Connor Avery

Fielding
WRTC 103
29 January 2016
Feminism is defined by the Britannica Academic as the belief is social, economic, and
political equality of the sexes. Feminism has been around since the late 1800s and is still
thriving today. Feminists have to battle a millennia old patriarchy. Feminists are all ways dueling
against those who seek to preserve forms of oppression, and that is a fight I am glad to be a part
of. Despite my being a male, I am proud to call myself a feminist.
Although groups fighting for equality of the sexes have always existed, the first major
and effective group of feminists formed in 1869, known as the American Woman Suffrage
Association they fought for the right for women to vote. Their goal was reached in 1920 when
the 19th amendment to the constitution was ratified. In the 1960s and 1970s in conjunction with
the civil rights movement feminism again became a driving political voice, calling for equal pay
and justice under the law. During this time feminism was broken into three major parts, the most
mainstream was the liberal feminist who focused on better mixing women into government and

institutions. Although pushing for strict equality they also supported protective legislation to
benefit mothers.
A resurgence of feminism occurred in the 1990s and is still going strong. This new
generation of feminist are still fighting for equal pay, affordable health care such as planned
parenthood, and better protection from domestic violence. Feminist believe that men and women
are equals in intelligence, physical capabilities, and all other aspects. As such a major argument;
and a just one at that; feminists put forth is that women deserve equal pay for equal work.
Currently women are making about two-thirds of what men make. Another major topic within
the feminist group is healthcare options such as abortion, and non-for profit organizations such as
Planned Parent Hood. As all political and social groups feminism is subject to many stereotypes.
One such stereotype is that they completely hate men, which is absolute rubbish. Another
stereotypical thought people have about feminists is that guys cant be feminists, but since
feminism is just a belief in equality anyone can be a feminist.
My reasons for becoming a feminist start with my upbringing, my mother always making
sure I knew that all people are equal and deserve equal rights. Another reason I feel a connection
to feminism is that my morality and my personality make it impossible for me to ignore blatant
social injustice such as sexism in workplace, and places of learning. Finally, Ive just grown
extremely sick of the constant stream of sexism that surrounds me every day. As a member of
this group my basic purpose that Ive carried out so far are to discourage my peers from making
sexist remarks or jokes, and encourage people to see their opposite gender as equals. I also often
have to defend the need for feminism when people try to claim that it is a bunch of crap. As a
feminist I am of course expected not to be sexist, and to be constantly vigilant against sexist
remarks and actions. Being a feminist can be extremely flustering at times, and throughout both

my high school and college freshman experience Ive dealt with a lot of this frustration. During
high school the thing that stuck out the most as sexist and patriarchal was school dress codes. All
the time girls were told You need to change because boys will be distracted by the way you are
dressed. Two major frustrations come to my mind when I hear this happen or hear about it
happen. First and foremost, why is the blame of distraction fall upon the girls heads?
Shouldnt the boys be held accountable for their own immature actions? My second thought is
why is a dress code so important in high school when in college guy seem to be able to get things
done no matter how the women are dressed. It seems to me that high school dress codes are
meant to make girls feel less important than guys. Why should a girl be sent home because boys
let themselves be distracted by the girls? Isnt sending them home an interruption to the girls
education? This problem in high school really opened up my eyes to the social injustice women
face, and just how much those with authority favor men and attempt to oppress women. Another
battle feminists constantly are fighting is that of harassment by guys. As a lot of my friends are
women, I often have to confront guys who harass them. A prime example of this kind of conflict
is how the guys in my dorm treat our F.R.O.G. They are often making comments that are meant
to sexualize her, and constantly taking things she says and sexualizing them. When this happens
and I attempt to defend her or get them to stop, things in my dorm get tense and Im not
comfortable leaving my room for a while. This constant struggle has often fills me with rage.
Another way in which I act as a feminist is that I teach my female friends ways to defend
themselves if they are assaulted. One of the biggest worries women still have in current times is
sexual assault, and how our society blames the women when they are raped. By teaching women
to defend themselves I can help alleviate the worry that someone will be raped.

Feminism is a constant struggle against an unjust patriarchy which attempts to keep

women oppressed through subtle manipulation, and withholding certain rights such as equal pay
or abortion. Feminists wont stop fighting until we have attained what should have always been
part of our society. My inclusion in this group affects how I act in the political realm, and how I
treat other people. Viewing myself as a feminist has made me grow into a generally better
person, strengthening my morality, but it has also dampened my view on our society and those
who still enforce the outdated, disturbing sexist ways that have been woven into the majority of
our institutions.

Works Cited
American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA). Encyclopedia Britannica. Britannica
Academic. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc, 2016. Web 29 Jan. 2016
Feminism. Encyclopedia Britannica. Britannica Academic. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc, 2016.
Web 29 Jan. 2016
"U.S. gender pay gap is getting worse." CNN Wire 19 Nov. 2015. Opposing Viewpoints in
Context. Web. 26 Jan. 2016.