In modern day society, the “F” word is uttered daily. Feminism, when used with its negative connotation, has been denounced in public.  In reality, feminism is needed to advance the values of equality and progress in society.

The objective of feminism is to achieve political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. Some claim that feminism is no longer necessary, because they believe equality has been achieved and they see this reflected in equal rights. The fact is that the patriarchal system, which gives more opportunity to men, is still alive.

Let’s look at politics, since sweeping societal change is affected (or not) in this arena.  Women who make up roughly half the population of the country, statistically vote more than men, yet they still make up less than 20% of Congress.  Data shows that women are elected to political office less frequently than men, due to low female representation in the political sphere and perhaps gender bias among voters.

All over the world, rape culture, which is a culture where sexual violence is normalized, yields serious ramifications.  Women still are subjected to catcalling and have practical concerns about leaving their drink unattended at a party. We would get more benefit from teaching men and women from a feminist perspective, to value women instead of focusing on defense mechanisms for women to use when they are attacked.

Since the recent 2016 Presidential election and the 2018 Midterm election, more people are declaring themselves feminists. With 32% of male Democrats announcing their belief in feminism the numbers are starting to rise.  It’s time to catch the wave. Remember, feminism is a word whose definition celebrates equality for all sexes. So why should you be a feminist?  What reasonable person wouldn’t believe in equality for everyone?