Feminism

Feminism: an organised movement for the attainment of equal rights for women.
A feminist is anyone who supports the feminist movement. You don't have to be female to be a feminist, but you need to believe that women are worthy of having equal rights and opportunities as men. Many feminists support the feminist movement if it benefits them, forgetting about the majority of people who are oppressed in other ways then gender, such as race and religion. Being a feminist means supporting the idea that all women should have equal rights, and these rights should also be equal to men's rights.

I'm proud to be a feminist at 16, and I think that no matter who you are you should be proud if you are also a feminist. Many people are opposed to or afraid of feminism, but it is important to support feminism within society to show young women that their rights are important and they shouldn't grow up believing they aren't worthy of having equal rights to men. People shouldn't be afraid to admit that they are a feminist; they should be proud that they are working for change.

People have always been opposed to feminism. An early feminist group were the Suffragettes, who campaigned for women to have the right to vote - a right that men had already had. Many people (both men and women) didn't support the suffragettes even though they campaigned for a change that would change the voting system for the better. Many men thought that they were irrational and thought women were incapable of voting, and so were against the Suffragettes and the idea of feminism. This mentality is still present in many men (and women) today, believing that women don't need equal rights as they are inferior to men.

The government also plays a vital role in deciding women's rights. Even though in the UK we have a female Prime Minister, the majority of parliament past and present is made up of men, who have a large role in deciding women's rights. A female leader should empower women and help them achieve equal status, but this doesn't happen. In the USA women are having their rights snatched away with each passing day, due to the decisions of those in power. Women need to be taught from a young age that they are valuable and deserve equal rights to men.

I believe that feminism shouldn't exist. There shouldn't have to be a political movement campaigning for women to have equal rights, we should automatically have them. We should all be seen as equals and we all deserve rights that will protect us and help us grow within society. This not only applies to women, but also people of colour and members of the LGBT community, as they are the people who are most vulnerable in society; but are the least protected and have the fewest rights.

It is important that young teenage girls are taught about feminism and learn that it's not a bad thing to be a feminist. They should learn about the works of early feminists who campaigned for women to have a right that men already had, and how this led to women obtaining that right. They should learn that they are worthy of respect and to speak up in what they believe in. They should also be taught that they can do anything they set their mind to, even if it's something only men have done previously. Most importantly, it is important to teach young girls that no one can take away their rights.

Even though the feminist movement gains supporters every day, no changes are being made to women's rights to make the world a safer place for them. And as it becomes a wide-spread movement, it gains opponents too. More people need to learn that wanting equal rights for both men and women isn't negative and shouldn't be frowned upon.
Do you want your future daughter growing up in a world where women aren't safe?
Do you want your daughter growing up in a world where a lot of women don't have basic rights?
And finally, why do men deserve more rights than women?






Much love, Cara xxx