Feminism

As it's International Women's Day today, I thought I'd do a post about why I identify as a feminist.

My mother is an inspirational woman. For over fifteen years now, she's been working for a Bristol charity that helps women who are in trouble, particularly those suffering from domestic violence. She's always taught me that women can do anything, and it's thanks to her that I've grown up with strong feminist beliefs (she actually reminded me about International Women's Day when we went to lunch last week). She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, and had to go through some pretty horrible treatments, but she's made a full recovery. I am inspired by her strength.

A lot of people, women included, don't like the word 'feminism'. This is for a number of reasons - the stereotypical angry feminist who eats testicles for breakfast, the mistaken belief that feminism is no longer relevant to our society, or just plain old fashioned sexism. Today, I'm giving the middle finger to those who would look down on me for calling myself a feminist. We don't hate men, and although some of us might be angry, can you blame us, with the way women's rights are slowly being chipped away? Some might say that feminism is more relevant now than ever.

As a woman, I know I'll be judged for a lot of things that a man in the same situation wouldn't be judged for. For example, I choose to be childfree. Motherhood doesn't appeal to me, and I don't think I'd be good at it. As a woman, I will always have to justify that choice. People will judge me, and brand me selfish for not wanting to reproduce. When was the last time you heard anyone criticise a man for not wanting to be a father? And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

For the last few weeks, I've been watching the US from afar, with a knot of fear in my stomach. All sorts of bills are being put forward that show how some American men (Republicans especially) see women as nothing more than incubators. One of the more worrying bills would have given the doctors the right to refuse treatment to a dying woman, if the treatment would harm her unborn foetus. Fortunately that bill was scrapped, but it still chills me to the core, knowing that some people think it's better for a woman and a foetus to die rather than just a foetus. How would they feel if it was their wife, or their daughter? Would they still stand idly by?

And that's why we still need feminism today. The fact that there are people in a supposedly civilised society like the US who view women's lives as disposable should set off alarm bells in the heads of every woman everywhere. We are not just incubators. We are not just mothers. We should have the freedom to be anything we choose to be, without people standing in our way. We deserve equal pay for equal work. We deserve bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom. In short, we deserve more.

Women have been through a lot of shit over the centuries, but there have always been women willing to fight for their rights as autonomous human beings, and there always will be. So today, Shrove Tuesday and International Women's Day, raise a pancake to the inspirational women in your life.