Every woman has her own unique experiences and perspectives concerning life. They can also present different views based on their race, position in the family, age, profession, sexual preference, and even religion. Most of the times, the people we least suspect to be interesting may present a lot of ideas that one can learn from and think about. Christine is such kind of a person. She is my aunt who is 25 years old and has a two-year-old daughter. I will be interviewing her because she has been a female activist and worked in the media industry for about five years now. I believe she understands feminism from a deeper perspective.
Interview.
What do you think is the meaning of feminism?
Christine: Feminism is not believing that one gender should have power over another.
My reaction: I was supportive of her answer since feminism means the belief in the economic, political, and social equality of both sexes. She also provided supporting statements and examples to explain her definition, which made it easier for me to take the main points.
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Are there any stereotypes about feminism or feminists, you have heard of?
Christine: Yes. A good example is my boss. Christine gave an example of her boss, who is a woman. She is a very strict woman who does not take any joke from anyone, even her family members. Most of the workers dislike her and perceive her to be a feminist because of her behavior towards people.
My response: There is a common notion in our society that women in leadership positions who are stringent and do not often socialize are feminists. As much as I agree with Christine’s example, the notion is a fallacy that should be discouraged. Being a woman leader with principals and high moral standards does not often depict feminism.
Have you ever thought that anyone can be a feminist?
Christine: Yes
My response: Christine believes that anyone could be a feminist. She argued that being a feminist meant to believe in equal rights for both men and women, and it was not about hating the men or women being better than men. So she though everyone at some point in their lives has been a feminist if they supported equal rights. I also agreed with her statements since feminists believe in equality, and it is not about eschewing femininity.
Have you ever been a feminist? Why or Why not?
Christine: Yes. For some time, I held this perception that being a feminist shows strength and independence. I think I must have been wrong.
My response: I am not a feminist but agreed with her points on equal rights and opportunities for all genders. She admitted being a feminist since she believed that feminism is about understanding and learning that equality affects everyone and that we were all in that together. She added that true equality leaves no one behind and that both boys and girls have should have equal opportunities available in life. Her other supporting argument was that feminism didn’t mean that one individual’s experiences were more important than that of another person or creation of a sliding scale of who was better off, but it is all about reaping equal benefits and rights.
Do you think that women and men are treated equally? If not, why not?
Christine: No, I think we are still underestimated in many ways including being underrepresented in the government, being a minority in executive positions and also they are still stereotypically portrayed to be responsible for all house chores and taking care of children at home.
My Response: From my research and statistics, I also believe that women are not treated as equal as their men counterparts at workplaces and other places. In the United States, for example, women make up about fifty-one percent of the country’s population, but only 20% are represented in Congress (Cowden & Varma, 2019). In addition, women need fourth more extra days to work in a year to make as much as men earn. This shows that inequality still exists even after several amendments of the constitution.
Are many people educated on feminism?
Christine: No, unless through their research and awareness from the media and other places.
My response: I agreed with her that the majority of people are not educated on feminism since feminism has been misunderstood and demonized over the years. The society is also too toxic to individuals advocating for feminism or those who challenge gender binary. The school curriculum has not incorporated feminism as part of studies, which could have helped a lot, especially to students who face harassments and violence. Many people learn about feminism through the internet, campaigns, and other media channels.
How would you rate the scale and prevalence of feminism within your circle of friends?
Christine: 4 out of 10 are prevalent.
My response: I slightly disagree with her response. Feminism is more prevalent in our society today. This can be attributed to the increase in the number of incidences of gender-based violence and ‘femicides’. Women are thereby prompted to be feminist with the thought that this will curtail violence and discrimination against women and girls. In my estimation, the prevalence of feminism is approximately 60%.
Did you find it useful to take part in the interview?
Christine: Yes, the interview has been good and informative; it is evident that feminism needs to be looked into in a broader perspective to enable people to understand what it means. I hope my answers will be useful in your research and for furthers analysis and thank you for creating your time to interview me.
My response: I found the interview with Christine to be very interesting and informative since she was able to provide all the answers in details. She also provided personal reflections on every question showing that she understood what was asked very well. Most of our beliefs were alike, and I think the information that she has provided is enough for further analysis. However, much research is a needed to look deeper into the concept of feminism and how people understand it.
Reference
Cowden, S., & Varma, R. (2019). Report from the Third International Marxist Feminist Conference. Feminist Dissent , (4), 283-286.
