The Feminism Project: Part Three

I am so very excited to introduce the third part of my Feminism Project! The point of this series is to present the various opinions on feminism! So far, we've had an introduction and a guest post by an anti-feminist. This second guest post is by my lovely friend Clara (check out her blog here!), and she’ll be sharing her pseudo-feminist views. As always, I’d love for my blog to be a place for intellectual discussion, but hateful comments will be reported and deleted!

As a recent BA graduate with a major in Political Science, I am often challenged with the ideology of feminism. Friends and family have asked what my opinion of feminism is and whether or not I see my faith lining up with the principles of feminism. I won’t lie, like the post before mine; I have struggled with the question of “what is feminism?” I've taken whole courses that revolve around the issue of feminism and also find it difficult to outline because it is such a broad ideology that means so many different things to different people. Feminists themselves often butt heads and completely disagree on many issues like sexuality, representation, the definition of equality, etc. , which is why when you start digging into the history of feminism, you discover that there have been several different “waves” of feminism, which have all focused on different ideas and theories. Clearly, feminism and feminists are much, much more complex than what the media often likes to portray to us. I find that feminists are often portrayed as man-haters who can’t take a joke, don’t shave, are “over-ambitious,” have no family values whatsoever, and in general are angry, bitter, power-hungry women. These kinds of stereotypes and assumptions are damaging, untruthful, and don’t apply to any of the feminists I’ve encountered and befriended in my own life.  Do these kinds of extremes exist? Perhaps, but they most certainly are not the norm.

So, am I a feminist? Yes and no.

I’m aware that I come across as a fence sitter, but since feminism is so much more complex than one often gives it credit for, I cannot honestly say one way or another that I am or am not a feminist. I will say that I truly do appreciate and stand behind many of the issues that feminism has covered over the years. It’s easy for us to think of negative aspects of feminism, yet forget to acknowledge that without first-wave feminism, women would not have the right to vote, to property, higher education, or even the right to “own” her body. I would say that most people today would agree that all humans have certain inalienable and fundamental rights, which are outlined in the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, yet we often forget that many of these rights had to be fought for before they became “rights,” and that feminism actually played a very large role in the legalization and acknowledgement of these rights. Many people aren’t aware of the successes and struggles of second-wave feminism, which strove for more legal rights for women, political representation, entry into jobs that were male-dominated, and the elimination of sexual violence, prostitution, pornography, and sexist media portrayals of women. These are the areas of feminism that I am grateful for and agree with, and these are areas that still need to be fought for, since gender inequality continues to exist in the world. In many places around the world (Canada included!), women still receive lower pay than men, are sexually exploited and objectified, and are undervalued for their work at home as mothers. Nearly two-thirds of the world’s illiterate are women as well, which goes to show that there is still a place for “old school” waves of feminism in our world that is about empowering women, educating them, and creating a space that acknowledges their human rights. While I would not say that I am a feminist, I definitely see the need for feminism in specific areas where we have not achieved equal human rights for all. I also see the need for feminism when I listen to music that objectifies women, when I hear female politicians being judged based on their appearances rather than on their abilities (Hilary Clinton, anyone?!),  and when I see ignorant, demeaning, and rude signs like this one. 

At the same time, like the writer of the post before mine, I do also see some problematic areas within different feminist movements that seem prominent today that do go directly against my beliefs. I strongly disagree with legal abortion and the sexual revolution, and I believe that men and women were created uniquely and differently from each other. However, I have often heard it argued that feminism and Christianity are incompatible, and as a Christian, I would have to argue that this is simply untrue. As a follower of Jesus, I would argue that Jesus himself was a “feminist” in many ways! He radically changed the ways in which the culture and society of his time viewed women. He befriended women of all social statuses: rich women, prostitutes, widows, adulterers, and Samaritans, which was unheard of during his time since Jesus lived in a very male-dominated society, and he treated these women with respect and promoted their dignity and equality as human beings and daughters of God. So to those who might argue that feminism and Christianity are incompatible, I would say, look at the life of Jesus, because he exemplified the very core values of what feminism stands for, which is gender equality and human rights.

Despite Jesus’ example and forays into what we know today as feminism, there are many aspects of feminism today that I struggle and disagree with. There are many aspects of third wave feminism that I find difficult to swallow, yet as a whole I do strongly believe that our world still needs feminism to continue to push the agenda of gender equality and human rights. (That is not to say that only feminism can do this, but simply to acknowledge that it does have a role to play in the area of equality and rights). Having given a very small look into my thoughts on feminism then, I’d like to shift the focus from whether or not I am a feminist to whether or not I (and the rest of the world) needs feminism.

And the simple answer is yes, I do need feminism.

 I need the kind of feminism that Jesus exemplified. Which is a kind of feminism that is rooted in promoting the dignity and equality of women and men alike, since we are all made in His image.