I've watched quite a few people being interviewed
on television recently on the topic of feminism
and what it means to them and I was quite
surprised that there were so many people - especially
women who distanced themselves from being labelled
feminists. That is something I find difficult to
understand. After all, I had always assumed that
feminism was not about gender but about equality for
all. Having just recently celebrated International
Woman's Day - I thought it might be interesting to
bring this issue up as a discussion on this forum
and find out your feelings on the topic.

What are your thoughts and why?

Here's a link that may be of interest:

http://www.mamamia.com.au/salma-hayek-feminism/

"After all, I had always assumed that
feminism was not about gender but about equality for
all."

Even you cannot be that naive, Foxy. Feminism is not about gender! Equality for all! This must be part of your goody two shoes act. Of course it"s about gender. As for equality, you faux feminists want superiority over men.

When it comes down to poor, downtrodden Muslim women, you say nothing, but bad-mouth Western culture males as if that is a defence for Muslims, when you know damn well there is no Western, institutionalised discrimination or cruelty against Western women, as there is with Islam.

Perhaps you haven't had any luck with men, Foxy. I could understand your bitterness if that were true; you posts reveal indicate a certain dificulty with life.

The short answer to your question is that women like you - make believe feminists - only use the rights of women as political weapon to vent your spleens. You never speak up about genuine discrimination against women, which has been introduced to Australia by multiculturalism. That would be too politically incorrect for you. Women like you are hypocrites. You are the targets, not genuine feminists.

Foxy,

The problem with many movements is that they start out to address legitimate concerns, then once these are achieved then every person and her dog with a far out political agenda then tries to push it under the same banner, until the original cause is completely discredited.

when Alan Jones claims to be a feminist you can see how confused the world is. When reports are put out to prove a narrative (women are always the victim and don't get paid as much as men) one then treats labels with contempt. If Penny Wong, Julie Bishop, Julie Gillard are feminist I want nothing of it. Usually women who have used every tax payer funded benefit to climb to the top and then claim disadvantage. They have proven every bit as slimy, deceitful and reprehensible as any of their male counterparts while crying victim. The true heroes of feminism in my eyes are the mums who sacrificed in order to nuture and care for kids and supported husbands. These are usually the most content and despised by what many label 'feminist'. The recent slandering of Credlin shows how much the 'sisterhood' will lie, despise and stab anyone not on their side. The silence of abise of women in Indigeneous and muslim communities speaks a thousand words about wealthy 'feminist'who need to keep the victim status rolling.

Dear Shadow Minister,

I can only speak from my own experience as far
as feminism is concerned and that is a somewhat
limited one and it concerns pay rates where
unfortunately there still exists a great deal
of difference for many professions - including
my own - that of librarianship - in having the
same qualifications and doing the same work
yet getting less pay.

BTW: did you read the link I gave in my opening
post? I thought that some of the reasons given for
why some people reject feminism were quite valid.
What did you think?

Let us consider suffrage as an initial example.
As our political system was dominated by the laws established in England it is important to consider the history of suffrage from an English point of view up until we started to make more decisions for ourselves.

In 1432 King Henry IV established voting rights for males who owned property worth at least forty shillings thereby disenfranchising all females and all but the very wealthiest of males (the 1% we would call them today).

Four hundred years later in 1832 voting rights were extended to adult males who rented property of a certain value. This meant that voting rights were granted to about 1 in 7 males and but not to females.

Ten years later in 1843 the first parliamentary elections took place in Australia. The vote was restricted to males who owned or rented property with a very high value reflecting the extension granted to males 10 years earlier in England.

From 1856 as Australian states became self-governing voting rights were extended to all male British subjects over the age of 21. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males were excluded.

In 1895 woman in South Australia were given the right to vote and to sit for parliament.

In 1902 all white males and females over the age of 21 had the right to vote and sit for federal parliament. Voting rights for all Australians would have to wait a while longer.

In a 424 year period there was no suffrage for any females and most males. In 46 years that had changed (for white people in Australia at a federal level and in most states).

Female suffrage was just one part of a very long struggle to win voting rights for all people.

Feminism must embrace facts and not myths. The facts unite people in common causes – the myths divide and cause suspicion.