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

[DioneTheDiabolist]

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 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?

Diemme, my question is an honest one. I would much prefer honest responses and suggestions than extrapolation, implications, accusations and insults that can result on this sort of thread. With that in mind maybe AIBU wasn't the best choice for this kind of thread. But I didn't want to put in FWR as I know that there are more feminist voices on MN as a whole.

Feminism has become a less of a positive movement and was heading towards a negative attitude.
That's very interesting Fantastic. I think there may be something to that.

Use the fucking label.

Nope.

Drop the fucking aggressive dictatorial tone.

I can't speak for anyone else on why they don't identify as feminist, but the reason I don't, despite believing in equality, is that feminism promotes women, not equality in my mind. I realise that many disagree with that, but I suspect many feel as i do too

I do too - I believe men and women are every inch equal; and should have access to the same opportunities and play by the same rules. I feel feminism promotes women, not equality and in a lot of cases comes across "equality when it suits".

I am a feminist. Do I identify as one publicly, no.

Why? Because of the negative connotations. I know people, who call themselves feminists and I disagree with them on so much and find it mind boggling the stuff the rampage about.

Man doesn't call back - sexist.
Man doesn't let her go infront of him in the check out line with her two items, when he has a handful - sexist.
Man says she's pretty - sexist.

I think that there are pressing issues, genital mutilation. Rape. Arranged marriages. Illegal sex rings that are more important than the first world issues above.

It's because of the hard line feminists. I couldn't call myself by the same label as them.

The feminist board on here terrifies me, it makes me want to give up work, stop wearing trousers and perform matrimonial 'duties'

Honestly, it makes me want to run in the opposite direction of feminism, which is sad as I am an absolute believed in the fundamentals of its ideology.

Thank you for making the link in your comment Gravy.

Everybody else since my comment has said it so much better than me.

Also fuck off userwhatevernumberyouare

I believe in sexual equality. The feminist boards on MN are why I refuse to identify as a Feminist.

Shan't. I don't even read the feminist threads but am aghast that any sentient, independent women are frightened of this label. What do you think it means? It needs reclaiming.

I don't subscribe to the MN version of feminism, but mainly, I don't think that feminism represents anyone who isn't a middle class white female.

YABU.

Just because someone doesn't call themselves a feminist, doesn't mean that they don't support the idea behind it.

I wouldn't call myself a feminist, as I don't like the label, nor many of the things associated with "it". But I definitely do support most of the ideas behind it.

So I would fall outside of that 9%, but not for the reasons you'd probably think.

I'm not frightened of using, I don't use it because I don't identify with it, and you are a perfect example of why.

Ha ha, I'm out. Enjoy life in Stepford, ladies.

I used to think I was a feminist. As I have got older I think my mum's generation pre-feminism in many ways had a more enjoyable and less stressful life with fewer expectations on them to achieve everything. I really mean that. Plus I got hounded off the feminist board on the one occasion that I posted an opinion. Of course I believe in equality but I have my own perception of feminism that other people may not think of as true feminism.

user1471545174

Which form of feminism do you recommend reclaims it?

Yes, it needs reclaiming

Especially from those which say men should go into ladies' toilets

user1471545174 That's a very unhelpful black and white attitude. Enjoy your bitterness

Yeah, because ai believe in transgender rights I can't be a feminist too. Another thing MN has taught me.

Boney - only the regular kind as epitomised by the Rebecca West quote.

I guess it seems quite ungrateful to the generations that fought for equal rights when people disown the movement that won those rights, and take them for granted.

And while my Stepford comment was semi-lighthearted, I genuinely believe that if we don't guard our rights they will be rolled back.

Thank you for a serious question.

Thank you all for taking the time to respond to my thread. You have given me a fair amount of food for thought. I'm going out now to eat a fair amount of food for pleasure. I will check back in later.

There are feminists all over the world, fighting for all sorts of different things in all sorts of different countries.

I find it interesting that the word "feminist" in the UK seems to evoke for many a single image of a white middle class woman who gets upset over the slightest thing / wants superiority for men etc.

I think that standing up for women has always been something that gives people in general discomfort. It's probably the same in all countries. So eg when people say to feminists "you've got it lucky what about women living in India huh? You have no right to complain" but look over there and they have the exact same things with loads of people saying men in India are being done down by feminism and it's gone too far etc and so on.

So I can't get too worked up about the stat.

The 1/3 of people who don't believe in equality is worrying. But then, people like trump get voted in, far right in france on the rise, UKIP over here... all have dodgy sorry "traditional" views on women and plenty of people are voting for them.

I haven't read the full thread but based on OP. I don't identify myself as feminist. I absolutely refuse to label myself as anything. I am me. I believe in many things.

One of the reasons I won't call myself feminist is because of the amount of men bashing I've seen on MN under the label of feminism and I won't align myself with that.

I won't say I am a feminist. After watching so called feminists on You Tube talking utter rubbish and reading some of the threads on here I would be embarrassed to say I was. I think some women have lost the plot and don't understand what the word means. To get threads where people complain about a Christmas song just makes me sigh. Some not all but some have made the word laughable. And that makes me angry because the work we still have to do in other parts of the world is important I don't want to be laughed at.