One of the most frustrating conversations I have had is one where I tried to explain to a non-feminist man why I am a feminist. I would tell them a personal story of my experiences with sexism, which they disregarded and instead interjected with something along the lines of, “but women aren’t required to join the draft!,” asserting that this now outdated fact negates the feminist movement of any validity.
This is not to say that the feminist movement has been perfect. Both early and current feminists have ignored the importance of intersectionality within the movement, and non-white, non-cisgender individuals have been excluded for as long as the movement has existed. We can all do better. But for a lot of us, that growth can start with simply enrolling in a feminism class.
A common factor I have noticed among the people I have had those frustrating conversations with: none of them have had to sit down and learn what it really means to be a feminist. They have all come to their own assumptions about feminism’s definition, which tends to be some variation of man-hating female supremacy. This could not be further from the truth. By definition, feminism is the fight for equality between every individual and the eradication of gender-based discrimination.
College is the last chance a lot of us have to learn in a classroom setting, and a liberal arts school like DU is the perfect place to take a feminism class. As a journalism major, I am required to take math and science classes. Why not add a feminism class into that mix? Undergraduate classes are the last chance for us to learn about a wide range of subjects, making it the best and last chance to take classes on feminism.
Every person should not only know Alice Paul’s name, but they should know about the crucial role she played in securing women the right to vote. We should all not only know of Ida B. Wells, but we should be familiar with her activism that began the conversation around intersectionality. They should know about the lengths women went to—sometimes even putting their lives on the line during demonstrations like hunger strikes—to prove that women should not be exempt from arguably the most fundamental right of our democracy.
On paper, one could argue that gender inequality does not exist; today’s feminism mainly centers on the social and cultural inequalities we experience daily. An aspect I think a lot of non-female presenting individuals overlook is the fact that we cannot safely walk alone at night, especially off-campus. I want them to take a feminism class so they know why I have to carry pepper spray on my lanyard. I want them to take a feminism class so they understand why I look over my shoulder every other step when I walk home at night.
No history class I have ever taken has gone into any depth when teaching about the origins of the feminist movement and those who spearheaded the fight for equality in the United States. We always learn the basics: suffragettes like Elizabeth Cady Stanton campaigned in support of women’s suffrage, and in 1920, the 19th amendment finally gave women that right. We are taught that feminism started and ended with women’s suffrage. But today it means so much more than that.
Modern feminism is responsible for sparking conversations about sexual assault. It is responsible for the #MeToo movement, which encourages survivors of sexual assault to come forward with their stories, and the destigmatization of being a sexual assault survivor. Modern feminism is much more than a historical movement that secured women the right to vote. We are so far from the end of our fight, and without each and every person learning what feminism really means and incorporating it into their daily lives, the fight will never end.
