Is feminism really about equality?

[BemusedExpression]

I've seen it mentioned many times on these threads that feminism is about the fight for equality. Yes, feminists are concerned with attaining the best that they can for women. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, except it's less about equality, and more about the benefits acquired for females.

Sometimes these aims are the same, but sometimes, they're not.

For example, women get more lenient punishments than males for committing the same crime but feminists are less concerned about addressing this inequality as it might lead to harsher treatment for females.

Feminists strongly support women's shelters but show little interest in supporting the few shelters for males in similar positions.

Feminists campaign strongly against Female Genital Mutilation, but the campaign doesn't extend to males - if you're born male, you can expect to have your genitals mutilated soon after birth.

Fighting the cause for women? Of course they are.
Fighting the cause for true equality? Let's hear your thoughts.

Note:
1.These examples are not meant to challenge the obvious worthiness of these subjects, but to examine why we treat them unequally.

1. Please don't hate me if I've made some bad assumptions. Just put me right.

🍿

Thought i would take a little look at this board

Do OPs on here usually attempt to delete their threads after 1 reply?

Its just that im not sure if its worth opening anymore threads

Nope its ok

I checked a few more

No it has nothing to do with a fight for equality. It did, once... Quite some time ago now though.

Take the 'fight' to have gender neutral names. That is except where the terms feminism, patriarchy and toxic masculinity are concerned. :)

For example, women get more lenient punishments than males for committing the same crime

Is this even true? I've read otherwise. That women are given longer sentences and don't get the same family support while in prison.

And, as has often been said, why don't men, who generally have more influence in this world, set up their own dv refuges? Why are women blamed for their inaction?

Feminism is the political movement for the liberation of women.
Most of the claims made in the OP are not true.
Women who kill or commit violence against male intimate partners usually receive longer sentences than men who kill or commit violence against female intimate partners, even in self-defense.
I have no idea why men think Feminists should fund and build shelters for men the way that we did for women. That would be the job of the MRAs.
It is true that Feminists fought for equal rights under the law. We still are. When men frame "true equality" in terms of women serving men they show us who they are.

why don't men, who generally have more influence in this world, set up their own dv refuges?

I am told that long ago in the UK such shelters existed for males to escape DV. And that they all closed down due to lack of need.

Many women using DV shelters are SAHM without access to funds of their own because, surprise, the abuser controls all the money. Or women working in low-paying jobs without sufficient funds to get out, thank you patriarchy for most of the shit low paid jobs going to women. Men on the other hand, usually (ok, not always) paid more and have the means to flee if need be. As thebewilderness said, not our job to re-instate men's shelters, take it up with the MRAs, they must surely take a break from time to time in between all their online misogyny. But maybe they are just too busy churning out the misogyny. TL;DR No, make your own damned sammich.

An example of feminist discrimination against men is woman's hour on radio 4.
Constantly talking about sex discrimination and equility and how bad men are, but there is no men's equivalent program, ie men's hour.
So women are allowed a voice on issues that concern them, but men are not, sheer hipocracy .

There was a mens hour

But men didn't listen to it so they took it off the air

So they were allowed a voice

(Poor men, so voiceless...not)

For example, women get more lenient punishments than males for committing the same crime but feminists are less concerned about addressing this inequality as it might lead to harsher treatment for females

This ISN'T the case. Research has found that when women committed a perceived masculine crime i.e. murder, child abuse they get a far harsher sentence than if they were a man.

A good example of feminist hipocracy is woman's hour on radio 4.
Always going on about equility but clearly discriminates against men and boys in that they are not given equal programme time to discus issues that are of concern to them.
Woman's hour is broadcast six days a week for an hour, plus late night woman's hour once a month, so about 25 hours for women's issues a month, and zero for men and boys.
Plus the two hosts are female, white, sexist, middle aged feminist who constantly make misandric remarks about men, and will never broadcast anything critical of women.
If that is what feminism is about I want nothing to do with it, I want equility for everybody, male and female.

Oh @Lottie35 you woke the kraken... best not to engage...

Hi Lottie35...
Perhaps you should read some of these...

www.lylawyers.com.au/why-do-female-criminals-get-lighter-sentences-than-men/

www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/11/men-women-prison-sentence-length-gender-gap_n_1874742.html

goodmenproject.com/ethics-values/sentencing-gap-men-likely-go-prison-mrzs/

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1311004/Judges-ordered-mercy-women-criminals-deciding-sentences.html

Demanding that Feminism should be about equality for all iwas a brilliant strategy of the patriarchal establishments that turned feminism into a marketing tool to sell things to women.

If you go back to my original post, you'll see that I wasn't saying that it should be equality for all. I was just pointing out that it doesn't appear to be, in spite of the many claims to the contrary.

Stealing that quote Bewilderness... ;)

Vicky, my earliest memories of WH were learning about the menopause. Men don't get that. Though I'm sure I once heard a feature on WH about what men go through hormone wise in middle age.

Women's hour (mainly) talks about things that are the lived experiences of women due to their biology, which is not equal to men.

And they frequently do do things about men; specifically recently the issues around masculinity and how it's damaging for boys.

And there was a man's hour for a bit. Clearly they ran out of things to fill it as it didn't last long.

Wants to say 'so ner ner' but knows it's very immature.

Oh yes, and:

I have heard that there was a men's hour programme, but it was broadcast on a station that the potential audience didn't listen to, at a time that wasn't suitable, so was doomed to fail.
Half of the audience for woman's hour broadcast on Radio 4, the nations main voice only station, at a time that is obviously suitable is men, so this is where men's hour should be.
Equality should be for everybody, but feminist do not want to hear men's voices or what there lives are like.
Some of the men in my life have had awfull experiences with health, divorce, children, suicide, work etc, but this is never discussed or given a platform as women have as feminist think only of themselves.
What harm would it do to us if men had the same rights to air there problems?.

It was on radio 4.

*their.

Sorry to hear you know people who've had tough lives.

I'll direct you to the second post on this thread to answer all your questions.

Thank you, Ekphrasis, your sarcastic link back to the second post brings an end to this thread nicely.

No more posts, please.

Men's hour was not on radio 4.
There is no men's hour on BBC radio.
Woman's hour is the feminist voice on the BBC.
Men do not have this service.
Men are discriminated against by the BBC.
As women have this service why are they not helping men get the same.
If the feminist truly wanted equility they would, but they only want equility for themselves.

Feminists don't want equality, it's about liberation from patriarchy.

How is your campaign going to get a men's hour on radio 4, Vicky? Have you been asking anyone apart from posters on MN?

I have contacted the BBC many times by telephone and email, also contacted local MP who was not interested.
The BBC refuses to respond in a meaningful way saying it does not discriminate when it clearly does, to provide a service for the benifit of one sex, but not to the other is clearly discrimination and brings feminism into disrepute.
It is very sad that the only programme on the radio that is constantly.talking about equality is the only one that actually discriminates against one half of the population due to their sex.
And as it is presented by feminist it makes a mockery of what feminist are suposed to be campaigning about.
I want my son to have a voice as well as my daughter, that is equility.