On Feminism

[sal_amanda]

Due to some transfer credits from the semester I spent at UVM, I had some room in my first semester of my MSW program at UB to take an elective. I took a class called Gender Issues, and the instructor really did a lot to challenge what my ideas of feminism were at that time. If you had asked me prior to that class if I was a feminist, I would have easily agreed that I was. I just had a more narrow view of what that was. 

See, the feminist perspective in social work is not just about equal rights for women. It's about equal rights for everyone. So yes that obviously includes gender, including the rights of men to not have to fit in with a toxic masculinity narrative, but it also includes race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, ability, mental health status, socioeconomic status, and any group that is marginalized. Any group that is not being supported and allowed to reach its fullest potential. And understanding that people fit in more than one category. Intersectionality, but no one was using that word at that time. 

And it's not just about giving everyone something equally, it's about reaching a level of equality, and understanding that people need different things to get to that point of equality. You might need more support than I need, but I might need more than that other person. It's also about changing the systems, because maybe we shouldn't be trying to fit ourselves into an outdated system that doesn't work for all of us. 

I was elated to see all the pictures and videos of the Women's Marches happening all over the country, and the world. Yes, it was a march for women's rights, but I was also pleased to see signs addressing other issues. Because the true feminist perspective is concerned with all of it. 

Comments

[rockinlibrarian]

I'm glad you said you posted, so I looked! :D

I was totally one of those "I don't need feminism" people when I was a teenager. And it really bugs me when people-- "feminist" or "absolutely not"-- equates it with making women be "manly," because that's what I used to think too and that's why I didn't pay attention, and I missed so much! Currently my biggest feminist concern is toxic masculinity, because of how it affects Sam. On one side is his violent streak; on the other, his sensitivity-- both are affected by the culture of toxic masculinity in opposite ways! When he's more governed by the latter, he'll outright say he likes girls more than boys because girls are nicer. Sometimes he'll say he'd rather be a girl for that reason-- which, it doesn't so much seem like an actual gender mismatch as much as him not wanting to be like THAT sort of guy, because he's such a stereotypical little boy, he just happens to be highly sensitive.

I admit I don't have the best understanding of what it's like to realize you're transgendered, so maybe I'm wrong about this, but I often wonder how many people are CAUSED to feel they've been misgendered just because transphobic people are so overly strict about gender roles! I mean if people didn't define gender at all, you'd just be you, right? And gender and sex really would be interchangable words. But I think there's too much stuff I don't understand for me to say for sure.

[sal_amanda]

I snorted a bit at the idea of girls being nicer than boys. We'll be heading into the realm of middle school next year and I'm relatively hopeful that Nora can handle it, but I'm also hoping it doesn't break her.

Henry is that sensitive guy, too, and it does sometimes turn into bad streaks of anger and dramatic crying fits, but also contagious happiness. I actually just had to chastise my brother about a week ago for calling Henry a wuss. He meant it gently, but I pointed out that he's just a kid who feels his feelings deeply and just because he doesn't fall into the manly prototype does not make him a wuss. He retracted it, which was very big for him.