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On this occasion, I want to talk about feminism and how to understand it for those who look at the actions of this movement from a critical perspective. I invite you to share it with those who need to know more to understand it. Let’s begin!
1.- What is feminism meant to do?
Feminism is a socio-political movement that seeks to end the subordination, inequality, and oppression of women to achieve their emancipation and the construction of a society in which discrimination based on sex and gender no longer exists.1
Feminism does not grant women equal capacity or the same rights as men; one of its main objectives is to highlight the differences and question the reasons, origin, and durability in the world because it is a global issue. Feminism questions the aspects, areas, and situations in which masculinity has been placed at the center of human experiences throughout history.1
It is complex to reduce this movement to a specific definition, as it is formed by different ideological currents that try to understand how and how deeply the patriarchal ideology penetrates different worldviews. Within feminism, there are agreements and disagreements, as in any current of thought, which is why different feminisms have also been named. Nevertheless, despite the diversification, there are common elements or principles shared:1
1.- Although we are all human, we have differences individually and collectively; however, these differences should not be an excuse to give a higher value to one group over another, in this case, masculinity over femininity.
2.- Changes cannot be superficial; they must seek the transformation of power structures and social relations that endure oppression. That is, the goal is not only to eliminate oppression towards women but all types of oppression, since the power relations that oppress women also do so to other social groups.
3.- Life’s not apolitical. Discrimination, oppression, and violence experienced in private are NOT INDIVIDUAL PROBLEMS that only affect a person who has been assaulted. That individual violence is part of a structure that shapes a power system. Silence in the face of violence is what society and the state expect. By doing the opposite, such as denouncing or demanding, the system’s failure to protect rights becomes undeniable.
4.- The submission of women aims to control their bodies and actions. For example, the establishment of heterosexuality as a requirement to have a family through marriage, the limitation of decisions in marriage due to “obedience to the husband,” or the restriction experienced when deciding to terminate a pregnancy because it is an obligation of women and people with childbearing capacity to have children.
That women and childbearing people can choose over their bodies and decide to terminate a pregnancy is the exercise of their rights and autonomy. Therefore, it is important to have organizations like Telefem that connect you with specialists so you can receive medical guidance. In this way, they try to reduce stigma and widen the chances for those who cannot go to places where pregnancy termination is already legal.
2.- Is feminism vandalism and hating men? This and other misconceptions about feminism
Many see feminism as a threat because it questions power structures. Therefore, it is important to clearly understand what it means and debunk the myths surrounding it.
1.-Feminists hate men. Feminism is not based on hatred towards men but on questioning the patriarchal system that maintains inequalities. Feminism denies the belief that men exercise violence by nature, but rather by learning it. Moreover, it seeks to make masculinity go beyond what society expects, removing the pressure of being the economic pillar of the family or emotional repression. Men are not excluded from feminism; they are just not the center of the movement. It is expected that they listen and be supported in their spaces, for example, by talking with other men about masculinity, patriarchy, and oppression.2
2.- Feminism is the opposite of sexism. Feminism seeks equal rights and opportunities among all people, regardless of gender. It is not about inverting hierarchies but eliminating inequality. While sexism seeks the superiority of the masculine over the feminine through beliefs, values, and behaviors that reaffirm it.3 Men having higher suicide rates is, in fact, a result of sexism.4
3.- Feminists only vandalize. Throughout the history of feminism, peaceful protests have existed; in fact, most feminist demonstrations are quiet, but something interesting happens: for the media, these notes “do not sell,” and for society, they do not attract attention.
For example, in February 2020 in Mexico, the femicide of Ingrid Escamilla touched sensitive fibers, as the femicide mutilated Ingrid’s body in the most horrible ways, and not only that, society distributed images of her body. Two situations arose: first, women united to create content with Ingrid’s name so that when searching for her photos on the web, only positive content would appear, not the body photos. The second one was that the iconoclasm (the alteration, destruction, or resignification of monuments and symbols that represent gender oppression) made by some feminists in the 8M parade that year drew attention to the movement, for better or worse, attracting attention to feminism. Iconoclasm reflects the struggle to resignify public space and question the power behind certain symbols.5
4.- “Maleists” and “feminazis”. Maleism is a theoretical term that refers to a system that sustains the supremacy of women due to their qualities and oppresses men for being men. As we saw in the previous paragraphs, this is not what feminism desires. As for the term feminazi, it also makes no sense, as concentration camps are not created, gas chambers are not used, countries are not invaded, nor are experiments conducted with men. Therefore, it is not a term associated with what feminism wants.
3.- Feminism and safe abortion
Feminism has exposed the exclusion of women from rights such as body autonomy.
One of feminism’s struggles is that all people have the right to exercise their reproductive autonomy, which means that they can decide about their bodies without being violated or having someone else choose for them. An example is women and childbearing people, girls, and adolescents’ access to legal pregnancy termination; however, in some states of the Mexican republic, they are prohibited from having an abortion after a certain weeks of gestation, and in others, legal abortion is still not available.
Suppose there is only one path when facing an unwanted pregnancy. In that case, we cannot speak of options but of impositions, which does not allow reproductive autonomy since the path considered best for what the person wants for her life plan cannot be chosen.
By penalizing abortion, the state says that women cannot make decisions about their body and their lives; basically, it infantilizes us.6 Additionally, it affects economic, educational, and professional opportunities.
That is why in feminist movements, the right to abortion is highlighted, as it makes visible that women and childbearing people can and need to choose about their lives and bodies.
The possibility of deciding whether to continue or not with a pregnancy is a matter of personal freedom and guarantees that people can make informed decisions about their health and well-being without external or legislative factors interfering with their ability to choose.
A safe abortion contributes to all people, regardless of their social or economic situation, being able to exercise their rights fairly and live without the burden of imposed decisions that affect their physical, mental, and emotional health.
A priority is to find a safe space where your decisions are respected and not questioned. Suppose you wish to carry out a safe abortion at Telefem. In that case, we are a non-profit organization that supports your choice not to carry on with your pregnancy and offers professional guidance by connecting you with specialists and providing you with a Telefem kit with everything you need so you can exercise your rights and autonomy.
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* This content is for informational purposes only and does not replace professional medical advice.
References:
- Facio A y L. Fries. Feminismo, género y patriarcado. Revista Academia. 2005;3(6):259-294.
- Salamero González L. 8 mitos sobre el feminismo. Asociación mujeres entre mundos. [Internet]. 2019. [Visit March 2025]. Available at: https://www.mujeresentremundos.es/8-mitos-sobre-el-feminismo/
- Olguín Lacunza M. y D. Rojas. Machismo: afecta tanto a mujeres como a hombres. Revista Unam Global. [Internet]. 2023. [Visit March 2025]. Available at: https://unamglobal.unam.mx/global_revista/machismo-afecta-tanto-a-mujeres-como-a-hombres/
- Naciones Unidas. El machismo acorta la vida de los hombres en las Américas. Noticias ONU. [Internet]. 2019. [Visit March 2025]. Available at: https://news.un.org/es/story/2019/11/1465571
- Hernández Moreno Z. I. La iconoclasia feminista en México: Impacto, historia, valor artístico y político. Revista Horizonte Histórico. 2021;11(23):63-73.
- María del Pilar González Barreda. Aborto: miradas desde la autonomia sexual de las mujeres. En: González Luna AM, et al., coordinadoras. Pensar la justicia con perspectiva de género. 2023. p. 251-270. Available at: https://archivos.juridicas.unam.mx/www/bjv/libros/15/7096/13.pdf