I've got quite a simple question that I just can't answer - why would a woman not be a feminist?

The opposite of a feminist is not an honorary man.

I'm pretty certain that a man wouldn't give you any special credit for not being a feminist.

Not sure what the correct term would be...

Higgle, start the threads if you have things to discuss. Am sure you'll get plenty of responses and a good discussion.

Have to say, though, deciding to become an honorary man is really quite a dramatic response to a couple of threads about leg waxing...

Too right, higgle, you won't catch any of that important stuff being discussed here. None of that nasty rape and violence against women nonsense either.

I always thought I was a feminist until recently but since I've discovered this section of Mumsnet the whole thing irritates and annoys me beyone belief. Surely the important things are equal pay and family friendly working conditions ( for the women who don't use the whoe parenting thing as a mega excuse to take the piss ) but on here there is endless debate on leg shaving, car stickers, giving up trying to look nice etc etc. It all just gives women a really bad name. I have decided I'd much rather be an honorary man thank you.

oh my.

yes. there are fundemental differences between men and women.

men have a penis while women have a vagina.

women have breasts and give birth and men do not.

men have a great deal of power in the world and women do not.

what other fundamental differences are there?

I am not a feminist and I am not proud or ashamed about it. I know you will all jump on me and tell me I am ignorant/stupid/mistaken but go ahead. I am not adding to this thread to antagonise you, you are not even likely to have any interest in my opinion but for the record that is my opinion. I live in an Islamic country, have less than equal rights to men and choose to do so. I am neither Arabic nor Muslim. I am not saying that women are not equal to men in some ways but there are fundamental differences between men and women and I believe that it is a waste of time trying to pretend otherwise.

Wow,I've lost the will to live reading the last few pages

no disrespect to posters who were being contstructive.

I think some women do not see themselves as feminists for the following.

I believe it's the concept that men as a group, oppress women as a group.

You can have more privileged women, good education, good career, can afford childcare, can send their children to private schools, live in a big house etc. And a woman who had poor education, no career, poor prospects etc. Cleaning the other Women's house.

And the message is we're in this together, oppressed by the patriarchy.

The man in this woman's life isn't massively priviliged in the woman's eyes.

I know privilege in feminist theory has a different meaning to what most
people think it does but I can see why women at the lower end of the social scale don't understand or embrace feminism.

swallow you quoted me. I said I have witnessed

I don't see why I have received such a bad response with this. I think most people would agree with me that some women don't want to be feminist because of the stereotypes and that some feminists fit these stereotypes. Other people have have voiced the concern that they have seen it on here and they were not met with the hostility that I have been. Mothers have even come on and made threads and told you the exact same thing and that it is the reason they don't identify as feminist. So you have been told it straight from the horses mouth as the saying goes. I would understand completely if it was something new I was suggesting but it isn't the same people you are enquiring about come here and tell you this.

That is why I said most not all. If someone has been raped or subject to dv ofc you don't be so insensitive to start a debate on that thread.

I said that I have witnessed it. Not that I haven't.

Most thread on here are about debate and if they don't start out to be someone makes them inot a debate and if I disagree with them then I will say so. That is what a debate is about.

Stewie if I really do that why have you agreed with me on a no. of occasions?

There are quite a no. of threads where I have agreed with everything on the op there are some I don't. That is the nature of debate. I don't insult people or their intelligence. That is why I am still on the forum and not banned.

You can't really misunderstand someone saying that being a sahp isn't feminist and/or miss mothers coming on and saying that they have been told that they aren't a feminist because they are a sahp.

You seem to be confusing this forum with feminism. Even if you thought it wasn't on this forum. It could be on any no. of blogs or forums.