by Mandi » Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:37 pm
Understanding feminism was what helped me understand gender equality because gender equality came after feminism. for a while I considered myself a "feminist" because of what I thought feminism means and its not that feminism is dead, but it is a movement that happened, progressed into the women's rights movement and then into gender equality.
I asked my mother and grandmothers to define feminism and identify 3 things the women's movement is working to change. They all mentioned, in one form or another: 1.voting rights 2.job/ pay equality 3.reproductive rights
Women gained the right to vote in 1920, roe v wade: 70s equal pay: 60s
I no longer see myself as fighting to be equal to men, we have our rights and laws, we have had them, implementation has been the issue (its not the law keeping women from public office, is societal views of women), but it hasn't even been 100 years since we gained our first real rights. In the earl 1700s only 11% of British women were literate enough to sign their own names, and most of them could only do that.
We have come a very long way. The movement is a breathing, growing, changing, evolving thing, and thats beautiful.
Maybe she is just in her own phase of understanding feminism first before any other ism. Choosing what to call anything these days gets kind of arduous. Am I Jewish? eh, I'm an evolved kind of jewish... but my evolution isn't necessarily your evolution or idea of progress. To simplify matters (for most) I just say "yeah, I'm jewish."
Am I a feminist? eh, I'm an evolved kind of feminist.
Love,
M
Thanks for the lovely post!