In my lifetime, being a feminist has never been a popular position to hold. Perhaps in the 60s, women wore their liberation as a badge of honour, but not now. Now, feminists are classed as man-eaters, as OTT bitches with an over-developed sense of self-importance, as pathetically out of touch with the real world, and of course, as completely unattractive to men. (Perish the thought!) I was something of a novelty in college, the token class feminist, a subject of derision and laughter.
But, I’m still a feminist and this is why.
- The most dangerous place for any women is in their own home. A phenomenal 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence in their lives. The same number that are thought to experience sexual abuse. We hear lots about sexual abuse, and very little about gender based violence. On the day I get married (if that day ever comes), I expect to be eyeing my husband-to-be and thinking “you might love me forever, but you’re also the mostly likely person to kill me”.
- As a society, we’ve an absurd attitude to rape. Remember the Listowel case where the locals shook hands with the convicted rapist and ostracized the victim. Very few rapes come to trial and fewer still get convictions. And any woman that’s raped is burdened by the fear that people may not believe her, may think that it’s her fault, may ostracize her.
- Women earn less than men. It’s that simple. Make all the excuses you like, but that’s what it boils down too. I will work harder for longer to reach the top of the pay scale.
- Women who stay at home to rear their children are unpaid. Sure, they get child benefit paid directly to them to cater for the children’s needs. But, there’s no payment for their work as homemakers, cooks, tutors, psychologists,. accountants and managers in the home. As someone who manages a home, I know this adds up to a significant amount of hours in what is a very challenging role. If I crossed the street and managed my neighbour’s home, I’d expect to earn 60,000 a year. Instead, I earn zero.
- Women are expected to be attractive. If a man’s a minger, that’s unfortunate. If a woman’s looking a bit rough, then she ought to stay home and spruce herself up. Have you ever thought about all the hours women spend primping and preening? Tanning, tweezing, waxing, hair colouring, adding make up, removing wrinkles? Ever thought about the cost of it? Women’s beauty products cost more than men’s, for sure. Sure some women enjoy it – it’s a form of relaxation. I am partial to the occasional long bath, myself.) But to be culturally obligated by society to be a hottie 24/7 is wrong. Women who don’t wear make up are much less likely to be promoted. Sure, men spruce themselves up too. But, we’re talking a quick shower and shave, not a regime of beauty that occupies many hours per week and costs a bomb.
- Mostly though, I hate the expectations that come with being a woman. “Sure, why are you developing your career, you’re gonna be home with the kids in a few years?”. “Why bother with a masters, you’re only gonna hit a glass ceiling?”, “why aren’t you dating?”.
- Women are vastly over-represented in the caring professions, some of the toughest jobs there are. If today something tragic were to happen if your family (God forbid), would it be a female relative who’d give up their life to be a carer? Generally, yes. 64% of carers are women according to CSO. Women are expected to be nurturers, and considered bitches if they’re not. By nature (or maybe by nurture), I am a carer. I do play that role, but I hate that I’m expected to. That my choice is diminished, because I’m female.
- Women are under-represented in every area of public life. If I one day, in a moment of madness, I decide to run for office (which is unlikely). It’ll be a hard sell to get elected. It’s harder for women to get elected. We are judged under different criteria. Party systems do not favour selecting women. I doubt we’d be in as much of a mess as we are now if there were more women in public office. South Africa and Saudi Arabia have more women in public office than we do.
- Women are objects. Sexual objects. Prostitution is about the subjugation of women by men for profit. Newspapers sell when amply-bosomed girls look saucy on their pages. Advertising is often blatantly sexist too. Remember this? The sex industry is the word’s third largest after weapons and guns. Worldwide, women are bought and sold like cattle, traded as sex slaves. Women just like me are bought and sold and used for their bodies. How can you not be a feminist in a world like that?
- I’ve seen many friends gussy themselves up and take provocative photos to stick up on Facebook. Pole dancing seems to be in vogue at the moment. Wide-eyed innocent girls that have never been sex kittens are happy to swap their self-respect in order to emulate the page 3 nonsense men supposedly go for.
- Women are starving themselves to fit the ideal look, as propagated by the media. Women wear clothes designed to hurt and hinder them. Women are considered past it at 45.
- Women are poorer. Women grow most of the world’s food but represent two-thirds of the world’s poor. Thousands of women die everyday in child birth. Women are raped and tortured as a weapon of war. Women suffer barbaric female genital mutilation, and in lots of societies that’s OK. There are women in the world who can’t vote. Women are brutally murdered for minor crimes like stealing a loaf of bread. Female foetuses are aborted in China as they’re considered ‘less than a man”. “Women do two-thirds of the world’s work, receive 10 percent of the world’s income and own 1 percent of the means of production.” (Source: Richard H. Robbins, Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism, (Allyn and Bacon, 1999), p. 354)
- Women are cruel to other women. The idea of competing over a man has not been shaken off. I recently spent one lazy Saturday on the couch watching telly with a girlie friend. We watched all the typical, trashy shows (America’s Next Top Model, What Not to Wear, some nonsense about 50 million types of diets) and I saw the venom with which women hate other women. I’m so glad we didn’t have Sky in my house; I’m sure I would have ended up with all sorts of body complexes. Women’s bodies are seen as objects rather than functional machines.
I’m an avowed feminist. Girls quite happily accept that men and women are different (yes, I agree.) and that their destiny is to live in a world where what’s ON their heads is more important than what’s IN their heads. Where they will earn less than men throughout their lives, leaving them in a sticky spot when it comes to pension time. When they are expected to be the happy, stay at home lady for no pay, and where they think that it’s OK for women to be trafficked and sold as commodities. Our cultural demands women to split themselves in seven pieces and still have time to shave their legs. It means that I’ll have to work harder and for longer than men to achieve my goals.
The feminist movement isn’t dead. It’s on life support. It’s time young women woke up and started to demand more. It’s not about polemic or men-hating or bra-burning. It’s about your life, everyday.
And, that’s why I’m a feminist. Young women, I don’t get it. Why aren’t you a feminist?

