Why Gender Equalism Isn’t Enough: The Case for Feminism

There's often confusion about the meaning of feminism. Many argue that if feminism is truly about gender equality, why isn't it simply called gender equalism? Does this mean feminism is just a way for women to gain superiority in a patriarchal society where they have long been suppressed by men? Feminism is often misinterpreted as being anti-men or about women seeking dominance, but that's not the case.

Understanding the Difference 

Gender equalism, in a broader sense, acknowledges that all genders face challenges and discrimination. However, the reality is that women have historically faced greater systemic oppression. Feminism aims to address and correct these historical and ongoing injustices. It challenges the dominance of patriarchy, where men have traditionally held more social, political, and economic power. Calling it feminism rather than simply gender equalism keeps the focus on these specific challenges.

Virginia Woolf famously argued in 'A Room of One's Own' that a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction. Woolf highlighted how women were historically denied financial and creative independence. A gender-neutral term like gender equality might overlook this history. Renaming feminism as gender equalism could dilute the political and historical significance of the movement, making it easier to forget why feminism was necessary in the first place.

Beyond Women 

However, feminism must also address the struggles of women beyond intellectual and financial independence. Across rural landscapes, far from the progress of modern feminism, countless women remain trapped in cycles of labour and neglect, their voices unheard. In India’s remote villages, women form the backbone of agricultural labour, yet their contributions are rarely acknowledged. They toil in fields, fetch water, prepare meals over wood-burning stoves, and bear the weight of survival on their shoulders.

I recall a memory from my childhood that was very fascinating to me. I was travelling with my parents to a remote village to celebrate my 11th birthday. I still get goosebumps remembering that trip. I was extremely excited to visit a village that I'd only grown up reading about in Bengali novels.

There were countless fields and small huts where families of five to six members lived without spacious rooms, electricity, or access to proper food and clothing. What fascinated me most was the sight of women working tirelessly in the fields. Not just there, everywhere I looked, women were carrying water from wells, handling household chores, preparing meals on wood-burning stoves, and pounding grains.

Left Behind by Progress 

When we think of farmers, we often picture men tending to their crops, yet women make up nearly 43% of the agricultural labour force in developing countries. Despite their significant role, they own less than 20% of the land. In the Sundarbans, women risk their lives collecting honey, crabs, and fish from tiger-infested mangrove forests, their struggles largely unseen by the rest of the world. Schools teach us about men toiling in the fields, but where are the stories of the women who labour alongside them?

Although laws and policies exist to empower rural women, many villages still fail to provide basic rights like education and healthcare. Millions of young girls grow up without access to proper hygiene and menstruation education, making them vulnerable to serious health issues. A study revealed that nearly a quarter of girls in rural areas are forced to abandon their education due to the lack of adequate menstrual hygiene facilities. Without access to education, these women are left in the shadows, their dreams stifled by the weight of an indifferent society.

A call to action 

We celebrate women like Mithali Raj, P.V. Sindhu, and Kalpana Chawla for their achievements in sports, science, and space exploration. Yet, what about the countless women in rural villages who dream just as big but are never given the chance to realise their potential? How many Kalpana Chawlas or Mithali Rajs grow up unnoticed, their ambitions lost in a world that refuses to acknowledge them?

Can we truly call ourselves progressive if millions of women are still living in the shadow of civilization? Can we claim to be a just society when half of our population remains neglected? Feminism is not just a movement for those who have the privilege to discuss its nuances, it is a necessity for those who are still fighting for the most basic rights. We must become the voices of the voiceless, acknowledge their struggles, and ensure that no woman is left behind. Only then can we call ourselves truly civilized.

Views expressed by the author are their own.