Feminism has been around for quite some time now, connecting women all over the world and inspiring beautiful changes in the society. Yes, feminism can sometimes take radical forms, and yes, it’s not always pretty, but one thing we know for sure – it works! If you fight gender inequality and sexism long enough, there will be results. And we aren’t talking about women only, but about other genders as well! Feminism might have gotten a bit of a bad rep over the last decade, but only because it sometimes tries too hard and cares too much. But you should now that feminism is about respecting individuality of all human beings and no double standards in judging a person. Here are 7 facts you didn’t know about feminism.
Many people think feminism is a superiority movement that wants women dominating the planet, but that’s not true. Feminists want better life and equal rights for everyone – men, women, gay, trans, gender-fluid, and everyone in-between.
Not all feminists are female – some men actually call themselves feminists, too! There are quite a lot of male celebs who believe in feminism and what it stands for. For example, John Legend said that everyone would live a happier life if the society had more empowered women. Among other male feminists are: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mark Ruffalo, John Hamm, Chris Hemsworth and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Feminism is changing the way we perceive femininity. It’s not all about shaved legs, smooth armpits, and a layer of makeup. Men can be feminine, too! Because femininity is about vulnerability, openness, emotions, and self-worth. It’s about being in tune with your inner self. It’s about freedom of expression and acknowledging that you are special, complex, and fascinating. It’s about conquering fears and being who you want to be.
Feminism is about compassion because when one has suffered some injustice he or she becomes more sensitive about the same injustice being done to someone else. Feminism asks to pay attention to what’s happening around you and in the society, and to listen to women’s stories. It asks to be active and to help if you can help, or simply listen and don’t judge.
More and more women are flooding the male-dominated fields like medicine and IT. In 2010, 30% of physicians and surgeons were women, compared to 1970 when only 10% of women worked in the field. The number of female judges and lawyers has risen to 35% and there are three women on the US Supreme Court.
It’s too soon to talk about wage equality, but if we take year 1963 – women’s full-time earnings were no more than 60% of men’s, whereas in 2011 the number was 77%. The situation is gradually improving!
While in the US more and more women are getting education compared to previous years, there are still over 62 million girls out there in the world who are denied education. Former First Lady, Michelle Obama, was the one to draw the attention to this issue with her Let Girls Learn program.
