The concept of feminism is all about human goodness and is meant for the common good. However, most people, particularly in this part of the world, perceive feminism in the wrong way. Boasting of quite a positive character in all respects, feminism endeavours to grant equal rights to women in every walk of life and envisions an ideal world, where both men and women are able to enjoy equal rights and access career opportunities without any discrimination or socio-cultural barriers.
Feminism is all about respecting women by empowering them and welcoming a fully diverse society, characterized by equality, impartiality, fairness and just inclusion. As rightly described by the Kathy Caprino, an internationally recognised women's rights activist, feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes; it's the ideology of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes; it's the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities, and last but not least, feminism is the doctrine which advocates social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.
First and foremost, we all know that feminism is essentially about granting equal rights to both genders and is primarily aimed at helping women enjoy the equal status as men do in terms of their socio-economic independence and high quality of life. Despite this, most people regard feminism as an immoral pursuit, which has nothing to do with social betterment and women empowerment.
This is an entirely baseless perception that needs to be changed. Just like feminism, any activity associated with the feminist movement is also taken with a pinch of salt, which is again a wrong approach. For instance, Aurat March is always perceived the other way by most men and even women of our society.
In the first place, feminism is about gender equality and is always geared towards helping out those individuals, be it a man or woman, who find themselves trapped in a situation that limits their growth and blocks their progress. Thanks to the struggle being made by the feminism movements, women in Pakistan is now becoming independent day-by-day, which is an enviable feat by all standards.
Above all, feminism, over the period, has emerged as an all-encompassing movement that elevates gender equality and women empowerment, leads to poverty alleviation and high literacy, drives socio-economic growth as well as promotes a just, non-violent society marked by modernisation, social inclusion and stratification, significant urbanization and enhanced living conditions. An all-inclusive movement, feminism has been able to address a plethora of social, cultural, political, economic and development challenges in a single go, a unique distinction no other movement in the entire human history has ever achieved. Other than feminism, could you name any other social movement that has had such a comprehensive, overarching and an all-inclusive impact on human society? The answer is 'No'.
The fruits of feminism are plenty and it is necessary for all men and women to support the movement, since it is meant for the betterment of the whole of humanity, not just a fraction of it. This is opposite to the widely-held public perception which equates feminism with misandry or a battle among genders.
A feminist, by the same token, is not a man-hater, but truly a humanitarian, who respects human dignity, supports gender equality and envisions a win-win scenario for both men and women without any discrimination or preferential treatment meted out on the basis of one's caste, colour, religion and of course gender.
The history of feminism is filled with radicals, progressives, liberals and centrists and is also replete with splinter movements and reactionary counter-movements, says Constance Grady, a globally-known culture writer based in New York. However, as per Grady, it is part of what it means to be both an intellectual tradition and a social movement, and right now feminism is functioning as both with a gorgeous and monumental vitality. It is a matter of shame that women in this part of the world are still marginalised and are subject to all sorts of harassment and needless restrictions both in domestic settings and working environments.
It is high time that we discard all sorts of gender prejudices and stereotypes and collectively strive for an equitable society that is fair, transparent and intolerant of intolerance, celebrating diversity and inclusion in each and every aspect of human life.
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