There has been so much written on the subject of sexism, misogyny and feminism of late. Three cheers to Tracey Spicer for her excellent piece on The Hoopla recently.
It concerns me however that in a lot of the comments, tweets and discussions, a number of women start their comment with 'I'm not a feminist, but' or 'I'm not am avid feminist, but' while agreeing with the writer or commentator about the deplorable state of affairs for women.
I became a feminist at the age of eight, when I was expelled from Brownies for refusing to earn my badges for sewing, craft, and various other 'feminine' pursuits. Actually it was probably writing 'Brown Owl is a bum' in chalk on the footpath after getting into trouble for that attitude that got me expelled but I took a stand. You see the Brownie hut was next door to the Scout Hut and they got to build fires and canoes. I didn't understand why I couldn't do that. I can still build the BEST fire but don't ask me to sew on a button.
From a young age I was aware of discrimination - at high school being made to do Mothercare lessons (FFS) which again I eventually refused to do. I went to university and studied law. In one of my first lectures the make lecturer told us how much a degree would be worth over the course of our careers, but added it wasn't as important for the female students because we could always just marry a lawyer. My complaint to the Dean went nowhere.
The thing is this - no woman should be embarrassed about being a feminist, or worry about being labelled a feminist. Being a feminist is terrific, and is not am exclusive club.
EVERY woman who believes that equal work deserves equal pay is a feminist.
EVERY woman who believes workplaces should not be places of fear just because of your gender is a feminist.
EVERY woman who believes promotion should be on merit and nothing else is a feminist.
EVERY woman who believes that girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan deserve the right to go to school is a feminist.
EVERY woman who believes that women have the right to choose whether or not to have a baby is a feminist
EVERY woman who believes no one should suffer through a violent relationship out of fear and want to help that woman is a feminist.
You don't need to be feisty about it, grow armpit hair, hold placards or write articles. You can call it as you see it without the need to apologise for your views. You can do it quietly or loudly. You just need to do it.
You don't need to be an ALP supporter to applaud the Prime Minister for her recent speech. It's a speech I have made (not in those exact words of course) and wanted to make many times.
There are lots of disagreements amongst feminists about what it takes to be one and they are always interesting discussions. These are my simple rules. I think we're all feminists and I'm proud to be one.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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