Destroying the Feminist Agenda on IWD
There’s nothing wrong with being a feminist unless you don’t even know what it means to be a feminist. Too often I see women confusing feminism with hating men or being a superwoman. And because of this the rise of the ‘feminist agenda’ has been filled with more hate and infighting than progress. So now that feminist agenda needs to be destroyed so that the Women's Rights Movement can thrive.
What is The Feminist Agenda?
The term “feminist agenda” is the dirty interpretation of what the Feminist Movement is supposed to be. In theory, feminism is about empowering all women and making sure women of all classes, races, religions, and sexual orientations have equal rights and equal opportunities. Feminism is supposed to ensure the safety and economic stability of all women and girls.
However, feminism seems to be failing women by ignoring or dismantling the very mandates the feminist movement is advocating for:
Equal Rights
Feminists work towards ensuring that women have the same legal, political, social, and economic rights as men. While women have made great progress in equal rights for women, as in Animal Farm, some women are more equal than others. Minority and lower-income women continue to struggle to have equal access to higher education, economic opportunities, and social protection.
Ending Gender-Based Discrimination
Given the rise of the patriarchy and Pick Me Girls, it seems gender-based discrimination only ends unless you are deemed feminine enough on some arbitrary social scale. Gender-based discrimination is supposed to eliminate discrimination against women and marginalized genders in all spheres of life, including the workplace, education, healthcare, and politics. However, if you have a different sexual orientation, religion, or race, this may not apply to you.
Protecting Reproductive Rights
Feminists have advocated for access to reproductive healthcare services, including contraception and abortion, as well as the right to make autonomous decisions about one’s body and reproductive choices. While this was happening, sellouts and religious fanatics were trying to block these rights in the name of protecting their political positions and religious beliefs. This is a clear case of women being their own worst enemies as many have forgotten that faith is a personal choice and your political agenda should not be biased against women when you are a woman.
Ending Violence Against Women
Domestic violence, sexual assault, harassment, and other forms of gender-based violence, rose during the pandemic. And while this may seem like a fluke, it highlighted a serious gap in the feminist movement's approach to ending violence against women. Although advocating for support services for survivors is good, it seems women forget to start in the powerful roles as mothers, guardians, and teachers in enlightening the opposite sex on how they should deal with their own emotions.
Challenging Gender Norms and Stereotypes
In challenging gender norms and stereotypes, the Feminist Movement has made great strides in the past century. Women went from being primary caretakers of children to still being primary caretakers only now with an additional 40-hour-plus day job. As much as it has redefined the expectations surrounding gender roles, the feminist movement still has a lot of work to do when it comes to actually making life easier for the average woman.
Intersectionality
Though the feminist movement has emphasized the need to recognize that gender intersects with race, religion, class, disability, and other social identities, intersectionality has become one of the weakest points of the feminist movement. How else do you think women have lost body autonomy and still struggle to enter non-traditional gender roles? These intersections shape individuals’ experiences of oppression and privilege and have the great divide that keeps the feminist movement from achieving its mandate.
The main problem facing the feminist movement is that individuals have prioritized their issues instead of the collective issues of the movement. No wonder the feminist agenda is fueled by angry women seeking to validate one or two of their own political, religious, and social agendas. Feminism must focus on ALL the issues faced by the diverse cultures and perspectives of ALL women around the world.
The Harsh Realities of the Feminist Agenda
If the Feminist Movement actually worked as it was designed to do it would not only solve women's issues, but a lot of global social and economic problems as well. But when women put being women second and put their prejudices, needs, and desires first, it pulls the feminist movement backward two steps for every step forward it takes. Perhaps we need a mindset shift to get us all on the same page so that we can all understand what our limitations are and what we need to do to help the movement succeed.
Sorry, Ladies But You Can’t Have It All.
