Why do women oppose feminism?

Question

I can understand opposing radical feminism, but the idea that women should be equal? Surely all women should agree with that?

Violet Pearl - you have good points, though I don't see that as feminism. I'm totally opposed to women having to act like sex objects or getting plastic surgery, NEEDING the perfect outfit etc but I mean real feminism, that promotes equality. I think women should be allowed to work, and men should be allowed to be house husbands. And women should be allowed to have sex when they want (responsibly) and the same to men. I think women should act like 'gents' sometimes too!

'a woman was free to venture in the biz world' - No, they weren't. Where did you read History? You clearly have rosy tinted specs on... Women were looked down on intellectually by men and seen as less rational, and were not allowed to do most jobs (apart from 'women's jobs - cleaning, childcare etc)

I have no problem with men making decisions about adoption, abortion etc as long as they are prepared to take care of the child. The problem is that a woman is, while she is pregnant, attached to this child. She can't escape. The man can, and sometimes does. If the woman wants an abortion and the man does not, the man should be prepared to fully take care of this child, from birth to 18. The woman can then take the 'man's role of child support, or visit the children but if a man wants their child, they have to have agreed to do MOST of the work. You cannot force a woman to have a child and look after it just because you want to visit occasionally.

Answer 1

And almost all do. The rare exceptions are members of isolated communities and/or extreme religions. And some of these religious communities simply don't accept the basic equality of men and women. If you were raised in a community where your gender (whatever it is) was considered inferior and your whole family and your boss and your town believed it, and you were afraid you wouldn't get to heaven if you believed differently, you just might accept that your gender is inferior.

But I'm not religion bashing; I'm religious myself. It's just that some very uncommon religions reject what nearly all religions teach: that women and men are equal.

Answer 2

Right, I'm a 17 year-old well-educated British female, and I have mixed feelings on the issue.

I believe that if a woman wants to be able to work, she should be able to work, and I believe that a woman can be just as capable and intelligent as a man. However, I do think that *physically* and *mentally* women and men are more suited to different tasks. For example, women tend to be more patient and caring - they score higher on empathy tests and so are, as a general rule, more suited to caring jobs. That doesn't mean that a woman can't become a business executive if she wants, but it's likely that the majority of women will opt for a job in a more comfortable field.

Biologically, men are more capable when it comes to manual labor, and in some areas, particularly rural ones, most of the work is of a physical nature. This means that men are naturally better equipped for work in those areas.

Personally, I'm a different sort of feminist. I think that if we're striving for feminism, it has to go all ways - it can't just be 'we want the same pay' - it needs to look at issues like, why is it considered so much worse when a man hits a woman than when a woman hits a man? Why is every man who likes kids immediately presumed by the majority to be either gay or a pedophile? Why is a man made to feel like an under-achiever if he is a nurse rather than a doctor?

Equal rights has to go both ways, if it's going to go any way at all.

Answer 3

1. Before feminism: Most women got married, a woman was free to venture in the biz world and return home to hubby and kids when she had enough, minimum wage was expected to pay for 1 man 1 woman and 1-3 children.

2 After feminism: Most women are lost in "alternate form of relationships" or just miserably lonely. Prostitution and the trafficing of women keep setting new highs. A woman HAS to work outside the home and be a mom at the same time even if she hates her job, because the notion that money hungry industrialists should pay wages to men high enough to support a wife and 1-3 children is beeing considered sexist.

Its not hard to see why women have a beef with feminism. It is essentially fraud. What would have women (and men) said if the industrialists would have said, we pay the men less money in return the woman gets some money which they can spend on childcare. Neithier of you is better off, but we get 2 workers at the price of one and the children no mom from 9-8
They would have not though it is a good idea.
But package it as womens liberation and everyone cheers for it, the mascara is starting to fade though and thats when you have women saying, we don like that sir.
Now we are going back in time to 1900 when everybody had to work and children with nobody around to raise them grew up disfunctionally.

Answer 4

Some women think that all women have equal rights with men and that feminism is not needed. I wish I lived in their perfect world. Hope they don't travel outside that perfect world, to somewhere where women can't vote, drive, or work, or leave their residence unless they are accompanied by a male relative.

Some women believe the anti-feminist message that if you are a feminist you are a lesbian and/or hate men. Don't see how wanting all women to have the right to vote is being a lesbian or hating men. But the tactic obviously works!

Some women believe the anti-feminist message that feminists want to be superior and take over the world. Don't see how equality equates to superiority, but hey, once again, it's a slogan that works.

Some women feel that women have "all" the rights, and that men are being victimized and discriminated against. I don't see how women seeking equality has "caused" men to be victimized. Women are often sexually victimized at higher rates than men (rape, incest) so that's what feminists have tried to do is create resources for victims; then education. Yes, men are raped and molested, so why are feminists blamed for people's attitudes towards male victims? What caring person doesn't think rape and incest is awful, regardless of gender? I"ve seen many rape and child abuse resources, and they point out that both genders are victimized and need assistance.

Every movement has its share of radicals. This society has made an art form out of repeating the words of a few radicals, to speak for the silent majority.

Answer 5

As I am writing this, no answers have been written, but I guarantee you everyone will answer something along the lines of "because feminism isn't about being equal - it's about superiority. Feminists want to take over the world. Feminists are man-hating bitches who are too ugly to get men and turn into lesbians." Unfortunately, this idea seems to be prevalent - I'm not sure if it is in the real world, but it certainly is on this website.

