What is a feminist?

Question

Interesting answers so far...

Answer 1

A person, male or female advocating the rights of women in relation to men. it may be a matter of acquiring equal pay for the same job or equal rights in marriage in the eyes of the law and so on. It might be trying to ensure that more women politicians (eventually, an equal number to male politicians) sit in Parliament. And so on

Answer 2

Hi!
A feminist is a gerneral term for a women (or a man) who stands for women's rights. Unfortunatly, it often becomes assosicated with lesbianism and extreme protests. However, this is not true. If you support simple things, like women having a vote, then you are a feminist. If you support women having equal pay, then you are a feminist.
I reccommened a short collection of poems by Carol Anne Duffy ( a well-known feminist writer) called 'The World's Wife'. The poems are a wide variety from comedy to tragedy and from loathing men to loving men.
The interesting twist is that the characters she uses are all female counterparts of famous males such as 'Mrs. Darwin' or 'Frau Freud'. I reccommend Mrs. Icarus....so short but so funny!
Thaty should give you an insight into a more extreme feminist mind, if you are interested.
Luv
Metia
XO

Answer 3

a woman, who is fighting for the rights of women is called feminist in general. But now days the feminist theory also has been developed. Feminist theory is that men's way of thinking and womens' way of thinking and learning is different.

Answer 4

Feminists were what women called themselves because they weren't like most women at the time. In the early years of feminism, women were mostly homemakers, mothers and wives. A feminist was any woman that landed outside of those labels.

Now I would say 'Feminist' is a term that some men use as an insult on a level with the term 'lesbian'. Some of them assume that women will be offended and become defensive to being called a feminist because in prehistoric male dominated ideology, women who thought for themselves were strange, butch and asexual.

Feminism in reality was the name given to a movement that pushed for equality between the genders. Social, economic, sexual, and political equality were some of the areas where they campaigned. Feminists are women who believe that our value as human beings on this planet is of equal importance to that of the male gender and should be recognized as such.

A feminist is not someone who signs on the dotted line and donates £10 a month like joining a slimming club. It's a state of mind - but I think dropping labels is a good idea. Then men can join the club too!

Answer 5

In a world dominated by men, a feminist is that person who seeks ways and means of empowering the womenfolk,who fights for those rights deprived to women simply because of their gender.
Venus Williams recently took wimbledon to task about the inequality in the distribution of the wimbledon Prize fund
between the men and the ladies. Remember Wimbledon is an old established institution that has always practiced rewarding the men more than the ladies. It will take the will and determination of a prominent person like Venus to demolish the long held discrimination like this against women. What you must remember is that no male compatriot has backed Venus in her quest and you have not seen any female tennis player queeing behind her but if she succeeds all females of current and future generation stands to benefit if she succeeds.
A feminist is thus that person who seeks to break that barrier that gives more rights and priviledges to men not on the basis of merit but on the basis of gender.

Answer 6

It rather depends on your concept of a feminist! Women such as Germaine Greer, Gisele halimi, Jamila Boupacha and further back ... Emily Plunket were regarded as outward feminists and bad news to men! But things changed and nowadays women feel a bit more equal to men if!!! Only in certain ways because and if governements tried to change things a bit )So-called equality) Women are stillr regarded as the weaker sex, still raped, abused, take time off their careers/studies when children are ill/need a parent home.

Some menr egard most women as feminists, would tell you that the ladette culture is a result of what feminists wanted whereas i regard that as a gross exageration!

I'm known as feminist where i live simply because ... I am self employed, do my own things and live my life the way i want to! That makes me different hence ... A feminist! Do i call myself one? No! I call myself independent and that's what i am! So you see ... It's rather a matter of perception!

Answer 7

Feminism is a diverse collection of social theories, political movements and moral philosophies, largely motivated by or concerned with the experiences of women. Some advocates of what they term Masculism argue that it is the male equivalent of feminism; others less favorable to masculism and related ideologies argue that feminism is a pro-human movement and needs no "male equivalent." Most feminists are especially concerned with social, political and economic inequality between men and women; some have argued that gendered and sexed identities, such as "man" and "woman," are socially constructed. Feminists differ over the sources of inequality, how to attain equality, and the extent to which gender and (identities) should be questioned and critiqued. In simple terms, feminism is the belief in social, political and economic equality of the sexes and the movement organised around this belief.

Answer 8

A feminist is a male, female, intersex, sexneutral person who is part of a social/political movement for human equality, regardless of gender identit(ies).

I am a feminist, I am not a woman or a man, and I certainly am not just working for the rights of one gender. Below is a link to papers i've written regarding systems of inequality and how each person plays a part in the construction of "society" including its inequalities and prejudices.

Answer 9

A feminist is someone who believes in equal rights for both men and women. In the past I've shied away from it, describing myself as pro-equality but I think it's time to take back ownership of the word and get more men (and women of course) describing themselves as feminists.

Answer 10

A feminist is a person who supports feminism.

Feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.