If you have been anywhere near the internet recently, you will have seen the arguments between egalitarianism and feminism, but which is better and more beneficial?
Feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of getting social, political and economic equality to men. The movement’s aim is to eradicate social constructs that oppress women and other gender minorities while favouring men. It is important to acknowledge that different people will face different amounts and variations of discrimination based on their race, class, sexual orientation and other classification that try to segregate our society- this is called intersectionality. Whereas, egalitarianism advocates the principal that everyone deserves to be treated equally and have equal opportunities.
The problem with this is that not everyone needs to be treated equally. They need to be equal but not necessarily treated equally. For example, you could buy identical dresses for all of your bridesmaids (this would be treating them equally), but for some, the dresses would be too big and for others too small. So you would have to get them the same dress but in the right sizes (thus making sure that they are all equal).
This is another example:
Feminism and egalitarianism can seem very similar on paper, but they are completely different in action. Egalitarianism isn’t an active movement, it is more of a philosophy or a guideline of which you should live by. The aim of an egalitarian is for society to treat everyone the same, this seems very noble but in no way does it attempt to eradicate social constructs, such as the patriarchy and hierarchy. Feminism, however, directly challenges and aims to eradicate systematic oppression, which is necessary for an egalitarian society to succeed.
Of course, identifying as an egalitarian means you can avoid the stigma surrounding feminists. There are negative connotations and stereotypes such as, “Feminists are just man-haters.” or “Feminists are disgusting; they don’t shave their body hair”. However, the reason why people are so opposed to feminism is because they feel threatened by what the movement entails or that they are afraid of identifying so much with a ‘female’ movement.
Whether you decide to identify as an egalitarian or a feminist, it is important to always keep in mind your goals and fight for them.
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