What is feminism?

[Emma]

Merriam-Webster defines feminism as the following:

fem•i•nism

Pronunciation:
\ˈfe-mə-ˌni-zəm\
Function:
noun
Date:
1895
1 : the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes
2 : organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests
— fem•i•nist \-nist\ noun or adjective
— fem•i•nis•tic \ˌfe-mə-ˈnis-tik\ adjective

What is feminism? According to Merriam-Webster it is a theory based on the equality of the sexes. Rather than describe myself as a feminist, in the past I have been quick to give a long winded explanation that I believe in equal rights, awards such as jobs given based on merit not solely because of your sex due to affirmative action, etc. etc. etc. I have been scared to use the word as it has always carried a negative connotation. For me, there has always been a sense that people believe that feminists are out to get men, that they want more than equal rights, that big bad evil feminists want men to suffer just like “we” have.

If a feminist is someone who strives for the equality of the sexes, what are we so afraid of?

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feminism

[Rosemary House]

Thanks Emma for starting the discussion. Maggie Keiley wrote this interesting comment about my doc film The F Word (which I inadvertently deleted the other day along with all the other discussions) but I managed to salvage the comment and think it's a very interesting take on the challenges facing feminists... " the use of other cultural norms to help give strength to feminism is a good place to start - the idea of feminism in the West is tempered by the idea that we have "gotten this far" and the phobia of most people against appearing as a victim . There is also no flash point - something all feminists can seem to get behind - that can build alliances and strength within the movement ... so collectively supporting women in the most repressive of cultures can help us gather and refocus our own goals in the west ... good luck with the project !"

[Jenina MacGillivray]

Socialist-Feminism, Then and Now

[Desirée Baker]

i feel very mixed about the word feminism.
to be plain i would say that feminism is the act of creating an atmosphere in which a woman feels accepted as an equal and has the ability to follow one's heart. and that means if you like baking cookies and watching sex and the city, you bake those cookies and watch that (lame) show! that makes you no less a feminist.

[Patrick Dacre inbusiness4good@y]

Perhaps this dicussion might be further enlightened with a review of the EDition(Condensed) of the new book Wings & Dreams: 4 Elements of a New Feminism(which can be accessed through www.sophiasirius.net