Feminism is misunderstood
Feminism makes some men feel threatened because it's about equally sharing a space that they have occupied by themselves.
The concept of feminism evolved through centuries of movements by activists pressing for recognition of women's rights, but still it is misunderstood and misrepresented across all social and economic classes and religions, speakers said on the final day of Gender Fest 2019 organised by Dhaka University's Department of Women and Gender Studies.
The role of governments, academics and the media came up in the discussion, but speakers concluded that families have a bigger role in changing the scenario.
Women's movement for equal rights is not only confined to this part of the world. In a country like ours, women are fighting for their right to property while somewhere else it is equal pay or the right to abortion that is at the forefront, said Prof Kaberi Gayen, of mass communication and journalism department at DU.
Even at a prestigious institute like DU, teachers stigmatise issues of women's sexual health and the rights of sex workers, said Prof Reazul Huq, of development studies department. That only indicates how women are treated by the rest of the society, he added.
Feminism is not limited to recognising women's equal rights; different dimensions have been added over time integrating the rights of all oppressed human beings, including LGBT rights, said Kaberi at the panel discussion on “What do we know about feminism”.
“It is not a movement for women's freedom. Rather it is a movement for freedom of all humans,” she added.
“There is a lack of effort from the patriarchal society to look through the gender perspective, to integrate women into every layer of it, to meet the needs of women,” said Mahmuda Rahman Khan, senior programme development specialist at USAID.
“We may not be able to change the whole world but we can be proactive in changing our own behavior, and the mindset of those surrounding us. Change can happen in every little way,” said Seuty Sabur, of economics and social sciences department of Brac University, encouraging students to initiate change in their institutions.
Comments