Points Adichie makes on the meaning of the term ‘feminism’ and its relevance:

• She was first exposed to the word ‘feminist’ as an insult used against her
• The word ‘feminist’ is interpreted in many different ways
  • Some of the differences are personal interpretations and others are cultural differences
• Feminism is often perceived as a ‘hate for men’
• The biological difference in men and women are no longer significant as they were in our hunter gatherer days, and the argument that there are gender imbalances in many species in nature is irrelevant because then you are comparing human society to that of animals.
• ‘The higher up you go in society the fewer women you see’
  • Men are often in all the position of authority
• The more pressure a man feels to be a ‘hard man’ the smaller his ego gets, girls are taught from a young age not to damage a mans fragile ego.
  • Men are often threatened by a women that is more successful than him.
• Women are often expected to make comprises and sacrifices for their husbands
• Women are ‘born guilty’, from the a young age women are praised for ‘virginity’ and exposed to certain expectations they should conform too, such as
  • Stay in the domestic sphere
  • Do not talk about your sexual desire
• When children are growing up, skill and interest should be the indicators of success and potential not gender.
• Gender roles exaggerate the insignificant differences between men and women.

Does her definition of a feminist differ from yours? What are your views on the term?

Adichie defines a feminist as a ‘man or a woman who says, yes there is a problem with gender, we must fix it, we must do better.’

In general my understanding of the word feminist is very similar to Adichie’s. I believe that the term feminist is not only reserved from a women who ‘hates’ men, it applies to any one who acknowledges the discrepancies between the opportunities and treatment of men and women in society and are actively trying to reduce them. However, I do see where the mis interpretations of the word come from. Often only the most extreme acts of feminism are represented in the media, this creates a falsehood that feminists are always extremists as-well. What is under represented in the media is the subtle acts of feminism such as correcting a un consciously bias statement you may hear someone say. Furthermore, I do not think that there is much use in the word ‘feminist,’ if anything it may convey and message that is adverse to the idea of feminism. Ideally, according to Adichie’s and my definition of a feminism, everyone should be a feminist, if we are giving a specific name for people that believe in the equality of the two genders, we also suggest that it is not the responsibility of everyone in society to do so. The concept of feminism implies that there is a choice to either be a feminist or not, when in reality it should just be an expectation. For example, there is no popular word for someone who acknowledges and is actively against racism, instead it is just an expectation that we all play our part in making sure we work against racism. The same case should apply for sexism and gender stereotypes.