I am waiting for that day when I will not call myself a Feminist

Feminism is not a very celebrated term. I often hear people saying, ‘why feminism and not gender equality.’ Here is my response to all of them: Feminism because women are suppressed. Feminism because we live in a male dominated world. Feminism because patriarchy propagates that women are inferior to men. Feminism because women care for gender equality. 

Let’s understand the word “feminism” first. The word “feminism” is not derived, as sometimes we think, from the word “feminine.” In fact “feminine” in many ways would be quite the opposite of feminist. “Feminism” word comes from the French word femme, meaning “woman.” So what is Feminism? Very simply speaking, I could say feminism is looking at the world through women’s eyes. And, if you look at the world through women’s eyes, you are looking at the world through the eyes of the most exploited, the most excluded, and the most oppressed, because amongst the poor, women are the poorest, amongst the Dalits, they are the most Dalit, amongst the Blacks, women are more excluded than the Black men. When we see the world through the women’s eyes, only then we get a perspective of the totally marginalized, the excluded, and the oppressed. 

Let me share with you a very common experience. Somebody is giving a big speech: “In our country, we have suffered for centuries, women have been discriminated against in all our societies…,” this person is speaking passionately, emotionally, about discrimination against women and then she suddenly says, “But… I am not a feminist!” Feminist are stereotyped by men and women as men haters, lesbian, against motherhood, marriages. It is unfortunate how Hindi Cinema project feminist as ‘family destroying’, ‘alcoholics’, ‘man haters.’ The core idea of feminism to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression gets digressed by the patriarchal media. Feminism is not only about women rights. Feminism is not only about men rights. Feminism is about human rights. Feminism is not anti-men. Feminism is against patriarchy. Feminism is not anti-marriage. Feminism is against unequal marriages. Feminism is not against motherhood. Feminism is against not giving a choice to the women about motherhood. Feminism does not want to replace patriarchy with matriarchy. Feminism wants to replace patriarchy with gender equality.

Imagine two glasses of water- one full glass and the other half glass. If water represents access to resources and opportunities.  The full glass of water represents men, and half glass represents women. I am waiting for the day when both the glasses are equally full. I am waiting for a world where people are not violated suppressed because of their gender. I am waiting for the day when the world will be generous to diversity. I am waiting for the day when we don’t need feminism. I am waiting for the day when I will not call myself a feminist।