So the question would be: Are these disparities attributable to rank misogyny or to other social, cultural, economic, or biological causes, or to some of each?
By Megan Friedman, Jenny Hollander
The feminist movement has made huge strides over the years. Still, more than a century since women were given the right to vote, the sad fact of the matter is: We’ve still got a lot of work to do. Somehow, “feminism” remains a controversial word, even though the definition of feminism is impossible to argue with—an effort to make sure every woman and every individual has rights equal to that of a cis white man, no matter their race, religion, gender identification, sexual preference, or anything else.
Sounds like a common-sense cause, right? Well, in spite of a plethora of data proving that women are not equal to men in America, many people disagree with the premise of feminism, arguing that women already are equal to men, or that their gains haven’t matched men’s because they haven’t worked hard enough, or that women and men are inherently and biologically different and cannot be compared. Others agree that women’s rights are a noble cause, but that men’s rights aren’t given the same consideration.
In actuality, most feminists consider men also at a disadvantage because of the inequality between men and women. When we socialize men to not show sadness and fear, to provide financially and not emotionally, and to not seek mental health help, to name a few examples, we contribute to a culture that harms both men and women. At the same time, men, particularly cis white men, are statistically at an advantage when it comes to earning power, career progression, and a multitude of other factors. Feminism is the hard work that both men and women have to do to level the playing field—even more so now that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities between men and women and for women of color especially.
