Thu, 28 Mar, 2024

Feminism is Humanism

By Ashlesha Joshi

"What is feminism?" You must be wondering, if you don't know it already. The Oxford Dictionary defines feminism as "The advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men." Many people think feminism is something about putting women above men, but it's not. Feminism is actually the collection of movements aimed at defining equality between both the genders; feminism is all about being equal. I like to think that feminism is turning into a topic of household discussions now. Celebrities are increasingly claiming the feminist label and feminism itself seems to be appearing in the news now more so than ever. This is all very well and good, but it certainly doesn’t change the fact that there are still people who want nothing to do with feminism. Becoming a feminist or even supporting the female race in the battle for their rights doesn't make anyone less of a man or less of a human being. Not only women, the support of men in this movement would also be highly appreciated and is essential. We, the citizens of Nepal are quite aware of the conditions of the female gender here, not only women, even small girls and teens are facing major problems in their day-to-day lives. The way females are being treated, leave alone Nepal, even in big countries like the US, not to forget, India, is totally unacceptable. From women trafficking to rape, isn't it time for it all to stop already? Aren't there enough women who have lost their lives in all these, and whose lives, reputation, career and everything have been spoiled? Haven't the female race suffered enough? Feminists haven't been asking more than what we can give, you know. All we need to do is devote just a bit more of our time to this matter, just be a little bit more aware of the problems faced by women all over the world today. Can you not give a little bit of your time to thinking about the women facing struggles, the girls who are being aborted and killed, and the women who are being brutally beaten up daily? It wouldn't hurt to stand up and protest against this, right? Don't feel ashamed to support females and to be a part of this cause because, feminism is humanism. ( Author Biography: Ashlesha Joshi is a student studying in the eight grade in Delhi Public School, Biratnagar. Contact her at [email protected]. )