Feminism: Celebrating the true qualities women bring
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Feminism: Celebrating the true qualities women bring
International Women’s Day this year looked at parity. This was a great opportunity to look at the current state of our attitude and relationship with gender, and the way we view men and women together and separately.
I have been a part-time rather unsure feminist over the years, knowing that elements of what was being presented were valid but that the whole premise and drive behind it was way off the mark. By this I mean that it often feels like the feminist movement is based on division of the genders rather than working towards a respectful and cohesive collaboration, which is something I know is not only possible, but essential for all of our wellbeing.
Have we misinterpreted equality as the need to ‘out-male’ men, and has this been to our huge detriment?
I would answer ‘Yes’ to the above questions and consider that the effect is twofold:
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A complete disregard and dismissal of the extraordinary gifts and power of being women – nurturing, holding steady, and rooting care and love into life – qualities that are an integral ingredient for a well society and that complement and support men.
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The alienation of men as they see their gender qualities being misinterpreted by the advancing front of male women, leading them to stray further and further away from their natural expression.
What is equality? It is the affording of equal respect of, and care for, the qualities men and women have, and the balance they bring to each other.
But what is it that we women have been collectively striving for up until now? And what have we relinquished as women in our ‘battle’ to stand on a perceived equal footing with men?
Have we been irresponsible in not honouring our innate qualities, the strength of these, and the fact that they make up an essential part of a balanced big picture?
At a debate in London recently, entitled ‘What next for feminism?’, only one of the speakers touched on the acceptance and appreciation of the qualities women bring: that they restore balance in life, most particularly in this case, noting that in parts of the world where women are honoured alongside men there is much less conflict and unrest.
Could this be telling us that women’s qualities honoured bring balance and, dare I say it, harmony?
And would this be a point of inspiration and responsibility for us to explore, appreciate, and reclaim our inner qualities and lay down the weaponry that has infected most of the feminist movement?
Filed under
Feminism, Gender equality, Gender
