Hello Dear Readers,
I run this post every year on International Women’s Day. I sincerely believe that bringing equality to the male+female situation would be the foundation of understanding between us.
Today is International Women’s Day. Wikipedia states that today, March 8th is the major day for the global celebration of women. In different regions the focus of the celebrations range from general celebration of respect and appreciation towards women, to a celebration of women’s economic, political and social achievements.
Today, I’m inspired to put down my opinion on a subject close to my heart. I think it’s quite misunderstood. Currently, many view “Feminist” is a derogatory term that’s equated with being masculine and strident. This is a falsehood. To be a feminist simply means believing in the equality between men and women, supporting the idea that women deserve the same rights under the law as men. That’s all it means, it doesn’t mean being strident or pushy, annoying or overly critical of men. Feminine and feminist are not mutually exclusive. One can have the wonderful qualities of womanhood and still be a Feminist. It is also true that men can still be masculine while also holding the belief that the women in their lives are their equal. Because I think that’s what we all want, to be equal. I, as a woman, am as valuable as a man.
Where people seem to be getting confused is when manners and common courtesy enter the picture. Just because a man opens a door or pulls out the seat for a woman doesn’t mean he thinks of her as less. A gallant man is not sexist, he is mannerly. It is gentlemanly behavior to have manners and be polite. Holding a woman’s chair should be equated to using please & thank you. It is a form of politeness and shows good manners.
Unisex is not the goal of Feminism, equality is. Men and women make a great team working together. Each gender brings their own strengths to the party. The value of those strengths is what’s equal. This is a good thing and anyone misunderstanding what the Feminist Movement really is can be comforted by that. As the French say… “Vive La Différence!”
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