The essence of feminism

Feminism is not a dirty word. Yet somehow it has become more taboo than the worst four-letter expletive and has been relegated to bathroom stalls and documentary titles. Say the word aloud and watch people squirm. Many Penn students often explain, "Sure I support women's rights, but I'm not a feminist." Because who'd want to pal around with combat-boot-clad man-eaters sporting jungles of armpit hair? If you buy into this classic myth of the typical feminist, peek into a meeting of the Penn Feminists Club. You'll find that feminists at Penn represent such a diverse population, virtually the only thing we have in common is a feeling that gender makes a difference. It is shocking that many female Penn students, poised to sail into traditionally male professions, not only have no interest in feminism, but avoid it like the plague. Equally surprising is the number of men who don't identify themselves as feminists. According to the dictionary, feminism is "the principle that women should have political, economic, and social rights equal to those of men." Who disagrees with that? The problem is that the word "feminism" is loaded with enough negative sub-meanings to fill up an entire Webster's volume of its own. But abandoning the word means endangering all the hard-won progress. The standard critique of the feminist movement is that it went overboard. Whereas formerly women were lonely and unfulfilled at home, now they're as equally depraved, forced to sacrifice their "natural instincts" to be mothers in order to be career women. Those angry feminists of the '70s traded the confines of domesticity for the prison of the professional world. This viewpoint rests on a stereotype of modern woman as a prozac-happy, love-poor business executive gorging on late-night Ben and Jerry's. It ignores the possibility that the cause of frustration among working women is an unfriendly workplace and not simply stifled maternal instincts. Anyone who questions the need for continuing feminism need only look at the numbers. Half our country is female, yet only nine women sit in the Senate. Women's salaries are still only 72% of men's salaries, according to the National Committee on Pay Equity. A recent report by the Gender Equity Committee at Penn found that female professors totaled only 24 percent of the University's faculty in 1999. In science departments, the numbers are much lower and change occurs at a glacial pace. The American Chemical Society found that in 1973, 3 percent of tenured chemistry professors at the top 50 universities were female. Almost 30 years later, that figure is up to a whopping 6 percent. Pop culture has limited women's opportunities as well. America consistently presents one image of women: young, white and sexually appealing. In other words, Britney Spears. Women are defined by their bodies, not their character or accomplishments. Witness all the bosoms without brains that the networks parade across prime-time television. Fearful of being labeled with the tabooed word "feminist," opponents of the media's projected feminine ideal have no united front from which to mount an attack. But the word feminism is the legacy of a movement that proclaimed, "You are not alone," and in so doing, united women from all corners of society. In a system where women were largely singled out and put down, they made gains only by joining together for the common goal of equality. The gates of the good ol' boys network were pried open by feminists who slowly and painstakingly picked the lock. The problem with feminism is that it quickly became frayed. Gender inequities varied so greatly among women that the movement couldn't accommodate the needs of all feminists. Feminism has tried to be all-inclusive. Its diversity is its greatest strength as well as its weakness. But what kind of a country will women face if future leaders, like the men and women at Penn, deny that feminism, the fight for equality, is crucial? Working moms will continue to be overworked and underpaid. And Britney Spears will have her own show. We need to restore the word feminism. We need to start talking about it again. When the futures of our daughters and granddaughters are at stake, the last thing we should do is hold our tongue.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.