EDITORIAL

Feminism: The Advocacy for (Certain) Women’s Rights

By Anisha N. ‘22

Feminism, as defined by Oxford Dictionary, is “the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.” Therefore, it’s easy to believe that all women, if not all humans, should be feminists, because why would someone be against the fight for their own equality? It’s this assumption that makes the results of studies, like a 2018 poll on millennial women done by GenForward, so surprising: when asked if they were a feminist, only 15% responded with “yes.” This means that, based on the definition of feminism, the remaining 85% are anti-equality, right? Well, not exactly, because when asked if they support women’s rights and equality, almost 65% of the same group agreed. So what about the term feminism has made many young women run in the opposite direction?

For many women, the answer is white feminism: the fight for equality, but only where it benefits middle-to-upper class white women, therefore disregarding all other ways marginalized women experience oppression under the same system. This feminism can be found in the rise of suffragettes in America, with the dismissal of black women’s voices, sending them to the back of marches, and not recognizing the need to fight for their rights in tandem with black people. White feminism extends to more areas than race too. Body hair, “girl power”, career advancements, and dating are common topics of discussion amongst feminists but rarely does the conversation include what women everywhere face: lack of access to health care, safety within homes, economic stability, affording basic needs, and much more. Women around the world struggle to survive, but what we see through mainstream white feminism is only the want to increase our privilege. 

We tend to separate categories such as race, gender, class, and immigrant status in conversations surrounding inequality. But through these distinctions, we fail to recognize that these categories are interconnected - people are often oppressed by multiple aspects of their identity. It’s impossible to want equality, but not believe these factors should be acknowledged in the feminist movement. In today’s society, however, voicing this criticism can mean going up against liberal progressive white feminists, who often believe that they understand all marginalized women and their struggles because they are women too. Therefore, many women have found it easier to not identify themselves as feminists, rather than be a part of the movement where they don’t feel represented by the majority. 

Thus, intersectional feminism was born. Intersectional feminism is the movement that advocates for women’s rights, but highlights that the predominant demographic within feminism - that is white, middle-class, and able-bodied - make-up one of many types of women, and therefore can only speak for their group. It aims to show that the experiences of all other groups are not reflected in the original feminist movement. 

“Why is it necessary?”

...Because intersectional feminism addresses the societal issues mainstream feminism has ignored. For example, bisexual and trans-women experience much higher levels of harassment and assault than other women, with research suggesting roughly half of transgender people will experience sexual assault at some point in their lives. Intersectional feminism also expands the conversation when addressing reproductive rights. Juliet Willaims, a professor of gender studies at UCLA, states that “...intersectional feminists have been critical of framing reproductive justice claims in terms of a feminist demand for “choice.” Choice discourse presumes that all women have the economic means to afford an abortion if they so choose.” 

Feminism has had an undeniable impact on the progress to equality. But now, it’s time to re-evaluate its original purpose and be sure we fight for all women.