By: Muhammed Akindele
As far back as the 19th century, there has been a custom feud between the feminists and the Anti-feminists. This debate has degenerated into a lot of dissension for many decades.
For better assimilation, feminism precludes the advocacy for women’s rights on the basis of equality of sex. Anti-feminism on the other hand, connotes the opposition of this agenda.
There is already a great deal of animosity between the two groups since feminists promote the voice and empowerment of women and girls regardless of their differences or those who are discriminated against globally, while anti-feminists oppose this.
The Anti-feminists postulate that it is erroneous for feminists to believe that women and females are being discriminated against all around the world. The feminists however still maintained their grounds and are not being swayed by the allegations from their opposition. In any gatherings of both feminists and Anti-feminists, both parties always remove their gloves and throw away caution anytime one party feels like they want to be dominated.
Then it behooves one to ask, what is exactly behind this unhealthy rivalry?
The pro-feminists I’ve spoken to about this issue have bemoaned about how women are being regarded as inferior to men and how their voices are not being heard. “Women have historically been less respected than men, often confined to the kitchen and house. In male-dominated industries like the military and engineering, women often have to work harder and act like men to be taken seriously. If women were equal to men, they would be respected, seen as strong and smart, and not forced to fight for their voices. However, recent advancements have seen women gain jobs, education, and be heard,” said pro-feminists.
On the other hand, I talked to some anti-feminists who argued that the idea that feminists hold is false since it gives them the impression that they are oppressed,
“The feminist movement taught women to see themselves as victims of an oppressive patriarchy…Self-imposed victimhood is not a recipe for happiness,”
What’s even more shocking is that, in any wargame, any bad news about one side would invariably rile up the other. Some feminists were eager to spread the word a few days ago about a South Korean guy who attacked a store clerk because he believed she was a feminist. This kind of behavior, among many others, will only make the two combative parties more tense.
It’s worthy to mention that both the feminists and the Anti-feminists are both humans and they are both after the same thing, although in different ways. The feminists want a world where they’ll be treated equally with men, and the Anti-feminists also want a world where everyone will be treated fairly, i.e., no gender will be treated in a way to jeopardizes the interest of others.
In my opinion, this feud can’t be completely resolved, or else common ground to reach a compromise and find solutions that address the concerns of both signs is created.