Feminism-Menifism
The modern women’s movement through men’s eyes
March marks the 103rd anniversary of the death of Susan B Anthony, one of the founding mothers of feminism. Almost 90 years after the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the Women’s Movement continues to work toward a more perfect union, but the landscape has changed a bit. The “rule of thumb” has all but been forgotten, a woman’s voice is heard from the House and the State Department, and the smell of burning bras no longer wafts on the breeze so heavily. Yet women’s organizations and female leaders would all tell you that there is still much to be done.
The U.S. Census Bureau data for 2004 shows that women made on average 76.5 % of men’s wages that year. Additionally, in the last few years there have been several abortion related court cases and pieces of legislation passed in states such as South Dakota that potentially threaten the options available to women, and many readers may also be aware of the recent battle to make Plan B available without a prescription and actions to force pharmacies to staff a pharmacist willing to fill contraceptive prescriptions at all times. So, although the battle cries of our Birkenstock-booted warrior-mothers have quieted, the feminists of today (so called third-wave feminists) still have a few issues to work on, though not all agree on what they are.
Even the social definition of feminism has become a topic of debate among women, many of whom no longer claim the title though they hold the values. But it seems that in all the discussion on the current state and future of feminism nobody has really asked the group most alienated by, and most vital to the movement what they thought. So I set out to see what the men had to say.
In speaking with the men on this subject, I was struck by the effect that the word “feminism” had on them. Some looked suspicious, as if I was going to punish them for giving the wrong answer, but when they stopped to think about the issue, I found that they had very thoughtful answers to my questions. When asked to what their definition of feminism was, TJ (17) said that a feminist was “a girl who knew who she was, who had strength." Christian (27) said that feminism meant a “woman establishing her rights as a human being.” He didn’t think he could be feminist as a man but said that he believed in women’s value and “tried not to be sexist.” Ed (60) defined feminism as the “push for equality between genders” and value for “women alongside men.” Was he a feminist? “I honestly never thought of that,” he said. I asked the men I spoke to whether they thought that feminism was still important or necessary today, and most thought it was. Pete (32) said that “while legislatively they [women] are equal, the workplace doesn’t show it.” Dustin (23) echoed that sentiment saying, “women may have officially gained equality but the representation isn’t there.” Christian, the younger brother to three sisters, adamantly told me that feminism “absolutely has a place.
How would Condi or Clinton have reached their goals if they didn’t believe they could? Young girls need to know that there is more out there for them.” When I asked what the guys thought the biggest issues facing women today were, most felt that workplace treatment and equal pay were among the chief concerns. Pete wanted to see more women in science and technology fields. Dustin wanted to see minorities in general, and women specifically, get more “face time,” more focus placed on the important positions that they held, and more respect for what they contributed. David (59) said that, “until we have our first female president, they [women] aren’t there yet!” But Christian felt that the focus should be on social change. He wanted to see more of an attempt by both genders to work on “establishing mutual respect and an understanding of each other’s value.” I couldn’t have said it better.
Perhaps we should give these male allies a title or movement of their own to claim. Menifism anyone?