Stop trying to be superwoman! For those who can and have it all kudos to you but you are the outlier, not the average. As much as we love celebrating your success in every aspect of life, you should also be aware of your influence on younger women and girls. The Girl Boss life may be accessible to you but it may not be even a priority for those in abject poverty, depression, or have other physical and mental disabilities.
Women Aren’t Equal to Men
Sorry to tell you this, but you are not as strong as a man. A few of you may beat the average man outside your weight class, but that's not the reality for most women. What women do have over men is resilience, intelligence, and a higher pain threshold. So why fight for the one thing men are better than us in when you excel in everything else?
The Continuing Struggles of Women in the Workplace
So now you're a CEO! But have you done for other women in the workplace except to tell them to play nice with the boys? Honestly, I’ve seen this up close too many times. Older women either think young women are trying to seduce their way to the top or take their place. Though it may be true in some cases, you should still make the effort to teach a better way to succeed instead of backstabbing or bullying one another.
Don’t just demand equal pay, get united and take action!
Women have so much to offer the world if they are allowed to shine. We’ve seen in countries where the leadership is over 40% women and the results are astounding! When women work together towards a common goal without the need to compete with one another, they end up creating a better place for everyone.
How We Can Revitalize the Women’s Rights Movement
Once upon a time, the feminist movement was simply called the Women's Rights Movement, and maybe we should reclaim that name. Somehow, during the 2nd or 3rd phase of the movement, it became the feminist movement and since then it has lost some of its fire. Since the 1980’s the Feminist Movement in the United States has been divided into liberal and conservative factions that show us that the Women's Movement is now being governed by the political ideals of male politicians and the media.
To get the Women's Rights Movement back on track we need to make some changes;
Focus on Intersectionality.
The mentality of it being that particular group issue has got to stop. For the past decade, intersectionality has not been at the forefront of the Women's Rights Movement. For too long the movement has been divided by warring factions, race, and gender identification policies. As a collective, women need to unite behind ideologies that benefit ALL women and not just your special group.
Build the Matriachy, Forget the Patriarchy
Stop trying to fight those podcast idiots, they are the reason birth rates are dwindling. Wise women know they can do better than men and focus on just that. Being better women. Teach young girls to protect and support each other.
Provide Support Systems for Mothers
Given the population decline, you would think that someone would have thought, “Maybe I should do more for childcare or housing for mothers,” but no, world leaders still think that women should have children without any social, physical, or financial support. Raising kids is a complex privilege that is not right for everyone so part of the women's movement should be ensuring those babies you want to save at those pro-life rallies actually have a stable home to live in after.
Educate and Mentor More
You want to reduce abortion rates, then educate women and men about sexual health, reproduction, and child care. Bring back Home Economics and make it unisex so they understand the value of parenthood, and respect those who work in the home. Aside from simply telling women they can enter male-dominated fields, mentor them to be mentally prepared to excel in these fields.
Support Women in Leadership That Supports Women
If she is aiming to be one of the boys then we don’t need her. Support women who are fighting for women and not just their right to be seen. And remember ladies, just because she wears a power suit that doesn’t mean she has any real power. So learn to recognize a true leader and innovator and support them.
Comment on what you’re doing to support the women's movement.
Many of us have forgotten that Women’s Rights began in the home so let's start there and lead by example and demand our daughters are treated fairly. Take it to the schools and support young girls in sports. And don't forget to support your local girls' group that’s fighting for the cause.
Let’s leave that feminist agenda and bring back the fire in the women's Rights movement!
Sources:
Burkett, E. (2024, January 24). women’s rights movement. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/womens-movement
Fitzgerald, M. (2022. October 5). Women Are Better at Leading Countries Than Men, Survey Respondents Say. US NEWS https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2022-10-05/women-are-better-at-leading-countries-than-men-survey-respondents-say
UN Women Medium (2020, July 1). Intersectional Feminism: What it Means and Why it Matters Right Now. UN Women. https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/6/explainer-intersectional-feminism-what-it-means-and-why-it-matters
