Why Men Need to Become Feminists.

I cannot count the number of times I have been sitting in public and overheard a conversation between men talking and picking apart women. They are comments about a woman’s body, her personality, her intelligence, and the worst, how she wouldn’t have sex with them. This happens far more often than you may think. I hear at least one comment every couple of days, and when I lived on campus in a dorm at James Madison University, I heard things almost every single day. This shouldn’t be normal. It doesn’t just stop at the rude remarks, women experience discrimination every day in the workplace. We all hear about the countless number of women who don’t receive promotions, raises, or incentives because of their gender. So how do we fix this problem? Men need to become feminists, and it needs to happen fast.

I thought I would start out this post with giving the exact definition of Feminism, from Merriam-Webster. Feminism is a noun and it is the “belief in and advocacy of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes expressed especially through organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests.” At it’s core, feminism is about equality. Men becoming feminists may seem like an easy thing to do, a man taking on a new term for his identity, but really it’s much deeper. In order for a man to be a feminist, he needs to think as such. He needs to treat women as though he is a feminist, speak up for women who are being harassed or treated improperly, he needs to ask for consent, go to therapy to become in tune with his emotions, and not pick apart a woman’s body. The list is endless, but it all comes down to changing your mindset. 

In an article from The Feminist Shop from February 3^rd, 2021 they write about Why Men Should be Feminists Too (Written by a Man!). They write that many men fear about the identity of being a feminist because they believe it is about taking something away from men, but in reality it is only about creating an equal playing field for everyone. They also make an important point that many men may not feel like they have any sort of “male privilege” because they still struggle with things such as providing money for the family. This is a valid concern, but feminism is a collectivistic issue in society, whereas providing for the family is an individual issue. You have probably heard it over and over again but in the US in 2020, women made $0.93 for every dollar a man made. While this is much better than in 1980 where women earned $0.67 for every dollar a man made, but we are 42 years down the line and women are still not making the same amount of money. This is just one collective society issue that women face every day and the list continues. 

An extremely important issue that many women are facing right now is that Roe v. Wade is set to be overturned in the coming months. If men don’t step up and speak up for women’s rights, there could not only be issues for women’s rights but also for men paying child support or becoming fathers at a very young age. Roe v. Wade has a huge impact on women, but it also effects so many men. Feminism is a hot topic for a reason, it helps everyone. 

Every man reading this knows at least one influential woman in their life. Think about how upset it makes you to see them in pain or hurting or overworked. Unless men step up and become feminists too, many women will continue to have their rights taken away, continue to be overworked and underpaid, many women won’t be listened to when they come out and tell their story. Feminism is about equality, nothing more and nothing less. If you care about the women in your life and the women that help you every day, become a feminist because it’s only doing good for the world.