Of course feminists do not want superiority. Not even "radical" feminists do. The very people who claim that they do have no clue about feminism, women included. I don't necessarily believe that women who oppose feminism actually oppose equal rights, but I do believe that they probably haven't looked at our history and present day society to realize the implications of forced wifely servitude. They simply take for granted what so many women have fought for, and quite frankly it's a slap in the face to all those women. I strongly believe that women's studies should be taught in high school (along with African/Caribbean studies), because then women (and men) would have a better sense of what exactly the point of feminism and civil right is.

Besides sheer igonorance, I also believe that women really take it to heart when men say that feminists are ugly bitches who can't get men, and of course, the last thing any young woman wants is to be deemed undesirable, or to have any association with a cause deemed undesirable. Especially since young women are valued first and foremost for their looks and sexuality, to be associated with something undesirable is like taking away their entire essence. *Sigh*, the anti-feminists have won that battle - what an effective way to ensure that feminism's popularity is limited.

Then there are the women who claim a woman's place is in the home, It's one thing to be a wife an mother by occupation by choice - but to claim that it's the duty of ALL women to do the same is ludicrous. Again, these women have not taken the time to think of the implications financial dependence and forced domestic labour has on women.

Also, I think that a lot of women like the perks that come with being a second class citizen - and there are some. With equal rights comes paying for your own dinner, buying him stuff too on Valentine's Day, and understanding the difference between chivalry and courtesy. A lot of women, unfortunately, can't seem to let those things go. They want to be coddled and treated as "special," without realizing where those traditions and ideas came from in the first place. They don't understand that paying for yourself is a small price to pay for equality.

I would also like to point out that the very women who preach publicly about anti-feminism are, themselves, working and making money. So they're not advocating that all women stay home and raise kids. It's a class issue. Middle class women can stay home with the kids. Poor women can stay home with the kids. But the white, upper class ladies who preach about this? Well, they're perfectly entitled to work outside the home, now aren't they?

The whole thing is very sad. :(

Answer 6

simply by fact human beings do unlike substitute. women human beings popping out of the kitchens are very distant places and radical innovations. So whilst feminism got here alongside, it replaced into the suited searching floor for misogynists and others who destructive the very theory of equality. Hatred in direction of feminists replaced into equated with hatred in direction of women human beings. Any definitely women people who opposes feminism has the wonderful to try this yet they forget approximately the irritating highway that the early feminists had to trip to get the rights that as we communicate's women human beings have fun with. And the adult men say that girls human beings have rights or much extra rights as we communicate. No evidence different than MRA rants are provided. women human beings have a similar rights yet no longer in all situations. this is nevertheless in the back of the eightball.

Answer 7

Patriarchy is a system wide mental illness with males, and many women, suffering from all types of psychopathologies. Women who buy into a patriarchal system buy into a system that devalues all girls and women. These are the same women who enjoy all the benefits of feminism yet the won't acknowledge this. Such women are severely brainwashed that their low position in a patriarchy is a good thing. If that's the case, then the most radical form of feminism would be better than any patriarchy.

Answer 8

Because women are on Earth to be man's helper. That means taking care of the children. Why do you think women are so emotional? It's to take care of the children. I have all the equal rights I need in Islam without being a feminist. It ruins a woman's purpose in life.

Answer 9

As a woman in her 30s, I did not realize that we were still not equal to men. When I think of feminism today, it is only the radical movement now. I am free to vote, work in any occupation I so desire, have a family, make choices. Where am I be oppressed? What can a man do that I can not? I no longer feel the need to be part of feminism. However, it needs to start moving the other direction.

In fact, I believe men today are being descriminated against. They are lacking choices women have, are punished more severly than women for the same crimes, amongst a list of other things.

Woman can choose abortion, give a baby up for adoption, or raise a child.
Men are forced to pay for a child that may or may not be his, and have no say in whether HE is ready to be a father.

Women who sleep with underage boys (or girls) are given a few months sentence, if any at all.
Men who sleep with underage girls (or boys) are registered as sex offenders and serve YEARS in prision.

Women have privacy, men do not. Female reporters feel the need to enter the men's locker room to "do thier job", yet they seem to report more on who they got to see naked. Male reporters are not allowed in the locker room of female players while they are showering.

I am still being told that men earn more than women, yet when you add alimony and child support (which are forms of income - men are FORCED to pay for), women actually earn more.

I believe in equality for ALL. Men AND women need to be treated and punished equally.

To Violet:
How do men benefit? The woman CHOOSES to have sex. Otherwise it's called RAPE!!
Where are your stats for men not providing for families? Alimony and child care are forms of payment.
I am married, and work full time. My husband and I SHARE household chores. If you would like the men to help out, TALK ABOUT IT!!
Women being insecure about how they look is THE WOMAN'S PROBLEM. She needs to deal with it, counseling or plastic surgery. That is HER CHOICE!!
You mentioned sex again. It IS her choice to sleep around.
They CHOOSE to live with partners without marriage. It is a CHOICE!!! No one is being forced to live with someone. That is called being a hostage. Once you get out, call the police then!
Where are your sources for proving that women earn 75% of what men make doing the same job?

As far as children, I am sorry, but having kids is a CHOICE. Either you can afford them, stay at home to be a house wife, or you CHOOSE to have a carreer, and let someone else raise your children. No man forces a woman to do these things.

Answer 10

Of course we agree but, what some feminist do is belittle women who choose to stay at home raise their children and take care of their husbands, there is NOTHING wrong if a woman chooses to do this.

Feminists have gone overboard and have widened the hostility gap between men and women making it hard for women who are more down the middle of the road when it comes to male-female relationships and roles.

I'm mean really...why do women want to go into the grunt and scratch club locker rooms for interviews? We don't have to do that to prove our equality, we just have to use our heads. Women are intelligent, I am woman hear me ROAR! I don't have to get ridiculous to prove it.