Women’s Web is saying Goodbye! Please make sure you read this important notification.
All choices are not feminist. Many a times, we think that having a choice in deciding something is feminist. The truth is far from this.
All choices are not feminist. Many a times, we think that having a choice in deciding something is enough to make it feminist. The truth is far from this.
How often have you heard a woman say that I am choosing to do this, where this may refer to dressing type or a certain choice they are making such as taking on a husband’s surname after marriage, choosing to stay home after marriage or having a baby, accepting and defending some ‘traditional’ or ‘cultural’ values such as not entering temples while menstruating and much more. This comic strip, originally published at Everyday Feminism does a great job of explaining why all choices are not feminist.
While there is no one universally acceptable or applicable definition of feminism, it is equally true that feminism is not an umbrella term for any choice any woman may make. Some choices are not feminist because they are based on a gendered and hierarchical understanding of the world. A woman may believe she has choice and agency in her decisions, but it is good to pause at this point and ask: what is the full spectrum of choices offered? What shapes these choices? Very often, the answer is patriarchal structures reinforced continuously through family norms, societal values, career options and more. Read the strip to find out more.
Image via Shutterstock
I think of myself as a feminist development practitioner with a strong interest in issues related to gender and education. I enjoy writing about my interests, a happy step forward from the angst laden poetry read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Dear Women’s Web Community Member,
You may have wondered at our being on the quieter side during the last couple of months. Thank you for your patience, and we wanted to come back to you with a detailed note on what’s been happening at our end of things.
When we first began Women’s Web, as a blog from one woman’s desk along with a few like-minded souls, little could we have imagined the heights that it would soar to. Over the years, Women’s Web has published over 20000 stories (almost all by women), empowered countless women with the ideas, community and resources to chase their dreams, employed hundreds of women in core and project-based roles, and in the process, emerged as the OG women’s community in India. It has also inspired many others to build communities of a similar nature, all enabling women (and other-underrepresented groups) in their own ways.
Please enter your email address