Young women's attitudes to feminism

[LaraInTheSky]

"I believe women should have equal right and I believe in fighting for the rights of other women, but I'm certainly not a feminist"

I certainly think that if you believe in fighting for women's rights and that if you want to be treated equally at work, at home, everywhere, then you are by default a FEMINIST.

Is this just a problem of semantics? Is it only a question of giving feminism a different name - "Fred", for example - for people to take it seriously these days?

But I guess the big question will remain: why are you not a feminist?

I just wanted to have some of your thoughts on young women making statements like the above, and apart from the usual "feminism is aggressive and unladaylike", why do you think young women are not interested in it?

[grumpyinthemorning]

There will be no need for feminism when there is true equality in the world. As we do not have complete equality, feminism is still needed.

I'm 23, and proud to call myself a feminist. I fully believe that men and women should be equal, and that will only happen when societal norms are challenged. I am not a ditzy girl looking for a man to take care of me. I am also not an aggressive, pseudo-masculine alpha female. I am not a trope, I am a woman, a human being with a mind of my own, equal to any man or woman in the world.

The trick will be convincing the rest of the world, but nobody ever said this was easy...

[BettyBlueBlue]

I think you can shave your legs, be flirty, wear pink, read Vogue etc etc and still be feminist.

The problem is when your life becomes all about being flirty and girly and pink so that men see you as a desirable partner, someone they can marry and support for the rest of their lives. It's to do with why do you do those "girly" things. Do you do them because they're just fun but you continue pursuing your own life, career and indenpendence as a human being?

The problem is that being a woman these days is too confusing. It becomes too confusing from the moment you are born and you're given pink clothes and flowers just because of your sex. When you're given a Barbie and a pink castle to play with. From then on, the confusion just goes on and on until you reach certain age when you can analyse all the rubbish you had to put up with just because you were born a girl and start making your own decisions, and thinking about what your really want from life.

All you need to do is look at the directors' boards of most companies and parliaments around the country (and the world) to realise why feminism is still so badly needed. They're all full of middle aged men!

[BettyBlueBlue]

Stick, well, just food for thought, if anything. Thinking about stuff is the best starting point to decide whether you want to call yourself a feminist or not.