...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?

If anything got done at all woodlander

Thank you for that The Woodlander - for being sorry about my son. (4 years on now and back in school at last).

Sorry - not quite in bed - but going. No, feminists didn't do that to him. That was just a group of very nasty girls in a shit school who took advantage of a weak kid. What the adult Feminists did was think it is perfectly ok to ridicule men for their penises and that I was a rape apologist for challenging it.

I believe that my son needs as much help and support as my daughter.

I am sick of being told what I am and what I am not and that I cannot be a feminist because I want to support my child.

Half these preachy people do nothing to support women. They won't shop in places that pay women a decent wage because they want a cheap bargain. Sorry - not sure why I started to read this thread - need to go to bed. apologies for jumping ship.

Given that most people believe in sexual equality, why do so many people not feel comfortable to call themselves feminist?
The negative connotations that the word feminist conjures up. Bra burning, man hating, bitterness.
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 can identify with that statement. I've been on the boards for years, and regardless of what you want to believe or see, there is a definite bias to women always being in the right and never the man even though the scenario is blatantly where it is the women BU.
I obviously want better rights for women, we all deserve to be equal, but I won't align myself with some of the muppets who claim to be feminist but come across as nothing to do with wanting equality and all about just battering men down.
ALL should be on an equal footing. We're all equal.

Badknee, honestly, that is a horrible thing for you and your son to deal with. I am an ardent feminist, but please don't ever think that I would ever disdain or ignore abuse against boys for that reason. I simply never would, and nor would any feminist I know x

Badknee, just thinking about this - politically I am left wing - but I don't agree with everything any lefty says. Equally right wingers - not every right winger agrees with Jacob Rees-Mogg. Think of it that way - feminism is a political cause to gain equality for women - but it doesn't mean that every feminist agrees with every other any feminist says. I would be the first to admit that some are extreme. The "Jacob Rees-Moggs" if you like

Half these preachy people do nothing to support women

This x1000

I hope your son is doing good

Missed out a few words there - sometimes my mind goes faster than my typing fingers - but you get the just.

I've participated in a few FWR threads and I simply don't recognise this 'man hating' thing. Its an accusation frequently thrown but that doesn't make it true.

I believe the vast majority of people would agree the bullying your son went through was terrible.

Sadly there are twats around and on the internet they can hide behind their screen claim to be whatever they like and try to bully others which it sounds as though they were trying to do this

'Half these preachy people do nothing to support women'

How on earth do you know that?

Actually, many of the feminists on MN (and many that have been chased off and outed on these boards by trolls) are very active, politically - and are particularly active in domestic violence. It is something to be commended. I have been here long enough (frequent nc's) to follow many of them on Twitter - and they are truly doing good things for women and children, in bad circumstances.

I was reported multiple times for this thread! I still stand by my opinion. My eyes have been opened but I still think there are bigger issues.

Hannah, you neither started or have posted in this thread up till now

Wow, I'm not long in and have just realised how many posts there have been. I'll start reading. Thank you for taking the time to post.

I must warn you that I am stuffed full of 70's fare and have had a couple(?) of drinks.

70s fare? as grim as I remember it?

Bloody hell - careful then, Dionne Tis scary territory this feminism lark.

cheers though - it depresses me too. (unless this thread changes your mind ) ?

Have just finished reading and there have been a lot of thought provoking posts.

My 70's fare was pretty good. I had prawn cocktail followed by chateaubriand with mushrooms, chips and Bernaise sauce. I went off script at pudding and was disappointed. I should have had the baked Alaska.

I also had calvados, a martini and wine. So I'm off to bed. Night night.

Not RTFT but no one asked me, doubt any of you were asked, how can this determine only 7% of the UK do don't identify as a feminist?

From the survey report notes:

"Survation polled 8,165 UK residents aged 18+ between 30th November and 3rd December 2015. The survey was conducted via online panel. Differential response rates from different groups were taken into account. Data were analysed and weighted by Survation to the profile of all UK adults aged 18+. Data were weighted by age, sex, region, household income, education and past vote. Targets for the weighted data were derived from Office for National Statistics 2011 Census data and the results of the 2015 General Election.

Because only a sample of the full population were interviewed, all results are subject to a margin of error, meaning that not all differences are statistically significant. For the whole sample (8165 respondents) it is 95% certain that the “true” value will fall within the range of 1.1% from the sample result. Subsamples will be subject to higher margins of error. Survation complies with the rules of the British Polling Association and the MRS Code of Conduct"

So the survey organisation feel that they have asked a representative sample and are extrapolating from that to the population as a whole.

If you believe in gender equality you are a feminist, period. Regardless of whether you choose to use that term or not.

Pretty shocked at all the "one time a random anonymous poster on a message board said something I disagreed with and they said they were a feminist so I decided not to be one not any more..." comments. Really? Your identity and belief system are so fragile they're dependent on randos on Internet forums?

Beside replace the word "feminist" in those posts with any other descriptor: woman, human? Brit? Liberal? Westerner? Would you stop identifying as "woman" just because one person said "I'm a woman and I [insert opinion you disagree with.]"?

The idea that "feminism" is some kind of hive mind is misogynistic, patriarchal brainwashing at its finest.

Missswatch, I grew up in the Middle East and my mother is Middle Eastern.

You do not have the slightest fucking clue what you're talking about, and your comments come across as pretty racist as well as obviously despising women.

Whst i find most depressing is that women still cant see how they are being shafted and are frightened to get angry about it as they will be labelled as unattractive and (gasp) strident.
I love men and i believe in equality... do i love patriarchy? Not so much.

Also the slanging matches going on here demonstrate that women have been conditioned to pit against each other rather than unite... depressing .

SpeakNoWords - I think think this is a derrail and a conversation I'm also not really willing to have here. You are entirely entitled to your opinion and I wish you all the best.