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Sexism, racism, abuse, oppression, violence.

This is very important and i feel that it needs to be talked about more.

I recently did a course on Social Justice and Feminism on coursera which was taught by Bettina Aptheker a distinguished professor in the feminist studies department at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

There are many misconceptions when it comes to the word 'Feminism' Lots of people think that feminism is something that only benefits women and i am here to tell you that that is 100% false.

The merriam webster definition defines feminism as 'The theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes.' Feminism also means that women have equal say in matters of human affairs, meaning, purpose and activities of their own lives.

Feminism is very complicated. You cannot achieve feminism if within your community women of colour are still subjugated to racial oppression. Women empowerment cannot be achieved unless everyone, especially women of colour have been liberated from racial oppression.

In order to achieve gender equality women need to gain economic independence from men. Women must have complete control over their own body. All women must be free from all forms of domestic violence, this goes for men as well, but it is women who suffer the most from -

domestic violence. All people must have complete control over their own sexuality and be free from any form of discrimination. These are just some of the steps we need to take in order to achieve gender equality.

Now you might ask, 'How does feminism benefit men?' Quite a lot actually. The patriarchy, which is when men hold power over women in the society or community in which they live, is still very much prevalent in our society.

The patriarchy has existed for generations and just because women have more say than they used to 50 years ago does not mean that it does not still exist. The dismantling of the patriarchy is necessary and is beneficial to both women and men.

Firstly, men have a much higher suicide rate than women. Why? because of the patriarchy. It has created this illusion that men are not allowed to feel, express emotion, cry or seek any form of help. As a result, men tend to have higher rates of suicide -

due to the fact that they feel like they can't seek help without seeming weak or fragile. If we dismantle the patriarchy, toxic masculinity will cease to exist and men will be able to seek help without being seen as 'weak'

Secondly, when a man usually comes forward about sexual harrassment or domestic violence they have faced, they are usually shunned or frowned upon by society, especially men for not being 'man enough' to stand up to their abusers or-

they will hear remarks such as 'you should have just enjoyed it' So yes, feminism is for everyone. Do not be mislead.

Feminism does not mean that women want to have power over men. No. That's false and people who advocate that and call themselves 'feminists' have misunderstood the term. It is about equality between all genders.

From the moment we are born we are basically thrown into a society that has been built upon years of racial oppression and the oppression of women.

So all i'm asking is that you open your mind. Do not be ignorant. Do not close yourself off to the fact that this world needs some serious change. People need to learn to look at the world from different perspectives. Do not be close minded. There is no reason for you to be.

Feminism is intersectional, which means that we cannot achieve collective women empowerment if women of colour have not been liberated from all forms of racial oppression. Do not forget that. They basically go hand in hand.

I would always like to add that if your first instinct or thought is 'Wait so if we're all equal does that mean i can hit women' when someone talks about feminism you're really gross and you have a disgusting way of thinking.

If you have the privilege and access to educate yourself then you should. Open your eyes and see that sexism is found in all parts of society. If you are a man, you have no say in what a woman does with her own body. It's as simple as that.

A man does not get to tell a woman what she can or cannot feel. We are equal, but there also boundaries. Every single human being on this earth has the right to have complete control over their own body and no one has the right to dictate what you can do with your body.

I would like to add that feminism obviously benefits women more because we have been the victims and subjects of gender discrimination since humans came into existence and we still face gender oppression to this very day.

Intersectional feminism aims to address the very issues men raise as injustices against their sex, like favouritism in the family courts for women which comes from patriarcal standards about how women are always the nurturers.

Feminism aims to mend ALL systems of systemic discrimination between the sexes by dismantling patriarchy.

In conclusion, be open minded. Do not be ignorant. Remember that feminism is for everyone and remember that feminism is intersectional and that we cannot achieve gender equality if POC have not yet been liberated from all forms of racial oppression. Have a good day.