to be depressed that only 9% of women identify as feminists?

[parklyfe]

www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/only-7-per-cent-of-britons-consider-themselves-feminists/

''When split out by gender, women were more likely to identify as feminist, with nine per cent using the label compared to four per cent of men.''

"The fact that many say the same thing, that lots of feminist threads are condescending and full of derision to others that disagree must mean something. We can't all be imagining it"

Well, I'm certainly not imagining the derision and mockery and insults and misrepresentation directed at feminists..........I am, apparently supposed to ignore it just in case I am seen to be aggressive.

The biscuitindustry, when I say "identify as" I mean what I call myself, and what I am happy for other people to call me. I don't know if other people mean anything else- I would assume not, but I might be wrong.

that lots of feminist threads are condescending and full of derision to others that disagree must mean something

If that's true, it's down to people rather than feminism, surely? As Betrand says, it works both ways.

you do find the same posters being condescending and belittling about other subjects too. So perhaps its the person not the 'identity'.

It's a humbling thing to have to admit but I am not perfect at all times and can indeed be condescending and belittling as well as terribly rude. When people point that out I sometimes apologise - I did it today because I'd been a smartarse. At other times I think about it and conclude we simply had an exchange of opinions.

When not womanning the barricades, I talk on here about many things such as what I would do in the event of a zombie apocalypse or whether there is a a great difference between caraway and fennel seeds and if so, would they spoil my goulash.

I remain me. The person, not the identity.

If that's true, it's down to people rather than feminism, surely? As Betrand says, it works both ways.

This. The arsiness (and it's real) is a function of idealistic political campaigns generally, not feminism in particular. I've seen the same phenomenon in other campaign groups too - there is nothing special about feminism that makes its adherents automatically saintly human beings. Why should there be?

And FWIW I am very happy to call myself a feminist. I just don't see why meeting a couple of people who are dicks and also feminists should cause someone to write off feminism. It's a useful lens for understanding what is happening sometimes, and I don't really care about the personalities of others who also find that lens useful.

I think with the feminism boards they can be passionate and honestly cant see why a poster doesnt think like them and they will be condescending but tbh that is their issue not A poster

Some of us are sick of labels and being put in boxes. I am me. Feminist to a degree I am sure like most are something to a degree, but I won't identify as a 'feminist' if I'm asked.

I see the same thing in Brexit debates, which I follow quite closely. Some people in that movement have been campaigning for decades, and can be pretty rude and dismissive of Johnny-come-latelies who have only recently woken up to the issues and are now asking questions which the old hands settled among themselves long ago. Clearly if you are the newbie this is offensive and offputting. It is also politically unwise as the aim is surely to grow the ranks of believers. But people do it, because if your views are at odds with the prevailing consensus it can create a bit of a siege mentality, because it can feel good to debate among like-minded people and that can mean a disproportionately brusque response to anyone outside that group, and because frankly it can get tiring answering the same questions again and again and again.

We all have boxes. I am a woman, British, white, married, 45-55, shops at Sainsbury's, shoe size 4, likes cats...a feminist.

What's the problem with that one on the end?

"I just don't see why meeting a couple of people who are dicks and also feminists should cause someone to write off feminism. "

Indeed.

"I just don't see why meeting a couple of people who are dicks and also feminists should cause someone to write off feminism. "

Indeed.

Well yes. You meet lots of dicks in life. Dismissing a whole force due to one person's dickishness is pretty silly.

Ive said on other threads that my dad swears that feminists yell at men who open doors

Its never happened to him but its an absolute true fact, i am a bit confused by all these woman who run round saying "I AM A FEMINIST YOU BASTARD DOOR OPENER"

I find that ive never had to say "as a femanist" or "because im a femanist" but if asked to give a yes no answer i would say yes

It is a bit sad that people are misrepresenting previous threads, and on another thread making out they are a completly innocent party attacked by rabid feminists.

