Feminism through the Eyes of a Man

Feminism to me is about providing equal opportunities and empowering women in order to break down the barriers which hinder gender equality. But is this the perspective men follow with regards to feminism? Well, let's find out. The very basic definition of feminism revolves around equal rights, opportunities, bringing them to the same stage. It is is a range of social movements, political movements, and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. However, a lot of men (and women) seem to have a misogynistic perception of this strong concept. I'll walk you through my opinions and for that, let's consider the society of men to be divided into two factions. The first faction of men are those who understand and assimilate the true essence of feminism. They have their own ideologies and principles, they're calm and composed, and they may or may not support feminism but they move ahead with their lives. The second faction of men are those who retaliate on hearing the term of feminism. They believe that this concept is all about suppressing men and highlighting women. They feel that feminism is a completely negative vibe and propagates hatred towards men. But the hard truth is, that this is absolutely not true. I wouldn't really blame these men for developing such thoughts and perspectives because it all roots back down to the golden ages where patriarchy was relevant and men were considered to be the only ones responsible for running their house and exercising authoritative power in the work space. In very rare cases, where a household had to run on the earnings of that of the woman of the family, the society would echo "Oh God! That family depends on a woman for a living? What does that man do? How shameful and what a pity!".

This stereotypical mindset of the society needs to change if we are running the race for gender equality. The most important thing to be noted here is that without the support and cooperation of men, feminism stands incomplete. This is because, in the twenty first century era, where we have advanced and enhanced rapidly in various other domains of life, gender equality and feminism are still a taboo and we would not be able to break out of this stigma until men, women and every other gender strive forward as a team, walking together and not behind or in front of one another. After all, this is not a war for gender equality through feminism which shouts Women VS Men, rather it's all about fighting for the equation Women = Men!

-Meghna