Women's Day: Will the empowered feminist please rise up

New Delhi: Feminism has long been one of the strongest voices against gender discrimination. It has challenged old structures, shaped public debate and pushed societies to confront inequality. But the question that now needs to be asked is whether the movement is at its best when it is confined to a label, or whether it becomes more effective when it is seen as part of a wider and collective struggle for equality.

In my experience as an activist, I have come across strong views on feminism and gender equality from both men and women. Some support the movement firmly. Others oppose it just as strongly. That is precisely why it is necessary to revisit the idea with clarity and honesty.

My view is simple. Any movement that speaks for equality should move forward collectively. Men should support women, and women should support men. The goal should be justice and dignity for all, not a framework in which one side is seen as permanently weak and the other as permanently guilty.

At times, the word feminism itself can create an unintended psychological divide. A movement meant to assert strength can sometimes end up framing women only through the language of victimhood. That weakens the larger purpose. Equality should be articulated through courage, confidence and shared progress. Individuals must be free to take a stand in ways shaped by their own convictions and lived experiences.

History shows that the struggle for women’s rights has never belonged to women alone. Simone de Beauvoir wrote about Christine de Pizan as one of the earliest women to defend her sex through writing. Later, thinkers such as Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, Modesta di Pozzo di Forza, François Poullain de la Barre, Marie Le Jars de Gournay and Anne Bradstreet challenged the prejudices of their time. Their interventions helped build the intellectual foundation for what later became the feminist movement.

Over time, feminism came to be identified mainly with two ideas: women’s equality and women’s empowerment. These are important and necessary aims. The movement itself evolved through different phases. The first wave focused largely on women’s right to vote. The second wave pushed for broader social and legal rights. The third wave, which emerged in the 1990s, expanded the conversation further and continues to shape gender debates even today.

But even in this long history, it was never only women who resisted discrimination. Men, too, stood up at different points as allies in the cause of equality. That truth is often ignored in public discourse.

One of the clearest examples in recent times is the #MeToo movement. It was not sustained only by women speaking for women. It also saw men standing with women, and in some instances, women standing with men in the pursuit of fairness and justice. That is how meaningful social change happens. It gathers support across lines, rather than hardening them.

Since the nineteenth century, many men have contributed to the demand for equal rights and equal opportunity for women. In many ways, men also need liberation from rigid social expectations around masculinity and gender roles. That, too, is part of the larger equality project.

This is why the tendency to reduce the debate to man-bashing is counterproductive. It closes doors instead of opening them. It turns a movement for justice into a battle of camps. A true feminist, whether a man or a woman, rises by supporting others, not by creating new hostilities.

The movement for equality must remain broad, fearless and inclusive. It should not be weakened by labels or narrowed by adversarial thinking. If the aim is a fairer society, then the empowered feminist must rise not in isolation, but alongside everyone willing to stand for equality.

[Disclaimer: The views expressed are the author’s own and do not represent NewsDrum.in, which bears no responsibility for the content.]