Feminism Is A Bold Step Towards Gender Equality, But What Is Considered "Equal"?
Author: Ivy Thai from GGB Vietnam!
Published: 23/09/2021
"Feminism by definition is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities"- Emma Watson. Why it is so uncomfortable to use the word -feminism? "There is no such thing as equal in nature, no one is equal even men or women!"?. But I believe that everyone deserves equal treatment. The issue here is about equal rights and equal access to opportunities. Men and women don’t have to be the “same” in physicality to have the right to equality; Women can fight for men, men can be feminists and equality has no gender.
Stereotypes confine women and men to certain ways of being and it is not only women who suffered this. There are men being "imprisoned by gender stereotypes" or restrictive gold standards of a man such as "be a protector", "do not cry or openly express emotion", "boys don't cry", "be strong, power, courage, and do not show weakness",... and I think this is our story to think about because I have never seen my father crying although the adult's life is not always been easy with him and before being a good feminist, I think that we should have a love for all kinds.
From BBC News: "Tragically, suicide is not as rare as one might think. In 2016, the last year's global data is available from the World Health Organization (WHO), there were an estimated 793,000 suicide deaths worldwide. Most were men"
Why are men more likely than women to take their own lives? One key factor is communication; Many societies have encouraged men to be “strong”, "tough" and not admit they’re struggling as traditional male gender roles or defined that "boys like blue and girls like pink", "boys are rational and girls are emotional" since early childhood. These rigid gender norms may make it difficult for men to reach out and ask for support when they need it. Moreover, mental illness may be underdiagnosed in men and they are more likely to self-treat symptoms of depression with alcohol and other substances which explains why men are at a greater risk of death by suicide.
Is it true that "Men do not have the benefits of equality either"? As Emma Watson said in the HeForShe Campaign - "If we stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by who we are we can all be free-er". And then things will change for not only women as a natural consequence, it is not only about feminism, masculinity, ... It is about human rights - Egalitarianism. All the genders have the right to be sensitive or to be strong, to feel free to embrace themselves, to be who they really are in the way they want to be. "It is time that we all perceived gender on a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals" - Emma Watson.
What the idea of masculinity was? Be yourself or a feminist? If you do not have any idea about who you are and the rights you have, feminism or masculinity,… are just nothing more than a label. Saying feminism means equality is like saying masculinity means equality. All the gender are wonderful and let's build a world that works for all of us!
This writing is most inspired by Emma Watson.
These pictures are from the Internet.