Biggest Misconceptions of Feminism and Why They Are Wrong
- Aug 12, 2020
- 4 min read
Feminism is topic that is very heavily debated and can have a wide variety of different meanings among different people. At its most basic level, feminism is about social and political equality of women in relation to men. It is basically a type of egalitarianism. With that definition in mind, even if our laws technically promote equality between men and women, one thing we still have to ask ourselves if society as a whole promotes that. Here, I have addressed several of the most common misconceptions of feminism and the reasons that they are incorrect, the second of which addresses the question about whether or not equality between men and women is promoted by society in general.
"I oppose feminism because men and women are not equal. They are equal in value and dignity, but they are not the same biologically"
I have yet to see or hear a feminist say that men and women are literally equal in every way, and I doubt the person making this statement has heard that either. This reason for opposing feminism misses the point of the movement, which is for women to have equal rights and opportunities to men both legally and socially. There is no question that there are some biological differences between most men and women, but there are exceptions to the rules, and those differences do not justify giving women unequal rights or opportunities.
"Women already have equality. Therefore, feminism is just trying to give women privilege over men"
This largely depends on what the person saying this means when they say that women have equality. Do they mean that they have equality by law? If so, that is basically true, at least here in the US and other Western countries. However, laws themselves do not necessarily mean that society abides by them in practice. For example, as shown in the article right below, it is far from unheard of for girls to get penalized in school for supposedly not wearing enough clothing. Males are treated that way for dress code violations too, though that's more often due to them wearing shirts and such with offensive messages rather than for how much or how little they are wearing. Also, according to the second article linked here, it is not very difficult in the US for businesses to get by with paying women less than men for the same work. Wanting to change these things is not giving anybody privilege over anybody else.
"Feminists shame stay-at-home moms and want to get rid of the traditional family unit."
Maybe there are some feminists that make the argument that women who do that are not quite working up to their full potential as people, though I do not personally know any feminists that actually mind women freely choosing that pathway for themselves, so long as it is truly what they feel works best for them. In the first article linked under here, it is noted that feminists generally advocate for free choice, which would include the choice to be a stay-at-home mom. Furthermore, the article points out that there are plenty of stay-at-home moms who, themselves, identify with feminism. Feminism basically only opposes the choice to be a stay-at-home mom when the woman in question is unaware of the other choices that she can make, or if she is insisting that that is what all other women have to do.
"Feminists want get rid of free speech"
What does the person arguing this mean by "get rid of free speech"? Freedom of Speech just refers to the fact that the government is forbidden from censoring us from expressing ourselves, so long as we are not threatening others and such. If, by "get rid of free speech", they mean people being arrested just for speaking against feminism, that has never happened. The people making this argument are probably referring partially to our changing laws that are starting recognize more verbal things as harassment, but things deemed to be harassment are not protected speech. In our country, people are allowed to say offensive things, but not to the point that they are threatening or intentionally trying to make others feel unsafe. Mostly though, I think those making this argument are referring to the backlash that people who speak against feminism sometimes get. If that is the case, that is certainly not an infringement on one's right to free speech. Freedom of Speech includes the right to criticize those who we disagree with, and it is absurd for one to be public about their views while also claiming that the backlash they are receiving is a form of censorship. That is not the same as silencing them. They are well within their rights to keep voicing their points of view. Also worth noting is that just because someone has the right to say something does not mean that what they are saying is right or that they should say it.
"Feminists never address the higher suicide rate among men."
Plenty of feminists, such as the one in the article below, have addressed that. Even if they didn't though, that in no way means they are okay with it. Not speaking one way or another about an issue is not to be confused with supporting it. For instance, we would not assume that people attending a rally to support victims of cancer are okay with other illnesses.
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