Feminism - what and how - a few thoughts!

What is "Feminism"?

Before we really start on anything, let us halt ourselves at this question first.

Opposite of misogyny? - Fail!

Protest against male chauvinism? - Fail!!
Seeking reservations, favours, protection? No!

Women asking for power, seeking superiority? – duck! :/

Women are better than Men? – Never!

Well, the Wikipedia defines it as this:

"Feminism is a collection of movements and ideologies that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve equal political, economic, cultural, personal, and social rights for women.^[1][2] This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment."

Makes sense? I hope so!

So essentially, Feminism is synonymous to “equality”, and is the “movement” to define, seek and achieve that I the different realms of life and the living.

But then, why does it at all warrant a movement? Weren't we are all born much as equals, homo sapiens? Where did that inequality begin from? Where does the gap come from?

Really – sharing responsibilities alright, sharing spaces and duties alright, but then – why inequality?

Self-propelled social conditioning, if you ask me.

Before we begin, let us point out a fallacy we often fall into. To discuss lack of fairness in share and treatment, we often site marital differences and workplace discrimination, and confine ourselves to the discussion of surname changes, independence and self- support or lack of it, when it comes to discuss equality between males and females. That perhaps is like asking why the leaves are so few and so dry, while the roots are cut at the bottom! And that is why, among other few thoughts, this was one why I did not call this blog The Equal Woman, but, Girl. Yes, that’s where it starts, and that’s where it needs to be rectified.

We’ll try to show how the inequality starts way, way before we can start to think on our own; Rather, influences us so that even when we think we think on our own, we are entrapped within the culture neck-deep.

Right from birth, or in some unfortunate cases even before it, they make a difference - they, men and women; they, the world. The lucky ones however make it to the outside.

However, that story continues - it roots, it stems, it branches. In many shapes and terms; Like, that doll house for the girl, and that kitchen set for her. That racing car for the boy, and that doctor set. As they crawl and walk tiny steps, that teaching to be more private with private parts – for girl toddlers more than for boy toddlers. That - having to be careful. That, watching out – yes, even at few months of age.

Come the time to step out, boys must play outdoors; girls, can manage without that. In fact, it isn’t even safe to stay outdoors for too long, is it?

Come school, come college – it isn’t easy to list out all possible ways in which they’re differently treated – and not all pictures are exactly the same, meaning any picture anyone present may look forcibly painted to some and down-toned to some others, and that further loaded with individual perspectives.  And not to say, not all of them are apparently derogatory to females over males, not all of them are even noticeable – but you know what? They make a difference – yes, each one of them.

And for once if we remove our defensive hat aside and for a moment ponder over things we’ve seen and felt in our growing up that made us the us that we are now, you’d know what I’m talking about. To get you an insight on what I’m trying to point at, it is your own life story, own childhood, that you may want to have a peep at. How-much-so-ever proud and loyal we are to our own parents, families, schools and surroundings that are now but sweet, cherished nostalgia, if we fail to take a objective critical dissective look at it, we’d really beat the purpose! As we do that, we’d realize that each of us, even the luckier ones, have been differently treated in some way or another.

Now, if you’re interested, may I request you for something? Would you pause for a moment here and think of the things you’ve seen and experienced in your growing up years that didn’t quite strike you as notable back then, but were indeed quite differently done for males and females in your surrounding? Would you, please, leave behind a comment to this post, listing at least 3 observations you can think of?