Has Feminism Gone Too Far Now?

Gen Z definitely think so.

Feminism has come a long way since the movement started in the 19th century.

However, today it is widely believed that feminism has gone too far in its pursuit of rights; on the other hand, some believe feminists have created a gender ideology where women absolutely hate men.

Some of these people who hate the idea of feminism say that all women have the tendency to make a scene out of nothing and that women make up their own harassment stories and a bunch of other stuff just to achieve a certain goal.

Opinion about feminism has changed in every phase, even when everyone knows that every single individual is the beneficiary of a society that is much more gender-equal.

However, there are still those who criticize today’s feminism and feel yesterday’s feminist movement had goals that really mattered, and it was much more acceptable.

Women have come a long way after the feminist movement helped in getting women their basic right to vote, divorce and property.

This might seem like an obvious demand now, but back in the day, they were much to ask for if you were a woman.

A Journey Full Of Hurdles

Anyone who supported feminism found themselves on the wrong side of cultural norms as they had to face the severe backlash that awaited them.

Even when the world was against it, the feminist movement achieved what it was meant to.

When the feminists asked for women’s right to vote, they were often mocked in public, and for new members of the movement, it was much worse.

The anti-suffragists tried to build up a narrative against the bill of women’s right to vote and portrayed anyone who supported it as radicalism.

Things got normal after the bill voting was passed, but it was only an end to another beginning.

The feminist movement got back into play, but things were much more dynamic this time. The feminists in the 1960s fought for the right to sexual and reproductive freedom and for their right to work outside of the home. This again became a huge problem for people who were against women’s empowerment.

This had to be added in this article for anyone who believes feminism has something against men. All these rights that today’s women have are because of the brave women who fought their case for freedom and independence.

Decades Old Critiques

Today everyone can agree on some the things like women having the right to be economically independent, identify and negotiate their sexual needs, and have the basic right to vote.

However, what anti-feminists fail to understand is that the pay gap exists even when women are responsible for almost ⅔ of global working hours, trans women are women, and that sexism is faced by many on day to day basis.

Sadly even in 2022, when things have progressed a lot than what they were still there are those who believe all this feminism act is for fame and glory.

According to some survey’s done in recent times just 20% of American consider themselves feminists, while 8% are anti-feminists, a bit over 60% are neither while the majority (82%) believed in equality.

However, there were some (9%) who still believed that both genders can never be and shouldn’t be equal.

There are those, men included, who know the problems which are solely related to women, problems that a man can never understand.

The #metoo movement, for instance, is something that is often criticised by many and yet the support for the trend keeps on rising.

It is a movement that is as crucial as the ones that came before it, and most probably, in 20 or 30 years time, we will look back and acknowledge that as a necessary step toward equal rights.

More Than Half Of The Population Of Men Believe Feminism Has Gone A Bit Too Far

The younger generation, in particular, have mixed feelings about feminism, and one/third of them are women themselves, which is rather surprising.

The people against feminism don’t really understand the essence of it like the fact that Bell Hooks argues, feminism is not only about women!

It is also about the rights of men who have also been harmed by traditional gender ideology.

This is why when anyone raises their voice for their rights, it tends to bother them because they are still living in old ways which have been passed from generation to generation where men are superior to women.

A woman asking for her basic and equal rights is bothering the anti-feminists because not only does this creates more competition but also against the norms of our society and mentality where for centuries, a woman is portrayed as someone who looks after the house and the kids.

This kind of mentality has been the reason behind the fact that women are twice as likely to retire in poverty than men.

Even for people who were born in the 21st century, the day they start to see and understand cartoons, they get an idea of sexism where women are often shown in a similar way as mentioned above.

Another problem that women face in today’s world is related to sex itself, where women are often showcased as a symbol of sex, and the usual interpretation is all women are good for is sex.

This thought is not limited to villages or small towns but even mega-cities around the world where it is hard for a woman to even walk on the streets without being verbally harassed.

However, not all men are the same, and there are those who support the cause of equal rights in every way possible.

We all know one thing that not all fingers are the same, and for those who still hate feminism, it has never been about abolishing someone’s rights to get their own it has only been about equal rights.

Final Words

The fight for equal rights will go on until the picture of women is changed from someone who is a lesser being to someone who has equal rights, whether politically, economically or socially.

Sooner or later, we are going to reach the point where everyone is going to have equal rights, and no one is going to be above another just because of their sex.

In the future, I believe we will see the day when what is radical today will be normalized, and that day is worth fighting for.

However, we will need to keep on fighting until we have reached our goals.

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