Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Seattle Shakur
Professor Laursen
Global Citizenship
9 December 2016
Recently, feminism has been portrayed in the media as a bunch of women saying how
much they hate men and wish that men did not exist. When men see these portrayals, they want
nothing to do with the feminist movement, thinking that all feminists believe this way. In all
actuality, only the minority feminist opinions and ideas are being shown in the media. A large
percent of feminists want equality for all genders, not for women to be greater than everyone. So,
by men taking a part in the feminist movement, they will receive help from the advances made in
gender equality.
Men are not equal to women in several ways that many do not even realize. A father's role
in their child's life is not seen as valuable in society (Watson). People always talk about how
important motherhood is and how moms make a big impression on their children. Fathers,
however, do not get much credit. Usually, when fatherhood is discussed, it is about how men are
not in their children's lives and how awesome single mothers are. Through the media never
seems to talk about how amazing single dads are at parenthood. Feminism will help fix this
problem, saying that both parents are a huge part of a child's success, not just the mother.
Another problem dealing with men and women's equality, is how men feel they cannot
express their emotions like women can (Watson). When a man expresses his emotions, people
emasculate him, making him feel like less of a man. This negatively affects the male population,
because it causes suicide rates to rise (Watson). Men feel like they cannot tell people what is
Shakur 2
going on inside their heads without being made fun of or looked down upon. They bottle their
feelings inside until they feel like the only way to escape these thoughts is to kill themselves.
Feminism will help lift this idea that men have to be strong at all times and can never express
emotions. It will be okay for men to show emotion and suicide rates among the male population
Another upside for a male feminist is that, feminism helps overturn laws that discriminate
against men and benefit women. Before 1976, in Oklahoma, there was a law that prohibited men
from drinking before the age of 21, but allowed women to start drinking at age 18. This law was
made because men were thought to be more reckless and irresponsible than women (Plank). This
was a way to discriminate against men just because they were male. Women could be just as
irresponsible as the stereotypical male, but because of their gender, they were allowed to drink at
an earlier age. The feminist movement made it so, in 1976, this law was overturned. Women and
men now had the same age that they were legally allowed to start drinking alcohol at.
Like the situation above, the average man pays more for car insurance than the average
woman. According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, women are less
likely than men to get into a car accident. So, in a car insurance provider's eyes, it is okay to raise
men's rates because they feel they are going to get in more car accidents and cost them more
money. Just because of the statistics, it is still not okay to raise a man's insurance cost because he
is a man. That is gender discrimination. Unlike the drinking law in Oklahoma, this discrimination
from insurance companies still has not been dealt with. Making genders equal in society will
help make it so men and women pay the same amount of money, no matter what they are buying.
Ultimately, feminism will help women and men in society. Men should join the feminist
movement so they can have equal rights to women and have a weight lifted off their shoulders.
Shakur 3
When a woman is discriminated against, it is made a big deal in the media, but discrimination
against men is okay. People never discuss how men are discriminated against, and it is important
to add this into the discussion when one talks about feminism. Gender equality is for everyone,
Works Cited
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. "We should all be feminists." Tedx. 29 April 2013.
Plank, Elizabeth. "23 ways feminism has made the world a better place for men."
Watson, Emma. "Gender equality is your issue too." UN Women. 20 September 2014.
Young, Cathy. "Feminists treat men badly. It's bad for feminism." The Washington Post. 30 June