Feminism Phobia

Few days ago a colleague of mine asked me if I am a feminist. I stood for a while in silence confused, and then left her with her unanswered question. Somehow her question let me fell a shamed for not standing for feminism by answering positively her simple question and at the same time felt nostalgia to the old days when I was proudly declaring of my feminism ideology in spite of everything.

Now I have a fear to be labelled as a feminist, while it is almost clear that I am a feminist, however, my colleague question let me realize that I am on the first phase of having feminism phobia, and the main reason that I was being tamed by the negative reaction of men and women against feminism.

Since I was in college I have been called a man- hater, and when I was in Europe for couple of years, I told a male friend in an intellectual conversation on political thoughts that I am a feminist. He opened his eyes widely and asked if I am a lesbian. Besides, through my activism in Yemen on women’s rights, some men and women pointed out to me as a society destructor and homewrecker. When I quited activism, and had to join an International Organization that has good reputation of working on gender, and luckily I was part of the gender team at the organization. While I was supposed to be more strongly advocating for feminism, I unintentionally detached myself from feminism.

Feminism is threatening men and women, and people cringe at the sound of this term, and for some reasons the term feminism has caused an outrage. Feminism challenges forms of men’s power and women privileges, and reminds men that they one day they were competing half of the humanity for jobs, and nowadays they have to compete all the humanity. Besides, one source of the pain that the society set up ideals of manhood, such as,  strong, fearless, in control of …etc, and now women are asserting for strength, power and smartness which qualify them to say we can do anything a man can do as well.

On the other hand, women the same feel threaten by feminism because it strips them some of their privileges as subordinated human being in a world predominated by men. And women avoid feminism also for another reason that it will cause men to not to be in relationship with them since not many men are feminists or supporters of the feminist movement.

Feminism is the most misinterpreted term for being man hatred or calling for taking over power from men, but it is calling for equality between men and women, feminism is seeking for a world that men and women are equally participating and engaging  in the public and private spheres.

Thanks for my colleague for the awakening question that reminded me of who I am,               I am a Feminist.