Apparently not, or if I am, you don't care.
You call yourself a feminist, but the only women you want to listen to are the ones who will confirm your narrow understanding of female experiences. Other times, you are offended on my behalf, perhaps because you think I am too weak and stupid to understand how oppressed I am.
Let me explain a few things:
- Feminism does not have the monopoly on equality; if I choose not to identify as a feminist, it doesn't mean that I am ignorant of women's struggles, sticking my head in the sand and telling everyone that the world is perfect. Surely you must have some sympathy for my decision not to align myself with a movement that would send death threats to a woman whose research suggests that women are often not just innocent victims in violent relationships. Not all feminists? Of course not. Bear this in mind when someone tells you 'not all men'.
- Whilst there are many branches of feminism, their pursuit for equality often takes routes that I would disgree with or consider outright immoral. I believe that you are prefectly entitled to be an awful person, provided that you do not encroach upon my own liberties. Feminism does not appear to respect this idea. If a shop owner discriminates and refuses to serve women, he is unpleasant, but he is perfectly within his rights to do so. He is unpleasant, but I don't want to bring the government in and force him to be nice to people (good luck turning a profit if you won't serve half of the population). In a similar vein, if an employer finds women with young families to be less employable, he is not sexist for passing over one applicant for, say, a man who will be less likely to take lengthy periods off work at the company's expense.
When you campaign for legislation over discrimination, or petition for more statutory maternity leave, you are not only intruding upon the employer's freedoms, but you are also making it more difficult for other women. If an employer knows that, should I fall pregnant, they will be forced to pay me for up to 52 weeks (in the UK), they will be more likely to overlook me in favour of an older, or male applicant. Not only this, but you are robbing me of the opportunity to negotiate a compromise into my contract. I believe that change needs to be made by creating incentives to accommodate women's needs in the workplace, not government mandate. The profit motive and competition largely overrides personal prejudices, and companies with the best offers of maternity leave will attract the best possible employees. - There is also, generally, a great deal of hysteria within the feminist movement, and myths that have been thoroughly debunked are regurgitated over and over again without thought. Did you know that the 'wage gap' pretty much disappears once you take into account factors such as women's choices and hours worked? Did you know that this apparent epidemic of campus rapes is based on research in which information was outright twisted to fit an agenda? Perhaps not, because why would anyone make such a dramatic U-turn when so much funding is being poured into making women look like helpless victims?
Feminists are always demanding respect for women, show me some. When I say that I am not a feminist, I am not attention-seeking or looking for a reaction, I am expressing concern with a movement that claims to speak for half of the planet, and yet will not listen to these people.
I am a woman, and my opinions are just a valid as yours.
(you may also be interested in)
The Campus Rape Myth
I am a woman, and my opinions are just a valid as yours.
(you may also be interested in)
The Campus Rape Myth
