Feminism has the whole world, both online and offline, abuzz today, and while it’s great to fight for women’s rights, sometimes it just seems like feminists are doing too much. Here are 12 ways feminism has gone too far:
Dismissal of Men’s Issues
Feminism is all about fighting for women’s rights, and these fights certainly are worth fighting. However, some feminists take it to the extreme by dismissing the other side completely. Certain aspects of feminism focus so intensely on women’s issues that they neglect or ignore the legitimate struggles men face. Examples of these issues include high rates of suicide, workplace fatalities, and the challenges of father’s rights, particularly in custody battles. Women have rights worth fighting for; however, men also have challenges of their own that require intervention.
Extremes of Cancel Culture
There’s a growing belief among the general population that feminists don’t actually have anything to fight for. Instead, they just try to force their views or opinions on others. Some feminist advocates are also quick to ‘cancel’ or call out individuals for minor infractions or past mistakes, not allowing for the possibility of growth or forgiveness.
You might think that this is the way to go; however, the truth is the only thing this approach does for you as a feminist is create more enemies. There are ways to make people see your viewpoint without totally alienating them.
Educational Setting Biases
Because of the rise of cancel culture and those who exploit it for their own benefits, many schooling institutions have begun to favor women with their policies. This in itself is a good thing; however, when you consider the fact that to be on the safe side, these systems and universities allegedly focus more on girls and women.
The downside of this is that they inadvertently create an educational environment where boys and young men fall behind academically. This, in turn, only further contributes to the gender gap in educational attainment. There’s also the fact that it could cause resentment to build among the male population.
Overemphasis on Microaggressions
People aren’t perfect, both men and women. Because of this, there’s always the tendency that they’ll make mistakes. Feminists often focus heavily on microaggressions, especially the small, often unintended slights, and make a huge deal out of it. The downside of this behavior is that it can actually do more harm than good to efforts to combat more tangible, systemic issues. So, in the end, instead of helping to alleviate problems, they just compound them. These feminists all make it more difficult to get people to take genuine movements seriously.
Body Positivity Extremes
Over the years, body shaming has emerged as one of the key issues feminists are trying to fix. It’s a really important one, too, because it directly impacts the mental health and overall wellness of negatively affected people. While the body positivity movement has benefited many individuals, many extremes are coming up now. For example, certain interpretations suggest that it should include all body types, regardless of health implications. However, this stance is actually wrong since it may inadvertently discourage people from making healthy lifestyle choices.
Gender Quotas
It’s no longer news that history is full of instances where women are forced out of jobs they could actually do well simply because of their gender. To fix this, some sectors have implemented gender quotas to correct historical imbalances. However, it must be said that this is the wrong way to fix this issue.
This is because positions and posts must be awarded strictly based on merit for any system to survive. Gender really shouldn’t play a role here at all, and when companies hire incompetent female workers, it potentially leads to resentment and further workplace division.
Cultural Reinterpretation
Some feminist movements try to apply modern feminist standards to historical figures and artworks retrospectively. These feminist movements neglect to consider the fact that these historical “objects” are actually steeped in their own context and significance. As such, they end up with grossly skewed interpretations that discredit figures and artworks that should have inspired awe and deep considerations.
Misandry Accusations
Spend enough time around some feminist movements, and you’ll eventually come away with a hatred for men. These movements and groups exhibit and advocate for hostility against men. Some even say things like the world would be a better place without men in it. However, they forget that this directly contradicts the inclusive principles that real feminism should stand for. Plus, this is frankly no way to drum up support for what is supposed to be a beneficial move for women.
Gender Language Policing
There is one aspect of feminism of modern feminism, in particular, that has left many people irritated, and it’s the whole gender policing. Recently, there has been a lot of push for the use of gender-neutral language. While the goal of this push is obviously inclusivity, it should be said that in the end, it really achieves nothing more than complications without any material benefit to gender equality.
Equal Pay Arguments
This has also been a very controversial aspect of the feminist movement in recent times. We have more and more people pushing for equal pay for both men and women in different areas, such as sports. This argument, however, is flawed in that it doesn’t account for the performance difference between men and women.
Take, for example, the NBA. The average points per game of top players is 21, while that of the WNBA is only 14. There’s also the fact that the NBA generates $10 billion in revenue while the WNBA only generates $60 million. With these statistics in view, it’s easy to see why the concept of equal pay in sports and most other areas simply isn’t realistic. If equal pay exists, it should be based on merit, not out of a need to appease.
Undermining Parental Roles
Concerns have emerged that extreme positions in feminism sometimes challenge the traditional family structure, like parental roles and choices. This, in turn, creates tensions and stigmatization around family decisions like opting for full-time motherhood.
Increased Pressure To Conform
Some women have also reported feeling an increased pressure to conform to feminist narratives they don’t necessarily agree with. However, this is counterproductive to the movement’s goal of promoting individual agency and choice.