system, as men face toxic masculinity, women face career disadvantages, and non-binary people face discrimination and violence. Everyone’s participation is necessary for any change to be successful.
It is important to recognize that the differences between men and women in our current society result in men receiving benefits in many pervasive ways that women don’t. For example, the average pay gap between white men and women is 78 cents for a women to every man’s dollar, and the gap is greater for women of color. The wage gap is only one instance of institutional sexism. Men also appear in the media three times as often as women, and women hold only 20 percent of seats in Congress while making up half of the U.S. population. One out of five women and one in 70 men in the U.S. has been victim to rape or attempted rape in their lifetime (National Sexual Violence Resource Center). The disparity in these statistics makes it clear that women are disadvantaged by the current patriarchal system. While gender inequality does pose problems for men, women tend to bear the brunt of the disadvantage. It is difficult to see the need to change a system, or even to see inequality at all, when one does not feel the larger negative effects of inequality. This may be one reason men are less likely to identify as feminists. Yet isn’t it reasonable to hope that men would want to stand up for their family and friends who are female and offer support for them?
After reflecting on the lack of male membership in SWIS Club, we worked to create a presentation to educate men about feminism and encourage them to participate in the movement for gender equality. We hoped to show that feminism is important to men not only in the support of women and people they care about, but also because the movement works to change the gender inequalities that disadvantage men. The presentation, dubbed “Men and Feminism,” was given on February 29 after school, and again during Social Justice Week on March 25. There were three main points in the presentation:
- All genders benefit from feminism, as feminism seeks to eliminate gender roles and stereotypes that prevent any gender from being able to fully pursue and achieve their greatest potential socially, economically, or politically. This is due to the discrimination and social pressures that affect men as well as women.
- Feminism tends to focus on women because women are largely more oppressed than men, and have been throughout history. Men face disadvantages due to gender inequality as well, but because there is more that must be done to give women equal opportunity, there is more focus placed on women.
- Raising the status of women is beneficial to both men and women because it improves the economy, supports relationships and the development of healthy men, and increases the development of helpful technologies, medicines, and inventions that improve the lives of everyone through greater female involvement in STEM fields. Furthermore, women bring new insights into the workplace and gender diversity in the workplace can lead to higher productivity.
The true gender equality that SWIS tried to emphasize is not about eliminating or ignoring the differences between genders. Gender equality is about creating equal opportunity and comfort for all genders, breaking down barriers, and encouraging everyone to fulfill their own individualized hopes and potential. It is essential that the feminist movement include men and that men express their support for gender equality. The current gender stereotypes, roles, and expectations that exist in our culture impair the development of all people, regardless of race, gender, or sexuality. Just as women should not be expected to be soft-spoken and submissive caregivers, men should not be expected to be strong, unemotional providers. These are socially constructed pressures that limit us all. Feminism works to create equal opportunity for all genders, improving prospects for us all, men and women alike.
No gender can achieve equality alone.