The feminist movement, like the civil rights movement, is one that almost everyone is afraid to criticize. If you attack feminism, you're obviously a sexist, misogynistic male who wishes that women would just stay home and cook, clean and raise children. The issues I have with feminism have nothing to do with the idea of equality between men and women; I just feel that women can and will succeed without the now largely irrelevant feminist movement "supporting" them.
The "wage gap" between men and women is a standard-bearer for feminists as an example of the insidiousness of men against women. For example, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women earn approximately 80 cents for every dollar that men make; obviously, a culture of sexism still exists that deprives women of equal pay. Case closed, right?
Well, if you actually delve into the numbers, it's not so clear-cut. First, despite years of feminists banging into our skulls the notion that fathers must help raise their children, millions of women either leave the workforce outright or take time off for their kids. You can argue that it's remnants of sexism, but in reality, despite decades of feminist protest, many women still feel that raising their children is more important than their job. The Center for Policy Alternatives learned that over 70 percent of women preferred jobs that were more flexible and offered better benefits, as opposed to having higher salaries. One must also consider that women are over twice as likely as men to have left the workforce to raise their children, and are twice more likely than men to be part-time workers, who inherently are more flexible with schedules but offer lower salaries.
I would give feminists a break if the worst thing they did was misunderstand some wage-earning statistics. When they blatantly abandon their principles for the sake of politics, however, they lose any legitimacy they might have had. A most telling example of this is Gloria Steinem, the feminist icon who gave us, among other things, Ms. Magazine.
If there is one thing that feminists say that I wholeheartedly agree with, it is that sexual harassment is unacceptable. Too bad Steinem disagrees with me. When writing an op-ed about then-President Clinton's sexual proclivities towards Kathleen Willey, Steinem wrote that although Clinton allegedly kissed and fondled Willey, because "she pushed him away . the President [was] not guilty of sexual harassment." Excuse me? Write that down, men; according to a leading feminist icon, it's OK to grope a girl, as long as you back off once she says "no," and you're not guilty of sexual harassment. Let's be honest-Steinem would have written quite a different editorial if, say, George W. Bush had been accused of groping a woman. The blatant hypocrisy of feminist principles for partisan protection is a clear example of why feminism is increasingly irrelevant.
Perhaps the thing that irritates me the most about feminists is that they pick the dumbest battles. I mean, does anyone really care if we use "he" as opposed to "he or she?" Apparently, for feminists, that was a pretty big deal. I guess not using both "he" and "she" in the same sentence was obviously a ploy by those sexist elementary school textbook publishers, but thank goodness the feminists came to right that awful injustice! Another example is feminists' insistence to have laws explicitly granting women equal rights with men. Funny thing, but I can't really find any laws that explicitly discriminate against women. Like racism, sexism is something that exists because of people. You could pass all the laws you want, but some people will still be sexist. It's not institutional.
Ultimately, the problem with feminists is that they live in the past. Thanks to feminists, women have achieved everything from the right to vote to equal opportunity in the workplace. Sadly, the feminist movement today has devolved into extremist rhetoric that still acts like every man is out to objectify and suppress women. Maybe if feminists put down their "keep your rosary off my ovaries" signs and actually engaged in some intelligent discourse for a change, they could stop being regarded as a fringe element of political society and start doing something that actually helps women for a change.
Caleb Enerson is a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs and a conservative columnist for The Eagle.
