Why is Feminist a negative word? - Page 6

Girls can wear jeans and cut their hair short, wear shirts and boots, cause it is ok to be a boy. But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading, because you think that being a girl is degrading - Ian McEwan (yes and it also opens a Madonna song)

This might be an extreme presentation. However, it still rings resoundingly true in many senses. As society progresses it has become ok for a woman to show masculine traits. People have no qualms with girls being tomboys and roughing it like boys do. Women are applauded when they take on a traditionally male job like firefighter etc. Hesitantly, even men are willingly accepting assertive and independent women.

However, the same is not true for men. A boy who wants to wear make up, or dress feminine is made fun of or considered gay. Those boys who are sensitive, write poems and stories, wear make up and show no qualms about dressing effeminately are considered 'emos' the bottom rung of the social pool. Men who say they want to take on female careers like nannies, nursing, secretarial jobs, designing have to be gay or nuts to do so. That is why I think masculinism needs to take place.

Feminism made it ok for a girl to be like a boy. Now masculinism needs to make it ok for boys to be like girls.

Therein lies the flaw in the entire feminist movement. The idea when conceived was sensible and the need of the time. Women were treated as second class citizens and they needed to be treated as equals.

However, what the feminist movement ended up doing is reiterating the fact that there are feminine traits and tasks and there are masculine traits and tasks. They strove to gain entry into masculine spheres like employment and wanted to be allowed to display masculine characteristics like assertiveness, independence and even aggression. In doing so the feminist movement inadvertently reiterated that feminine tasks are undesirable and unwanted. Reinforcing the notion that being a boy is ok, but being a girl is degrading.

In reality there should be no such thing as masculine or feminine traits or tasks. There are just human characteristics, human personalities and jobs and things people do. Anyone can do anything. It simply comes down to what they are good at and what they want to do.

It should be absolutely fine whether a woman wants to be a house wife or pursue a career. At the same time it should be absolutely fine if a man wants to be a house husband and be a homemaker. Television shows can be a great social satire - the television show 'Who's the Boss' showed how gender roles can be completely and successfully reversed. We had the woman who was the career oriented bread winner and we had the man who cooked and cleaned, looked after the kids, went to PTA team and became the soccer mom.

Anthropological studies show that gender role is the result of gender role socialization. From childhood boys are molded to be 'male' and girls are molded to be 'female'. Its a psychological nurturing. Tribes have been found in New Guinea where our traditional gender roles are completely reversed.

For truly achieving equality society has to do the hardest thing imaginable break the cycle of gender socialization - so both sexes grow up being social equals - eliminating the need for fixes and amendments in the future.

I completely agree with Souro that education and not reservation is the better alternative to gaining equality for women. In reality reservation actually holds back women. With reservation in place women never will gain the respect they deserve, reach their full potential and it will leave women with potential behind.

Due to social discrepancy it is true that parents are more obsessed with sending boys instead of girls to school. Especially parents with limited resources are more concerned with the boy.

The very first step is making education till twelfth grade mandatory. Make it illegal with severe punishments to not send a child to school. It may seem very basic. However, it can have far reaching consequences.

There is a chance that parents who see how well their girl did in school will become more receptive to the girl furthering her education. Education also exposes girls to socialization, information and ideas - which can have the most lasting impression on a person. It may not drop opportunities in the hands of all women, but it shows them the possibilities that are there.

Higher education maybe challenging due to limited incomes, and if the family wants to spend money only on the son. But there are innumerable resources. Offer work-study programs. Students can work as lab assistants, clerks, secretaries and do basic paperwork and filing for the universities in return for part time coursework. Encourage colleges to waive fees for deserving students. Offer scholarships and grants to deserving students. Make no/low interest government loans available.

If only all the politicians, NGO's and people wasting time money and energy on reservation diverted it to funding higher education for women, things would be better. Educated men and women who feel that equality is a concern should volunteer time with origanizations to tutor, guide and assist students in choosng education and career paths.

As they say feed a man fish, you feed him once. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.

maybe because people don't really know the meaning of feminist.

Originally posted by: _LalithaJanaki_

Completely agree with you 100% Souro.👏 Both genders should receive equal opportunities and both better be grilled strictly before getting a job. In today's world, it does not matter whether you are a guy or girl, but it's your ability and intellect needed for the job which are taken into consideration. It is very less today to see a male dominating a female. and it's pretty stupid for those feminists (not all) who want special privilege even if they lack the ability, in the name of feminism. It's the males of previous society's fault how women were treated then. Why should the men of today's society be punished for that? That's just stupid...everyone's equal, both men and women, and no one should get special treatment.

Well said. 👏 Both genders are equal as human beings, thus both should be treated with equal respect. The moment the 'equal right' exceeds its limit and become 'special privileges', it must be put to a stop. (And this goes for both genders, men or women).

(I usually hit the like button, but for this post I had to reply back).

i think feminism is -ve cos...this is male dominated world and continue to be this way.....and men don't like somebody matching up to them.... so .... women will find their groove in looking upto the men and their man in partiular......

Originally posted by: qwertyesque

i think feminism is -ve cos...this is male dominated world and continue to be this way.....and men don't like somebody matching up to them.... so .... women will find their groove in looking upto the men and their man in partiular......

😒 oh god!!!!!!!!!!! i hope that was a joke.
😒

Originally posted by: angelic_devil

😒 oh god!!!!!!!!!!! i hope that was a joke.
😒

I hope you don't ever take Qwerty seriously. He is a very special child.