Hating inequality is NOT hating men
The Oxford Language Dictionary definition of feminism is ‘the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes’. So why when a sample of 10 males aged 14-19 were asked if they would call themselves feminists, only 10% said yes, whilst 100% said that they believe in equal rights for men and women?
When asked why they would not address themselves as feminists, the general consensus appeared to be that although they believe in women having equal rights and pay to men, they either said that they disagree with ‘feminists’ that say they hate men or mentioned something about the phrase ‘kill all men’, an expression widely spread on social media.
Traditionally, feminism is divided into three main types; liberal/mainstream feminism, radical feminism and socialist or Marxist feminism. Liberal or mainstream feminism is the most widely known type of feminism and centres on equality in the public sphere which is achieved through legal changes. It works to enable equal access for women in the workplace, education and health provision. Radical feminism is a type of feminism that aims to challenge and dismantle the existence of a patriarchal system that causes structural inequalities across societies. Socialist or Marxist feminism is the argument that working-class women are exploited by capitalism as well as the patriarchy; social class is seen as being of equal importance to gender.
In not a single one of these definitions was there a mention of female superiority, hatred of men or belief that feminists should ‘kill all men’. These ideologies all source from social media; which provide strong opinions and beliefs often lacking any form of research or evidence. Instead, all of these examples would belong to a concept called misandry. The Oxford Language Dictionary definition of a misandrist is ‘a person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against men.’ Misandry and feminism are two widely different principles; one is led by hate - just as misogyny is led by hatred of women; the other stands for equality between genders.
Misandric beliefs disguised as feminism are widespread on social media platforms, causing many young men to oppose so-called feminist ideals. The Wikipedia definition page of misandry states: ‘Many scholars … argue that modern activism around misandry represents an antifeminist backlash.’, which is the dominant cause of young males -specifically teenagers- not only not referring to themselves as feminists but actively opposing feminism. This is extremely damaging to the feminist movement as it is a result of the spreading of misinformation and therefore tarnishes the name of feminism despite having little to no relation to it.
In conclusion, misleading information found on social media is the cardinal factor contributing to the ubiquitous antifeminism found amongst young males in today's society. The only way to dispel such ideologies is to ensure any political or social information read on social media or the internet is researched before further spreading misleading information. Don't pass anything on unless you've checked it. Do your own research on sensitive topics and avoid doing anything to spread misinformation or escalate misunderstanding.
When asked why they would not address themselves as feminists, the general consensus appeared to be that although they believe in women having equal rights and pay to men, they either said that they disagree with ‘feminists’ that say they hate men or mentioned something about the phrase ‘kill all men’, an expression widely spread on social media.
Traditionally, feminism is divided into three main types; liberal/mainstream feminism, radical feminism and socialist or Marxist feminism. Liberal or mainstream feminism is the most widely known type of feminism and centres on equality in the public sphere which is achieved through legal changes. It works to enable equal access for women in the workplace, education and health provision. Radical feminism is a type of feminism that aims to challenge and dismantle the existence of a patriarchal system that causes structural inequalities across societies. Socialist or Marxist feminism is the argument that working-class women are exploited by capitalism as well as the patriarchy; social class is seen as being of equal importance to gender.
In not a single one of these definitions was there a mention of female superiority, hatred of men or belief that feminists should ‘kill all men’. These ideologies all source from social media; which provide strong opinions and beliefs often lacking any form of research or evidence. Instead, all of these examples would belong to a concept called misandry. The Oxford Language Dictionary definition of a misandrist is ‘a person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against men.’ Misandry and feminism are two widely different principles; one is led by hate - just as misogyny is led by hatred of women; the other stands for equality between genders.
Misandric beliefs disguised as feminism are widespread on social media platforms, causing many young men to oppose so-called feminist ideals. The Wikipedia definition page of misandry states: ‘Many scholars … argue that modern activism around misandry represents an antifeminist backlash.’, which is the dominant cause of young males -specifically teenagers- not only not referring to themselves as feminists but actively opposing feminism. This is extremely damaging to the feminist movement as it is a result of the spreading of misinformation and therefore tarnishes the name of feminism despite having little to no relation to it.
In conclusion, misleading information found on social media is the cardinal factor contributing to the ubiquitous antifeminism found amongst young males in today's society. The only way to dispel such ideologies is to ensure any political or social information read on social media or the internet is researched before further spreading misleading information. Don't pass anything on unless you've checked it. Do your own research on sensitive topics and avoid doing anything to spread misinformation or escalate misunderstanding.