'Feminism Today: Women's Safety in a Male-Dominated Society and How Men Can Help' by Bradley University blogger Ashley

More young women today are calling themselves feminists than in the past, and the definition of a feminist has changed as well. What has brought about this resurgence in feminism? What influenced these young women (and men) to join the movement now? Some would attribute this to the creation of the website Jezebel.com by writer Anna Holmes (read Glamour article here http://www.glamour.com/inspired/2013/09/the-new-do-calling-yourself-a-feminist). Some would give credit to more female celebrities talking about feminism and the need for it, but others might call this a sort of “bandwagon” effect. No matter who or what influenced people, we have more feminists today than before, which is truly awesome. There lies an issue before us, though- can women feel safe in a patriarchal society? And how can men help create more equality in society themselves?

Patriarchy rules our society to the point that some women even support it fully- women being the primary caretakers of children, staying at home to cook and clean, not holding positions of power, not deserving of equal pay or treatment, being weak and submissive, and other mostly demeaning characteristics applied to us. For those of us tired of being demeaned and pretty much forced into submission, we speak up and fight back. Fighting back can be dangerous in the society we live in- how dare we challenge authority? Clearly we deserve the hits that are thrown at us as a result of challenging a man, right? Wrong, wrong, wrong. There will always be men and women trying to “put us in our place”, but we have to be strong enough to say “no”. If every woman just sat silently while she was reduced to a role that fit the patriarchal society, then there would be no feminism, there would be no need to challenge authority because rules would be accepted blindly. Now, is there anything wrong with fitting into the typical female roles of the patriarchal society? No, but only if the woman consciously makes this decision on her own and actually desires to serve that role. For example, when a woman says that she stays at home with the kids because that’s what she should or is supposed to do, then I’d be curious as to why it is a should and not a desire.

So at this point in time, can women feel truly safe in a patriarchal society? No, not yet. Hopefully with the help of men, women can feel safer and more equal. So how can men help? Opening up more opportunities to women that have mostly been held by men, realize when they are making comments that are sexist or demeaning, and defending women in situations where they may not even be present (e.g., calling out a friend who calls women offensive things). Those are just a few suggestions on how a male can make a difference. It’s not about simply being a “feminist” while women are around. It’s about standing up for not only women’s rights but human rights 24/7. Educate yourselves and stand up for human rights!