Feminists get a bad rap.

People say that they don’t like feminism or feminists because

sometimes feminists are mean.  Sometimes feminists hate men.  Sometimes

feminists want women-supremacy.  But that isn’t what feminism is.  Feminism

is just saying that all genders should have equal rights.  Disliking feminism or

not participating in it because you disagree with the few radicalists is like

hating antiracists because you don’t agree with a handful of them.

Some people claim that if they really want equal rights for everyone, they

should call themselves “equalists” or they shouldn’t be offended by

“meninists.”  But can they really complain about that when the entire history of

life on earth is called “man-kind?” There are women-only bars and none for

men.  To those who ask “why?” I answer with this:  The same reason that the

first place in Mario Kart never gets bananas or stars or the big black rocket

thing– if you are already in first place, we need to help everyone else to get to

an equal standing.

The definition of feminism is simply the movement that women should have

the same rights as men.  A lot of people at this school say that they aren’t

feminists because they don’t think that women are really disadvantaged.

There is no sin in this assumption because it commonly insinuates that they

genuinely don’t look at women that way and are uninformed of the fact that

other people do.  In case that person is reading this article, here are some

facts to help explain the history and reality that has spurred the feminist

movement:

1. According to Infoplease.com, in 2013, women earned 78.3% as much

as men aged 16 and over in the U.S.

2. According to the U.N. Icon Books, 99.3% of women and girls in Egypt

have been subjected to sexual harassment.  The same books reveal

that just 1% of titled land in the world is owned by women.  Additionally,

globally, about 1 in 3 women will be beaten or raped in her lifetime.

3. Dewey from Washington post states: In Saudi Arabia, women are not

allowed to drive. Dewey also illustrates that in Yemen, women are

considered to be only “half a witness.” This means that a single

woman’s testimony isn’t taken seriously unless it is backed by a man’s

word. Additionally, women cannot testify at all in cases of adultery, libel,

theft, or sodomy.  In addition, in some parts of India, road safety laws do

not apply to women—an exemption that kills or injures thousands of

women each year. The same article shows that in Saudi Arabia and

Morocco, rape victims can be charged with a crime, such as engaging in

illicit sex. Tragically, a 16-year-old girl in Morocco killed herself after a

judge forced her to marry her rapist under a law that dismisses rape

charges if the parties marry.

4. According to The Guardian in 2014, approximately 1.2 million children

worldwide are victims of human trafficking, and over 80% are girls.

So, even if you don’t think that the problems in America are big enough

to necessitate the feminist movement, you can’t argue with the fact that it is

definitely a very worthy cause in countries like Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

Feminism movements are making progress too.  Without them, there

wouldn’t be rape-crisis centers, women-suffrage, certain sex-trafficking laws, and other great laws and aid women and men all around the world.