We Should All Be Feminists

By Halie Schuster

Authors and journalist Nicholas Kristof detail the history, present state, and even specific accounts of gender equality and oppression in Half the Sky. For example, they begin by telling the story of Meena Hasina. Meena is an Indian Muslim has been prostituted by a brothel controlled by the local sex trade for many years. She was kidnapped at the young age of nine and was kept at a rural house until she was old enough to attract clients. After being sent to the brothel, she experienced rape, violence, and drugging. Unfortunately, Meena’s story is not an uncommon one. Kristof makes the assertive claim that force prostitution, such as what Meena experienced, is essentially modern-day slavery. He writes that “it is not hyperbole to say that millions of women and girls are actually enslaved today” and that “the term that is usually used for this phenomenon is ‘sex trafficking’, a misnomer” (pg. 9). Although Kristof’s belief may initially controversial, his judgment on the matter is undeniably accurate. Women and girls have been historically bought and sold as property to be used for sex. And this phenomenon is very much alive and well today. Girls and women are continuing to be sold as property just as slaves were traded. And this is all happening against their will, putting them in danger, dangerously unsafe, and morally despicable, just as slavery was. Therefore, by its very definition, sex trafficking is indeed slavery just as Kristof suggests. 

Gender equality it something that society, well most of society, has been slowly progressing towards for the past several decades. However, despite some improvements in gender inequality and a growing rise in feminism, gender stereotyping and sexual violence are still incredibly common. Society, whether subconsciously or consciously, reinforces stereotypes and contribute to their exaggeration. Some gender stereotypes that often come to mind revolve around gender roles with a family unit, women in a workplace, women in media, and women in politics or positions of power. For example, many women experience discrimination in the workplace as men are paid more and promoted more often while women are penalized for having to attend to their families. Overwhelmingly, many cultures’ attitudes regarding women is that they are subordinate to men. And this fact is, comprehensibly, a leading factor as to why violence and essentially “gendercide” is as prevalent as it is today.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie defines a feminist as “a man or a woman who says, ‘yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today, and we must fix it – we must do better” in her Ted Talk We Should All Be Feminists (28:56). Throughout her Ted Talk, she talks about the word feminist and its many connotations. Despite its literal definition being that a feminist supports gender equality, the word has become associated with many negative stereotypes that typically revolve around gender prejudices. For example, Adichie explains that she was once warned that I should never call herself a feminist “because feminists are women who are unhappy because they cannot find husbands” (1:29). The weight of gender expectations is so heavy on society that it influences the way that men and women think of themselves, each other, and their relationships. This is portrayed in romantic relationships, professional relationships, platonic relationships, etc. The only way to truly combat gender inequality is to adjust our collective perspectives of gender roles and expectations. Eliminating gender stereotypes and actively fighting violence against women is a difficult task. But a good place to start, as Adichie points out, is for all genders come together and agree to be feminists.