Is Feminism Dead?

Or just on a break?

I don’t know about you but I feel a little insulted when anyone suggests I’m a Feminist.

I grew up in the 1970s and started work in the middle of the 1980’s. This was a time when I felt there was nothing to stop me achieving and striving for what I wanted. I was grateful that my ancestors had won our right to the vote, fought for equal rights and had brought about the wide-spread availability of the contraceptive pill.

I figure now my destiny is in my own hands.

However in the two decades since, feminism does appear to have become a dirty word and it gives me no pride to be one. The word is usually followed by campaigner, magazine, book, group or worse, preceded by ‘staunch’.

It all sounds very militarist.

With profound respect for the pre-1970s feminists, without whom I wouldn’t have the wonderful life I now enjoy to the fullest, I feel we have gone too far now.

Why do we need women’s groups and associations? Mothers groups I get; naturally, women who are mothers have additional needs to those of us who are child free.  I don’t understand why there aren’t just parents groups though; don’t fathers have similar needs?

I once, actually repeatedly asked the President of a women’s business group why her group needed to exist and why there couldn’t just be one business group for both sexes.

The answer, ‘women have different needs to men’s 

‘Like what?’

‘Like childcare’

‘But I’m a women, I don’t have childcare needs. However, men who are in business may well have those needs. So tell me, why does the women’s group have to exist?’

There’s no answer to that.

My feeling is that for hundreds of years, women have been ruled by men, they had the upper hand, they made our choices, our decisions and we had no say. Our feminist sisters fought for our rights for generations, they fought for equal rights. Equal I say.

So why now have we got women’s groups when we have fought so hard to get into men only groups?

This isn’t taking away from social groups, I am the first to join up for girls only gatherings be it a spa weekend or a coffee. We need girlfriends and I truly relish mine just the same as men need guy friends. I simply think for as long as we separate our sex, we are just saying we are special and deserve to be treated better than men. Just as men have done for thousands of years before.

Many areas are still dominated by men and I don’t see the sense in proactively campaigning for women to be equally represented; politics, legal and technical professions are just some areas underrepresented and whilst a little encouragement for women to go into these areas is fantastic, they have to get there on their own merit and because they want to. Not because we want to see the world as perfect 50/50 mix

Let’s just go for equality.

Originally published by Rickie J (Mon Nov 29, 2010) I don't know about you but I feel a little insulted when anyone suggests I'm a Feminist. I grew up in the 1970s and started work in the middle of the 1980's. This was a time when I felt there was nothing to stop me achieving and striving for what I wanted.Read more (Published by Powder Room Graffiti)