What is feminism?

This is a question I've been thinking about a lot, as have many other people, I'm sure. When I say I'm not a feminist, people stare at me like I'm crazy and ask "How can you not be?". The answer is simple: we are not the same, nor will we ever be.

I've done my research, and by now I know that there are a lot of different kinds of feminism. Now, I'm not saying I'm against equal rights, I'm all for it, but please! I know there are a lot of countries and societies that, in my opinion, still have it way wrong. But where I live, women do have the same rights as men. We can vote, we can drive, we can work, we don't have to get married and stay home with the children. Yes, it's true, women do get paid less than men, but there's a reason for that! If a woman chooses to have a child, she has to stay home with the child for x amount of days/weeks. Yes, a man has the right nowadays to go on paternity leave, but he doesn't HAVE to. It's a choice for him, not for her. So, from a company's point of view, it's more unrewarding to have a woman do the same task a man does, even if she might do it better. When the woman goes on maternity leave, the company has to hire someone else to do the job while still paying the mother. Do you see the problem? Now, you may ask, well why do women ALWAYS get less pay than men, why not just when she's on maternity leave? Be cause a possible employee, during an interview for what ever position, has the right to refuse to answer the question "Are you planning on having children in the near future?". Which means, the company just has to take that risk. And business is business, risks cost money.

Oh, by the way, you can stop me at any time, if you think I'm wrong or have the wrong information.

Now, on the other hand, I am all for human rights. As people, we are all the same. When it comes to for example ethnicity and sexuality, we should all have equal rights. Now you might be asking, well that's the difference with human and women's rights? The difference is, women will never be equal with men. We are different, we think differently, we have different interests, we see things from different points of view and have different strengths. (Please note that I'm speaking generally, I'm not saying all women are like this or all men are like that.) When it comes to human rights, a black man is (/should be, depending on the culture/country) equal to a white man. They think alike, they have the same strengths etc. A homosexual woman is  (/should be) equal to a heterosexual woman. They also think alike and have the same strengths etc. Do you see my point here? I doesn't matter where you or your ancestors come from, or what your sexual preference is, we are all people. But when it comes to women and men, you can't ignore the differences.

Generally speaking, a man is physically stronger than a woman. A woman on the other hand, is more organized than a man. Men have greater discipline than women, while women are more mature than men. These are just a few examples on how we differ from each other. Men are better at some things while women are better at others. Why should that be a bad thing? In a way we complete each other, we balance each other out. Because, there needs to be a balance in the world, and that goes for everything. The world is built up by this balance: good/bad, right/wrong, day/night, water/fire and women/men. What I want to say is, we are not the same, ergo why should we be treated the same?

I've been saying 'generally speaking' quite a lot, haven't I? So, let's talk about the individuals. In my opinion every PERSON should have the same rights as someone else. This also goes for women and men. Every person (no matter if you are gay, straight, white, black, male or female) should have the right to eg. apply for any job no matter if it's male- or female-dominant. What I'm saying is, that even if (I think) some positions are better suited for men and some for women (because of our different, general, qualifications and strengths), there are always exceptions of the rule, because everyone is an individual person, and should in a professional context always only be judged by that, and nothing else.

To sum up: I'm for human rights, there must be a balance in the world and women and men are different - which is a good thing.

Honestly, I could go on and on about this, but I don't think either of us would become any brighter. If you have any thoughts, comments or questions, feel free to leave a comment. If you liked my post (or disliked), feel free to share it.

For my feminist friends, so you wont be too pissed off at me, 

here are some influential and powerful women I, myself look up to and respect.

"Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition."

-Timothy Leary

Love, don't hate. And be kind to one another.

xx Mitra