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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

...to feel depressed that only 7% of UK identify as Feminist?

999 replies

DioneTheDiabolist · 18/12/2016 18:30

www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/2016/01/we-are-a-nation-of-hidden-feminists/

7% of the population and just 9% of women in this country identify as feminist. I'm not saying that everyone should call themselves feminist, I care more about what people do, rather than the label they assign themselves. But I am Sad that the number is so low.

Given that most people believe in sexual equality, why do so many people not feel comfortable to call themselves feminist? And what (if anything) can we do about it?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Missswatch · 19/12/2016 18:25

So raising awareness of the ME is similar to censorship? I see

amispartacus · 19/12/2016 18:27

So raising awareness of the ME is similar to censorship

Looking forward to your thread on the ME on feminism chat.

If there's one thing you've done on the recent feminism threads that have appeared is raise awareness of the ME.

SpeakNoWords · 19/12/2016 18:29

Yes I'd like to see that thread too.

JustAnotherPoster00 · 19/12/2016 18:30

It is if your using it in that way yes

BeyondIBringYouGoodTidings · 19/12/2016 18:31

Thank you for beating me to that just

I think the trouble with calls of MRA/troll/GF is that we are so used to people who say particular things ending up being those things that we lose the will to argue against it any more. Then as soon as someone elsewhere (as I assume you did yesterday, though I can't remember what you said) says something familiar to the "script", it is sometimes too quickly assumed that they are on the thread for nefarious purposes.

I guess to some people it probably looks like calling out troll to anyone who disagrees, I can see why it would. I assume they've not seen a troll live in action on FWR to understand the buttons they are pushing, though?

JustAnotherPoster00 · 19/12/2016 18:32

40 pages to RTFT Grin

SpeakNoWords · 19/12/2016 18:33

Ah, I meant Misss's yet to be started thread about feminist activism in the ME.

amispartacus · 19/12/2016 18:35

There are issues for many groups in other parts of the world. LGBT people, women, the disabled, religious minorities.

I am sure though that those groups in the UK do focus a lot of their campaigning efforts on the UK and making life fairer and more equal for people like them in the UK. Fixing things closer to home and that affect YOU is a perfectly natural thing to do. It does not mean that you don't care about the rest of the world.

But it's a very good derailing technique to repeatedly tell someone in any group not to complain and raise awareness of issues in their country because other people in other countries have it worse.

If LGBT groups had done that, where would they be now?

JustAnotherPoster00 · 19/12/2016 18:36

Beyond I did have my mind changed about a few things by 1 or 2 reasonable posters or they at least made me want to research some of the things I thought further but calling me an MRA was ridiculous, I hate all equally no matter skin colour, gender, sex, creed or sexual orientation, I should probably work in customer service Grin

bigbuttons · 19/12/2016 18:37

People on this forum have put me off even discussing feminism. It's all so aggressive and unpleasant.

SpeakNoWords · 19/12/2016 18:39

Yeah, AIBU is a bit of a bear pit sometimes.

amispartacus · 19/12/2016 18:57

All those posters who get annoyed when someone asks them for a link are aware that they are allowed to ask someone else for a link if they disagree with what someone has said.

It is a place to discuss feminism so most people there probably are feminists. Just like the kennel section on here is probably full of dog lovers. So most people probably know a lot of the links and evidence already.

CharlieSierra · 19/12/2016 19:03

Justanother that lol at the feminist threads was an incredibly goady OP and if you actually want to have a reasonable discussion about feminism it's understandably not ideal to jump into a thread like that and back up the GF. Especially as a man. Women who are interested in women's rights issues sometimes do feel a bit suspicious about men joining in and telling them what they should be concerned about. Men asking genuine questions and who are prepared to listen are not generally accused of being MRAs.

JustAnotherPoster00 · 19/12/2016 19:04

It was in AIBU spartacus

dailyshite · 19/12/2016 19:13

AmI

I wouldn't debate a topic by yelling 'prove it' at people, which is essentially what this boils down to. It's a ridiculous way to discuss a topic and reminds me of the arguments I used to have with my brother and sister as kids.

It's a strategy blatantly used by people to divert a discussion and I'm not going to play that game.

JustAnotherPoster00 · 19/12/2016 19:33

Men asking genuine questions and who are prepared to listen are not generally accused of being MRAs.

I was, but I think sometimes 'prepared to listen' means just agree with us

BoneyBackJefferson · 19/12/2016 19:38

Men asking genuine questions and who are prepared to listen are not generally accused of being MRAs.

On MN they are generally told to go and read up on the subject.

WhenSheWasBadSheWasHorrid · 19/12/2016 19:57

On MN they are generally told to go and read up on the subject

I get really pissed off with the "you need to go and educate yourself attitude" to be fair that's pretty widespread through mn not just a fwr thing

BoneyBackJefferson · 19/12/2016 20:05

WhenSheWasBadSheWasHorrid

Yes, that is why I said MN and not fwr, or feminist section.

HandbagCrab · 19/12/2016 20:36

I don't get all my info about parenting from mn so I'm bemused as to why posters expect the feminist boards on mn to tell them everything they'd like to know about feminism in a manner they feel is suitable to them. I wouldn't buy a dog after only posting in the dog section here, however nice and knowledgeable some posters are, would you?

I've learned a lot from the people who take the time to patiently explain over and over again about different feminist stances on various topics that crop up regularly. I've posted on versions of this thread lots of times too. I don't recognise the tired tropes trotted out about man hating.

amispartacus · 19/12/2016 21:40

It's a ridiculous way to discuss a topic and reminds me of the arguments I used to have with my brother and sister as kids

"80% of feminists hate men" *

I think it's reasonable to ask someone to back up that statement. Some things people say on the internet aren't true. Some things people say aren't true. Just look at Donald Trump. People make things up.

*Made up statistic. No evidence to back that up.

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 19/12/2016 22:37

"80% of feminists hate men"

But that is not the sort of comment which gets made.

I have commented on the sheer negativity on FWR- the threads going on about how awful it was to be a girl ; how much posters hated their female body; the "women are less than human" line (all of which have been said) and been met with the response of "no one has ever said that, link".

SpeakNoWords · 19/12/2016 22:42

What if they did hate their developing body, and have had a series of negative events happen to them due to their sex? Should they not be allowed to talk about it?

WhenSheWasBadSheWasHorrid · 19/12/2016 22:54

What if they did hate their developing body, and have had a series of negative events happen to them due to their sex? Should they not be allowed to talk about it

To be fair to lass I've seen these negative comments too. They weren't done in an individual way - posters were talking of the general experience of being a women as being quite negative.