A Reality Check For Gen Zs & Millennials Who Think ‘Feminism Has Gone Too Far’

In the last 100 to 150 years, we have seen the rights of women progressing exponentially. People who have fought the good fight for us are the ones we must be thankful for. If it was not for them, we would not have the right to education, property, freedom to choose motherhood, financial freedom and sexual freedom.

We would be living in times where women did not know anything beyond the four boundaries of their husband’s homes, whose sole duty was to serve the needs of their partners, in-laws and children and who did not have any life beyond their kitchens.

However, all the efforts and fights seem to have been in vain as a survey conducted by King’s College London showed that a maximum number of Millennials and Gen Zs are under the spell of an anti-feminism wave.

Anti-Feminism Wave Has Hit Millennials & Gen Zs

About 200,000 people in the age group of 16 and 74 were surveyed across different countries. The data revealed that about 53% of Millennials and 52% of Gen Zs think that the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment has turned society against men. They had a viewpoint that we have been discriminating against men.

Much like there are two sides to each coin, there are two ways to look at the data. One is where these people have half-baked information about how the world behaves, and the second is when we give them the benefit of the doubt. Feminist Scholar and Sociologist Alison Phipps pointed out that these Millennials and Gen Zs have had the privilege where they never experienced discrimination on the basis of gender, which is a good thing.

They have witnessed more girls outperforming boys, more women acquiring crucial positions in companies and cabinets, and more females reporting having access to equal pay and cerebral opportunities. Therefore, these people think that “feminism has gone too far” is actually a sign of progression in society towards gender equality.

However, there is another side of the coin which clearly displays the supremacy of men in the world. Here is a reality check for them.

Female CEOs Are More Likely To Be Fired Than Male CEOs

A report published in Leftronic stated that females are 45% more likely to be fired from the position of CEO compared to men in the same position. In such a case, it would not even matter if the company has been outperforming under her leadership.

Men Earn More Than Women

According to a report published by UN Women, it was found that women in the world earn only 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. This inequality exists all over the world. In some countries, the ratio will be a little better, while in others, it is worsening. The situation has turned grimmer since the pandemic.

More Male Politicians Than Females

It is no brainer that when a person is in a position of power, they can influence society immensely. Politics is one such area where one decision can affect crores of people at once.

Another report published by the UN Women showcased that by January 1, 2023, there were only 13 countries in the world, which had more than or equal to 50% of the cabinets comprising women. It also said that only 17 countries had a woman Head of State, and only 19 countries had a woman as Head of Government.

Don't Miss:While Maa Shailputri Stands For Prosperity, Women Struggle For Equal Pay

More Boys In School Than Girls

According to a Statista report published in 2022, it showed that the condition in the education sector is improving. From 2000 to 2007, the number of girls out of primary school decreased from 57 million to 32 million. For boys, the decrease has been from 42 million to 27 million.

While highlighting this issue, we are not saying that more boys should be dropping out of school. However, the data pointed out that girls are discriminated against by boys. There are social, cultural and financial factors that have been keeping kids, girls more than boys, out of school. We believe that every child in the world, irrespective of their gender, must get a fair chance at education.

Don't Miss: SC Says Marital Rape Is Rape, Women Seek Criminalisation Of Offence

Gender-Based Discrimination

In the aforementioned four points, we have just scratched the surface of gender inequality. There are statistics that prove gender-based violence that has left billions of women traumatised or worse dead. In most such cases, it is usually a woman who is the victim, and a man would be the perpetrator. We do not want women to beat men, but people must acknowledge that gender-based violence is a serious social issue that needs to be dealt with by stringent laws in every country.

A 2021 report published by the World Health Organisation stated that nearly one in three (about 30%) of women in the world have been subjected to sexual and physical violence by their partners. We all read the reports of victims being locked with their perpetrators in a home during the lockdown.

There are millions of ways in which a woman is criticised, judged and discriminated against by her family, partner and colleagues. She is the one to eat last after cooking delicacies for the family, she is the one to get up early in the morning to ensure none of the family members experiences any discomfort or inconvenience while she is out working, and she is probably the last one to go to sleep.

For aeons, the world has been unjust to women and will continue to be in the decades to come. Feminism was never about discriminating against men. It has always been the movement against patriarchy and has evolved to gender equality, irrespective of caste, class, creed, race and gender identity. Things will improve for sure, but not unless people realise that if they have the privilege does not mean that everyone else has it too. One has to constantly update themselves to ensure that society keeps getting better every day. Not being subjected to gender-based discrimination does not mean that the world has been equal for everyone.