My personal gripe on this thread was the poster who quoted someone saying that men should have a curfew and what an extreme view this was. When on the original thread it was a rebuttal to comments that women should have a curfew

Unreliable narrators RufusTheReindeer

You can believe in the principles of feminism without identifying as a feminist. Why do we have to stick labels on ourselves and be in little boxes?

limited

I always think thats quite fun in a book

Just shitty on a thread

Whenever i read a thread and see something along the lines of "i cant believe that poster said abc...thats disgusting" or " that thread has turned into a bunfight" i trot over to the thread in question all excited...and i am usually very disappointed .

(And i know that confession doesnt put me in a good light...its a bit like being at school, someone yells fight and loads of people go "where")

Because it's not a "label" or a club that you have to join. It's a description based on what you state you agree with. So if I say that I don't believe in any god, or any similar spiritual belief, then I can be described as an atheist. It's not a slur or an attack, just a descriptive term.

I completely believe in equality of the sexes, but never sure if I really want to label myself as a 'feminist' - I don't really like labels, but if I called myself anything it would be an 'egalitarian'.

Firstly, although I agree with the definition of feminism, I don't like a lot of modern western feminism. I feel it often focuses on things that aren't really big issues (like man spreading or something), but ignores a lot of bigger issues in other countries - such as girls unable to go to school or forced into marriage. Of course I'm not saying that feminists don't care about these issues, I just wish they were focused on more (I personally really care about things like this and gave tried to make a difference by donating/awareness, not much but the best I'm able to). For example, the 'this is what a feminist looks like' the shirts that Emma Watson, ed milliband etc wore were made by women in sweat shop conditions (although as this was some time ago, I can't remember where I read this).

The second reason why I struggle to identify as a feminist is that I don't particularly want to be grouped in with some of the more extreme feminists. I have read some awful articles about man hating and similar topics. Also, it only seems to be my friends that identify as feminists that have openly judged me on my lifestyle choices - eg wanting to stay at home and be a mother, enjoying taking care of my home and cooking while Dh goes out to work, dressing in a very feminine way etc.

I also know some lovely and understanding women who identify as feminists, such as my sister, but still struggle to call myself one because of negativity.

As I understand it the definition of feminism is "Belief in equal Social, Political and Economic rights for women. That's most of us and if you believe in that you're a Feminist. In my opinion, of course.

Hi, by the way!

I dont care for saying im a label.
Do i believe in equal rights? Yes.

I haven't read the whole thread, but in response to the OP

I don't identify myself as a feminist, and I don't understand why someone would feel depressed by that.

I believe in equality, I don't think women need special treatment / privilege, before mumsnet I would have left it there.

After mumsnet I would say that the boards here have given me an aversion to feminism. My experience has been that the only times I have been on, I have found them to be unfriendly, judgemental, quite scathing towards anyone who holds a different view. They are also very hard work, trying to work through a wealth of links and jargonistic posts. It's a shame because the feminists I know in real life are really nice.

I don't want to be any kind of "ist".

As soon as you say you're an "ist" (of any kind), you are asking to be grouped together with others (of the same "ism"). Then you're constantly having to explain why you're not all actually the same - especially if your particular "ism" has/had a radical wing.

Before some clever dick pedant jumps down my throat, I meant ideological "isms / ists" (fascist, communist, feminist, humanist etc), not professions (scientist, journalist, othordontist) obviously.

I'm older than a lot of MNetters, started identifying as feminist back in the late 70s as a teenager.
What I find very cheering is how, over the decades, more and more women are living feminist lives. Maybe they don't identify as feminist, but for me that's a small matter compared to how they practise those values in their real lives.
Same as back then, beig a vegetarian, humanitarian, equal rights environmentalist got me called 'Hippy freak' 'Pakilover' and the like. And now, it's mainstream thinking for a majority.
That change is worth more to me than playing top trumps as to who wears the label the best, and who is the most worthy.