Quick Women's Question as I run out to work

[JohnnyV]

Hi all,

A few quick Q's :

ARE YOU A FEMINIST?
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?
CAN MEN BE FEMINISTS?

J

[Driver 8]

Hi all,

A few quick Q's :

ARE YOU A FEMINIST?
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?
CAN MEN BE FEMINISTS?

J

1. Yes.
2. It means that I think that societal beliefs about gender are not all true, that these false beliefs have real and negative consequences for people, that these beliefs are worth examining, and that these consequences are worth correcting.
3. Of course they can.

[Newmexicanman]

Johnny!!!!

1. I am a male and most definitely a feminist!

2. A feminist to me is someone who both recognizes and abhors the stereotypical societal views of women. I see women as every bit the equal of men (and, in many ways, something more than equal!).

3. Men can be feminists simply by acknowledging and accepting that women can be, do, and deserve to be, do whatever it is they desire, without any restriction or imposition upon them.

In other words, should a woman be a candidate for President of the United States, my vote would be based only on my perception of her potential to be a good president, not on gender or gender bias.

[PeterH]

Hi Johnny, that's an interesting thread you started.
My answers are:

1: it depends

2: It means that I believe in equal opportunities for all, but not that everybody ought to be the same.
Sometimes I feel that feminism means that men and women have to do exactly the same things, some sort of unisex ideology: If a woman never does any diy and a man never does the dishes in your household, there must be something wrong with you. I do recognize that people are different and that society should accept the differences and accomodate for them if necessary, in the same way that we need gay marriages, to accomodate for the fact that some people are gay, and to express that a gay relationship is equally valid as a straight one.

:soapbox: I see that women are often not treated equally, get lower salaries, are sometimes barred from promotions at work, ... and that's wrong.
On the other hand, I also see that many young women get stressed out, because they feel a pressure to have a career and have children all at the same time, and that is just as wrong. I see this last thing as a result of the increased pressure on women, which I feel is related to a hardline version of feminism.
Another example: in my country, there are quite a few women who live alone with their children, after a broken up relationship, who live on minimum social benefit, very similar to the benefit their ex-boyfriend /husband might get when unemployed.
Why? Because society seems to think that she could get a job just as easily, right? Wrong. Why expect a woman to have a full job if she has a job at home too, taking care of her children? Raising children is hard work. It also seems that women tend to be better at it than men, and tend to want a higher responsibility in that area (I might be wrong here).

So, depending on your definition, I am, or am not a feminist. Simply put: I am for equal rights, but against equal demands. If you have a household where a man never does the dishes and a woman does no diy jobs and they're both happy with that, that's fine. If you have a household where a man stays at home, takes care of the children, does the dishes, etc, and a woman brings in the money, does the diy jobs, goes to baseball matches with the kids, and they're both happy with that, that's fine too.
Let each play the role that suits him or her best, independent of ideology, and let's fight against situations where people are forced into a role that doesn't suit them, or denied a place that does suit them, or treats them diffenrently in the same role.

3: can men be feminists? Based on the previous posts, I'd say yes

Just my :2cents: , Peter

[JohnnyV]

Thank you for your answers. I'll say more in a few days, right now I am between classes. I was curious on hearing what some people think about feminism, because next fall, for the first time I will be cross-listed with Women's Studies....

I know, it sounds so old-fashioned and lame, but I am having a hard time with the idea of being a man and teaching a women's studies class, especially because I tend to have female students who criticize feminism, and I'm like ????? How can I as a man try to challenge female students who think feminism is lame and outdated?

I'll keep my eye on the board to see if there are any other responses, then I may say more later. For now I have to turn in my syllabi for the fall... gotta run!

:eek:

J

[arana]

1) Sometimes, I still like some of the old fashioned gender roles as well.

2) That women should be treated and given the opportunities men have, not thought of as lower class because they are females. Being automatically assumed to be inferior.

3) Of course, altho meninist doesn't sound very cool.