The word 'feminism'

[LackingInspiration]

I've just realised that I'm really angry with my DH about something. Even though I praise my husband for being wonderful and believing strongly in women's rights, and to all intents and purposes being a feminist, when I told him the other day that I'd love to be able to join a feminist discussion group, he said 'I bet you would - slagging of men and saying how crap your husbands are would be just your cup of tea'!

WTF do you say to that? He's an amazing man, I promise. Is it really that the word 'feminist' just instinctively gets people's backs up? It's not like I haven't talked to him about feminism before. I hope he was joking! He does like to say that all I do with my friends is drink tea and slag off our husbands , but I didn't realise he thought that that was what feminism was.

What's humanism? How's it different to feminism? Should we be adopting it?

exactly ThreeLittlePebbles. Usually when people say 'I'm not a feminist I'm a humanist' they haven't come across the word humanist in its normal meaning and are using it to mean something different.

Yes you can be a feminist humanist.

Or humanist feminist.

Actually I think I am one.

Or the other.

Or something.

Humanism sounds like nothing at all, it is so vague and there are so many ways it can be interpreted. Eg, Im a human, therefore Im a humanist? I believe humans should have the same rights as animals?? Its not really a useful term.

Go to the feminist group, and invite your DH too

If we do need a different word (thouggh I cant think why we would), then I vote for POWER FOR WOMEN. It all comes down to power.

oh but then people would object on the wotaboutthemenz basis - what about power for men? You want more power than them, not the same amount, etc.

No, no power for the menz. Can't they read the name?

I think there is a role for men in achieving the aims of feminism, and in awareness and self-awareness raising, and they should be involved in that capacity of course.

In that way, something like 'gender equality' is a good term, but there are many issues which are specific to women and not men - (eg relating to maternity). Also, men will not have experience of being discriminated against because they are female. Some find it annoying to be reminded of the reason that feminism exists, but the 'annoyance' is hardly the fault or responsibility of feminism.