Why I’m a Feminist, Not an Equalist
An answer to a question I hear a lot.
“If it is about gender equality, than why is it called feminism? Why isn’t it equalism?”
This is a question I hear a lot amongst detractors of the feminist movement. In their view, the fem in feminism can only mean that it is a pro-women movement, that isn’t seeking equality but rather supremacy over men. I find this fear of a reversal of hierarchy, the concern that men will be the ones left behind, quite revealing. It is an acknowledgement of the undesirable situation of women, and at the same time a selfish desire to keep things as they are so as to avoid things being flipped on their head.
Women suffer most from gender inequality. The movement must start with them.
In reality, feminism is seeking gender equality, but in a situation where women are the ones who are disenfranchised, holding less political and economic power than men, and subjected to violence at their hands, the movement for gender equality must begin with empowering those suffering the most from inequality. It must begin with women’s empowerment. The word feminism recognises where the fight must begin. To remove it is a way of silencing women, again, and of taking attention away from women’s issues.
Feminism today is part of a long history
The word matters, too, because it ties today’s feminism in to a long line of movements for women’s political and social empowerment. This history matters because it shows how far we have come and how much we have left to do. We owe a debt of gratitude for some of the victories our foresisters acquired, and we must also keep a critical mind over those things that they overlooked, or the feminists that were silenced within the white-dominated movement.
Equalism is too vague
The word equalism can refer to anything, anyone can say they adhere to it in principle, whether or not they actually believe that women deserve more rights. This fact must be implicit in the language we use. Words have power, they give meaning to movements and shape the way we see our struggles. By taking women out of the word, we are diluting its meaning.
