Why do we need Feminism?

Why do we need feminism?

Unfortunately, this question is still on the lips of many. While feminism certainly has improved the status of women in many parts of the world, there are still those who are in need of the ideals that feminism fights for.

We need feminism because the image of the ‘ideal woman’ is not one that we created. What a woman is, what she should look like, and how she should act have been carefully constructed by society, big business, advertisements and other media. Consequently, it promotes an unrealistic image to which women are expected to conform. This has led to a massive increase in plastic surgery. In the US, the incidence of cosmetic surgery has increased more than 5-fold in the past ten years. In one year alone, the number of young women getting plastic surgery under the age of eighteen increased by 21.8%. That figure includes girls under the age of 12. The pursuit of thinness is often a motivator for eating disorders such as such as anorexia and bulimia. These illnesses are regrettably on the rise and affect 1.5% of women aged 15 to 24. This works out to three women for every 200. The reasons for these disorders are diverse and complex.

Because in many countries, women are not allowed to own land; rather, they are given permission by men to use it. This permission can be taken away at any moment. Women perform the bulk of the work while receiving less than equal share of the profits. Meanwhile, they must also attend to domestic chores and caregiving. During an environmental crisis, the likelihood of which increases with climate change, many women must assume responsibility for family and community care. This means spending more time acquiring food, shelter and water.

Women are underrepresented in positions of power. The percentage of women holding parliamentary seats is only 15.1% globally. Rwanda is highest with 56.3%. Canada is performing reasonably with 22.1% representation, but still falls unapologetically short of the 30% representation set out in 1995 at the UN Women’s Conference. Moreover, even in our government, women earn only 70% of what their male colleagues earn. Only 12 countries have achieved the above goal, and did so with laws that reserve seats for women.

Because women are often denied sovereignty over their own uterus. Some women will spend their reproductive years bearing children every year at serious consequence to their health. More than 1500 women die each day from complications arising from pregnancy, many of which could have been prevented. African women are 175 times more likely to die in childbirth than North Americans.

38% of pregnancies are unplanned, leading to 20-30million legal abortions worldwide each year.

This figure does not include the rate of illegal procedures, which numbers approximately 20 million. 40’000 women will die in such procedures. Modern contraceptives are simply not available to some of these women, or their husbands disallow contraceptive use under the notion that they promote ‘promiscuity’. Female sterilization is the most common method of contraception used in the world, despite the fact that the parallel procedure for men is simpler and poses fewer risks. Condom use is on par with male sterilization at 9%, while use of the pill accounts for 14%, and the intro-uterine device (IUD) at 21%.

Because sex-selection abortions target females. Advertisements in India have even promoted female feticide, justifying it on the grounds that it will save parents money on her dowry.

Because these types of abortions happen in Canada.

Because female ‘circumcision’ is common practice in some parts of the world. Female Genital Cutting (FGC), as it is otherwise known, is defined by the World Health Organization as the ‘partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs whether for cultural, religious or other non-therapeutic reasons’. It is a severely painful procedure often performed without anesthetic. It renders sex a painful activity, and brings with it numerous long term health consequences. 

Women are disproportionately affected with mental illnesses such as depression, yet these are often not recognized, and the woman is instead told she is being ‘emotional’.

Because women undergraduates earn, on average, $40`000 less than their male counterparts.

Occupations typically defined as `female’ are lower paid. Women are also less likely to be hired over a male, even when she is more qualified for the position. An equal number of women and men graduate from law school, but a disparagingly low percentage of women are found in law firms. Women must work harder than men to prove themselves.

Because over 600 native women have gone missing or been murdered, and there has been little action.

Because women make up two-thirds of the world’s illiterate population. 569 million people cannot read or write. 87 million girls worldwide do not attend school. This is not for lack of intelligence, or desire. Parents that cannot afford to send all their children to school will keep the girls home while their sons receive the education. Girls are first to drop out, and are more likely to encounter hostility or sexual harassment from teachers and classmates. Meanwhile in the northern hemisphere, girls generally outperform boys.

Because in December 2012, a 14 year old girl in Afghanistan was shot for defending her right to an education.

Because when a woman is outspoken, she is deemed a ‘mad woman’ or ‘spinster’, or she is ‘on her period’. This ad hominem attack undermines a woman’s credibility.

Because Gender Based Violence exists. In the US, a woman is beaten every 18 minutes. In Peru, 70% of all crimes reported to police involve women that were beaten by their husbands. Only 45 countries have enacted legislation protecting women against violence.

Because a statistic indicating 30% of women are murdered by their boyfriends or husbands prompted an internet meme captioned “That’s 30% of women who should have shut the fuck up.”

Because we live in a world where women need to prove, in court, that it wasn’t her fault for staying.

Because some countries still do not allow women the right to vote, and some have only done so as recently as 2011.

Because Men’s Rights Groups exist. The mission of these groups is to restore patriarchal dominance over women – to remove their rights as humans, to treat them as property. They seek to maintain the status quo of ignorance and malice by promoting their notion of masculinity, and their misconstrued notions of what it means to be a man. There is no talk of equality or justice in their remarks.

We need feminism because we live in a world where an individual’s status is determined by an appendage. The presence or its lack thereof defines how the individual is treated and how they should treat others. It determines their opportunities in life, whether or not they can vote, as well as their social role, and their identity. It defines how a person should act, what they should wear, and what kind of partner they should seek. This applies to women as well as men. This applies to the growing number of individuals who self-identify as a gender they were not born with, and to those who see themselves as neither male nor female. Feminism is not just about women’s issues. It is about achieving equality between the genders, and in so doing we eliminate the societal constructs that restrict the sexes to specific gender roles that leave no room for fairness.

We need feminism because we need equality.

Tara Gadoua