In recent years, the popularity of feminism has been on the rise. While most people know that feminism is about fighting for female rights, not many people understand how this would affect their personal lives, especially males. Some even think that feminism would undermine the rights of males in society, leading to voices of opposition against the movement. However, with a clearer understanding of what changes feminism might bring about, the latter may begin to accept, or even support it.
The first thing to stress is that feminism is not only about more rights for women – it is about equal rights between men and women. This misconception has caused many people, particularly males, to worry about their own future, leading to distaste for feminism. Feminism most certainly will not undermine or take away males' rights, no matter at work or at home. For example, feminism does not mean that all companies must hire more women and fire other male workers in order to forcibly create ‘equality’. It just means that both sexes have an equal chance of being hired, removing gender as a judging criteria for a job and leaving everything up to the ability of the applicants. Therefore, there is no need for males to worry about their careers in a feminist society. Females will not completely replace their positions at work.
Feminism will bring about changes at home as well. One common stereotype people have is that in a marriage, women are usually in charge of household chores, while men are the ones who should earn money for the family. Feminism aims to disprove such claims, instead advocating for the elimination of these stereotypes. Males can stay at home to take care of their family and females can bear the responsibility of supporting the family financially. Even though househusbands are becoming increasingly common in modern society and women often earn money for the family, some discrimination still exists against such families. This is caused by the deep-rooted views on gender roles passed down through history. With the help of feminism, such old-fashioned ideas can finally be left behind, allowing couples to build their own ideal families.
This also leads to the third point: feminism aims to remove negative social expectations for both men and women. Many people, male and female alike, have been discriminated against or disapproved of for not acting ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’. According to traditional gender roles, men must be tough, strong, and not allowed to show weakness, while women must be gentle, well-mannered and dressed in beautiful dresses and skirts. These ideas, despite coming from an age where patriarchal and unjust systems were the norm, have sadly taken root within many people’s minds. Feminism aims to subvert these unfair expectations provided by society, allowing both men and women to act however they choose. One such example is the treatment of male rape and sexual assaults. Although comparatively rare among sexual assaults, male rapes are just as traumatizing for the victim as other rape incidents. Despite this, many judges still favor females in cases of sexual assaults, as they stereotype males as being aggressive and hence more likely to be the aggressor, while females are weaker and are therefore more likely to be the victim, causing wrongful convictions and allowing true culprits to go unpunished. Many people also view males who were sexually assaulted to be weak and discriminate against them, causing even more trauma for the victim. Under a feminist society, no one will have to try and force themselves to become what society says they are supposed to be, but have the freedom to choose their own paths.
In summary, feminism does not diminish the rights or positions of males in society. Instead, it can eliminate negative expectations caused by gender roles for males and reduce the discrimination against males who do not conform to traditional masculine expectations. Feminism, despite what its name suggests, is extremely relevant for males as well and seeks the betterment of society under the equality of both genders. Perhaps, after understanding the true nature of the movement, males and females alike will stop believing that feminism does not concern them, and instead accept and support the feminist cause.
Writer: Joshua Lee
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