How to Be a Feminist Without Acting Sexist Against Men
Feminism is mainly a concept espousing equality, but a few feminists have spearheaded a supremacist, matriarchist movement. These often speak louder than the rest, so you must be on your best behaviour not to tarnish feminism.
[edit] Steps
- Don't essentialize all men in a negative manner. You can show support for women without saying things like "all men are chauvinistic pigs." But calling men out on sexist behavior can be done in a way that is not "anti-men" and should be done so that men may learn when they are not resolving the dispute.
- Recognize women's hardships and expect men to work on becoming allies to women. Work with men to help this occur.
- Find and become part of feminist groups.
- Being anti-patriarchy is not being anti-men. Men lose out when they participate in oppressive systems too (even when those systems privilege men).
[edit] Tips
- Look for support from other women, trans gender, gender queer, and male allies when dealing with a patriarchy problem. Having more folks to back you up is empowering and reassuring.
- Help men to understand that their liberation is tied with yours. Patriarchy severely limits all people. Although men are privileged in patriarchal societies, they lose out on the consciousness and solidarity that comes with being in a non-privileged group.
- When people talk about feminism as if it's a radical notion, calmly remind them of the dictionary definition of feminism: it is simply about political, economic and social equality. Supremacist feminism is just a mutation.
- If someone challenges your beliefs, then you should try to think about why they do. Maybe you are being matriarchist.
[edit] Warnings
- Choose your battles wisely.
- Don't go around saying "I'm a feminist, but I'm not sexist against men." This implies that most feminists are sexist against men, which is not the case; feminism is mainly based on concepts of liberty, individuality and equality.
[edit] Sources and Citations
- Johnson, Allan G. The Gender Knot.
- hooks, bell. Feminism is for Everybody.
- Jervis, Lisa. BITCHfest: Ten Years of Cultural Criticism from the Pages of Bitch Magazine.
- Berger, Melody. We Don't Need Another Wave: Dispatches from the Next Generation of Feminists.
- Labaton, Vivien. The Fire This Time: Young Activists and the New Feminism.
