RObert "I'd rather stand in support of the feminists seeking equal opportunity for all and putting aside lesser points of disagreement than join the voices that want them silenced."

Absolutely RObert, and luckily, most intelligent Aussie males think like you, but I doubt the likes of WollyB , Individual and the delightful Runner would agree with you...

Hasbeen, I think you would secretly be happier in those foreign countries where it really is a man's world!

I don't know of any women who are against "feminism."
What they are against (myself included) are the
extremism of some people (male and female) who are
against either gender. However, these
individuals tend to be a minority.

Feminism is not a dirty word. It's not an aggressive word,
despite the negativity that some seem to place on it.
Feminists don't come from a single group or are defined
in terms of age, colour, religion or socio-economic status.

Feminism doesn't have a one-size fits all approach to this
topic. Its complexity means that each individual has to find
the meaning and relevance of it - in their own lives.

To some men feminism was a political movement that
encouraged women "to leave children, practice witchraft,
destroy capitalism and become lesbians." However to many
women it simply meant to be free to define themselves
instead of having their identity defined for them.

That's probably why most women do believe that they owe a
great deal to feminism. If they believed that they owed
nothing to feminists - then they would have to be willing
to hand over their property to their husbands or fathers,
give up their jobs, stop voting, renounce contraception or
pain relief in childbirth, pull out of school and university,
and start mopping floors at home while begging male relatives
for a dowry.

Our society today is individualistic and highly
open to change and
experimentation. It's a society that many see
the need to address the
attitudes and the limitations of gender. A society that wants
these limitations to cease to exist for both groups - male
and female.

Then a person's individual human qualities rather than their
biological sex would be the primary measure of that
person's worth and achievement.

....God made Adam and Eve. Adam had his role, and Eve had her role. Feminists want Adam to be Eve, and Eve to be Adam.

Isn't that just so true Right is Right. My wife still appreciates me opening a door for her, and that's all that matters to me really.

Hasbeen,
Muslims genitally mutilate 100% of male children and something like 9% of females, there's nothing in the Koran about female circumcision but male circumcision is mandatory.
In the few countries in which women are cut it's a route to higher social status because they're tribal societies with both a matriarchy and a patriarchy in operation, an uncut woman can't become a clan matriarch and it's the matriarchy which ensures the smooth running of the tribe or the village.

Feminism is not a dirty word. It's not an aggressive word,
despite the negativity that some seem to place on it.
Foxy,
It's a hugely unnecessary word. Men or rather males don't even have a word like maleism.
You say you don't know any women who are against the term feminism, well, do you actually know any women ? You're in the public service & therefore your chances of meeting women would be extremely slim. Don't confuse women with females.

Dear rehctub,

Actually feminists do not want Adam to be Eve or
Eve to be Adam. What they wanted was to simply
be able to make their own choices in life.
To be able for example to get financial credit
or make contracts without a man's cosignature.
Some women did not want to be prisoners in
gilded cages, unfulfilled in their limited
domestic roles and yearning for something beyond,
something more.

Sexual equality does not mean gender similarity or a
"unisex" society. It does not mean that women want to
adapt the characteristics of men. True liberation
from the restrictions of gender means that all possible
choices are open and equally acceptable for both
sexes.

As for your wife enjoying your opening doors for her.
That's great. I enjoy my husband opening
doors for me as well. And I don't hesitate in opening
doors for other people. It's a fairly
common reaction - coming or going, if you reach the
door first. It's simply a courtesy.

Of course it could be argued that the "door ceremony"
in which men open doors for women, symbolically
reinforces the idea of female dependency and delicacy,
while asserting men's paternalism and control.
Although on the surface it seems no more than a courtesy, the
ceremony helps underscore existing patterns of inequality -
which is one reason why a woman who opened doors for
men would draw reactions of discomfort rather than
gratitude.

Just as interesting as the question of "why" men open doors
for women is the question of "which" doors they open
for women: certainly not the symbolic doors that lead to
positions of power, wealth, and influence.

These routine forms of social interaction between men
and women reflect and enhance the vast differences,
(some might say - limitations), that are
built into our gender roles. And these gender
characteristics expected of the sexes are learned in the
family environment very early in life, and are reinforced
in the schools, in peer groups, in the mass media, and
in many other spoecific agencies, ranging from sports
teams to worplaces.