Feminism
Feminism is generally defined as a social movement whose goal is economic and political gender equality. When we talk about the history of this movement, we put the emphasis on white women in Western countries of the 20th century. However, there are archives that prove that other kinds of feminism existed before. But still, such historical evidence don't go back that far either.
There are many (too many) instances of inequality that women have experienced and experience all over the world. Through the political status of women lower than that of men from ancient Greece, to femicides, genital mutations, witch hunts, sexual abuse, forced marriage, honor crimes, and multiple social vulnerabilities such as poverty and the precariousness of women's lives ... There have been too many ways of suffering as a woman for as far as 5000 BC.
Feminism is beautiful on paper, but still easy to criticize. “Feminism and white feminism, it doesn't consider black women, it doesn't consider poor women, it doesn't consider ....” That's right. But then, how did it persevere?
Personally, I would also like to believe that for so long there have been manifestations of feminism on a daily basis in the lives of women who have been able to stand up straight with pride and move forward in life. Women who forgave so that they could move on and dedicate their lives to serving others. Women who did not have so much political power, but who fulfilled their role of mother with so much love, that their children were able to have a positive impact on the world. Women who secretly did things they were legally prohibited from doing, but did them anyway out of ethical and collective conscience such as curing other women without help from men and their ways. Women who have written stories, poems, books with a wise and tender feather like their texture, to leave their mark too, their voices black on white. Women who have seduced nations, or charmed audiences for a moment, where everything seemed in its place.
I chose to reconnect with my femininity. To accept my moods, my tears, like in the song, 'no woman no cry'. To follow my intuition, even if it is not based on facts, which I can easily find. Not to judge any other woman in her choices, even if I don't agree with them. To talk openly with men (when they're ready enough, of course), without fear, without shame, about my womanly things. To follow my hormonal cycles and let the wilderness in me take over when no one is looking, like in the book 'the woman who dances with the wolves'.
And you, what is your feminism? How are you fighting for a fairer world?
In my opinion, the goal of feminism is to include as many people as possible. This is why the concept of intersectional feminism is of particular interest to me. It was added to feminist theory by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1980. Crenshaw was born in 1959, studied law and wrote numerous books. She is interested in racism, race in general, which has inspired the concept of intersectionality in feminism. Indeed, Crenshaw soon realized that the subject of race was not discussed in feminism alongside sex. However, racism plays an important role in discussions about feminism. A black woman, for example, will have a totally different experience than a white woman. This is why the concept of intersectionality is so important. It helps to add more facets to feminism and to discuss the experiences of different women.
An interesting example would be the fight for abortion. While this struggle is spoken of as the right to abort, it erases a very dark part of history. This struggle overlooks the suffering of non-white and Indigenous women who were sterilized and forced to use contraception. The reason they were subjected to this was eugenics, ''a theory seeking to operate a selection on human communities based on the laws of genetics'' (Larousse, 2021). Those who prevented these women from having children felt that they were too dangerous and unworthy of being mothers. They were not to have non-white children at any cost. These Indigenous women, not seeing themselves represented in majority feminism, decided to fight for reproductive justice themselves, in order to have the freedom to be mothers. This is just one of hundreds of examples of how majority feminism, without intersectionality, erases the experience of racialized women.
The goal of intersectional feminism is to ensure that as many women as possible are represented and that they feel understood and heard in a movement that aims to defend their rights. In my opinion, this is also what is most interesting. The goal is not to generalize the experience of all women, but to understand that each person has their own story and that their unique experience gives them a certain view of the world. For me, feminism is supposed to help in everyday life and give more freedom. It allows women to express themselves freely and in the way they want without necessarily forcing them to fit into a mold. Personally, the different molds that I sometimes had to force myself into have never made me feel more free or happy.
Feminism serves to give a voice to all women and to give value to what they say. I think this is particularly important, because I myself have several times felt that what I was saying did not matter. For example, I don't want to have children or get married, but I have often heard that over time I will change my mind. It's a bit annoying. This is how my feminism manifests itself, by educating myself, by informing others and by taking responsibility for my choices, even if they are against the tide.
References
https://bibliobs.nouvelobs.com/idees/20190109.OBS8245/kimberle-crenshaw-la-juriste-qui-a-invente-l-intersectionnalite.html
https://decadree.com/2021/03/04/lintersectionnalite-avec-kimberle-crenshaw/
https://www.feministsinthecity.com/blog/kimberle-crenshaw-intersectionnalite
https://www.cairn.info/revue-diogene-2009-1-page-70.htm et https://causonsfeminisme.com/2020/09/04/lintersectionnalite/
https://liguedesdroits.ca/lexique/intersectionnalite/