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Nah.
For one, I don't like a term that's supposed to promote equality clearly favoring one side in its name.
For two, most feminists I've met genuinely hate men and think they're owed superiority, not equality, for the treatment of women in the past.
How do you feel about Black Lives Matter as a name and slogan?
Do you think there might be a reason feminism is named that way?
Black Lives Matter is a fine name for what it supports.
I didn't study the etymology of feminism, but in practice it has always resulted in fighting for women's rights while ignoring or paying lip-service to men's rights.
There's no feminist platform that advocates for removing men from the draft or including women in it, for example. I don't believe that the differences between men and women, especially today, are great enough to give any preference to one sex over the other. Most of us are suffering because we are poor.
From my experience, feminists will say feminism is about equality to fool people who don't know any better into supporting a cause that is practically about female superiority. They believe it's woman's turn to be the oppressors and to them that is 'fair.'
This is exemplified by how it's socially acceptable (even encouraged) to make disparaging comments about men, but making similar comments about women will get you ostracized. You can't say you're for equality of the sexes if you laugh when somebody says "I hate all men" but get angry if someone else says "I hate all women." Neither is acceptable, but feminists will disagree.
feminist as in "tear down unjust hierarchies", and definitely not feminist as in "girlboss yay we need more ladies oppressors"
I am a feminist.
Feminism means all genders should be treated equal, but that does not mean men should also get paid menstrual leaves at their job. Equal rights, yes. Everyone should be treated fairly.
It's a really shit word to use if it's supposed to mean equality.
Are there any other words we can use to replace feminism that doesn't show bias towards one side?
isn't the nature of inequality that one side is privileged while another is marginalized?
Feminism is about gender equality, which means addressing the inequality that exists. You seem confused about what equality is about ...
I'll accept that feminism is about furthering the rights of women.
It's not about equality, though, which is why we never hear feminists complaining about men in the draft or a lack of female representation in sanitation services.
It's also a terrible word to use if it is about equality because it clearly favors one group over others. If you want to support equality, you should use a different word.
Defining it as paid menstrual leave is kind of the problem. Hear me out.
Women should be able to take paid leaves from work to deal with menstrual problems, but it shouldn’t stop there. All people should be able to take leave from work when they need it.
So, if it is redefined as paid leave, then it equalizes the field.
Yes.
Down with the liars who are talking of freedom and equality for all, while there is an oppressed sex, while there are oppressor classes, while there is private ownership of capital, of shares, while there are the well-fed with their surplus of bread who keep the hungry in bondage. Not freedom for all, not equality for all, but a fight against the oppressors and exploiters!
– Vladimir Lenin, Soviet Power and the Status of Women
I'm a feminist, opposed to any unjust hierarchy really. One of the things that set me off at a young age was how the US never passed the equal rights amendment.
Also in my home country the women's liberation movement was tied up with the communist movement which also is why I have a lot of the politics that I do
I consider myself egalitarian
I feel like the term Feminist gives too much of an impression that I tolerate or encourage misandry, which I certainly do not. That and if you look at feminist groups throughout history TERFs have been the norm, not the exception.
Egalitarian, because sexism cannot be tolerated no matter which direction it's facing.
There are various schools of feminism, some of which have conflicting opinions. But the common feminist standpoints, like equal rights, seem to be just common sense for me, especially in this day and age. I'm not sure where the requirement for equal physical ability fits into the equation.
At least for me, going out and saying that you are feminist carries a sort of special connotation, and since I haven't participated in any explicitly activist events related to feminism, I wouldn't readily emblazon myself with the feminist label even though I stand by those ideas.
I don't believe in an -ism. I believe in equal rights. I think the name feminism does more harm than good.
Yes, my whole life. It's how I was raised, but now that I'm an adult, it's also what I choose for myself and how I'm raising my own children.
Feminism is the radical idea that a person's worth, dignity, rights, and social status are not and ought not to be determined by their genitals.
As a CIS male I consider myself a feminist because I recognize that women continue to face systemic challenges that demand more than just abstract ideals of equality. To me, feminism goes beyond egalitarianism. It’s not just about treating everyone the same, it’s about recognizing the different challenges people face and working to change the systems that create and sustain those imbalances.
I was raised by my mom and 3 sisters, and that gave me a front-row seat to the everyday injustices women face. Everything from subtle slights to overt discrimination to being victim of abuse. It wasn’t theory for me, it was lived experience, just one degree removed. I've seen the strength and resilience of the women in my life, and I’ve also seen what they’ve had to push through simply because of their gender.
Now, as a father with a daughter, I feel an even deeper responsibility to be part of the shift. I don’t just want her to grow up in a world that pays lip service to “equality”. I want her to live in one where she’s safe, respected, and empowered. That means doing more than being “not sexist.” It means actively pushing back against the structures and behaviors (the patriarchy) that holds women back.
I have zero tolerance for toxic masculinity and so-called “alpha male” attitudes that promote dominance, entitlement, and emotional repression. That culture hurts everyone, but it especially harms women by normalizing control and aggression.
I want my daughter and every woman to see examples of men who are allies, not bystanders. Feminism is a promise: to show up, to speak out (or more often shut up), and to help dismantle barriers so that every person, regardless of gender, can thrive without restriction or fear.