Do We Really Understand Feminism?

"This country has many independent women, but few financially secure man"
"Being an independent women means you don't need any help from men"

Nowadays, social media shows how much people promote feminism and how it becomes a trending topic. They suggest that women can stand on their own, achieve their goals, and reach their highest peaks. However, these points can lead to a misunderstanding by valuing women more than men. Therefore, there have been many quotes that can be misleading from the actual definition of feminism. So, let's take us back to the origins of feminism.

Since the 20th century, when the colonization of Netherlands still takes place in Indonesia,

The movement of feminism starts with a young and strong woman named R.A. Kartini.

When her brother was allowed to study at a university, it made her realize how women should be treated equally. Since elementary school, she has craved knowledge and actively discussed it with her teacher and her friends. Unfortunately, after she finished elementary school, she needed to obey the rules of a royal family and stayed at home. Those times at home pushed her to read and didn't stop her from studying. So, when her younger sisters had to learn to obey the traditions, she thought of the idea of having her own rules by telling them to be themselves and not limit their potential. Since then, their father let them have their freedom by exploring the village around. Not only did she care for what's right for her, but she also thought about how all women should have that right. Therefore, she expressed her ideas by writing about the issues. Through her statements, she highlighted arranged marriage, polygamy, and difficulties for women to have an access towards education.

This is the beginning of women's emancipation and how Kartini's sacrifices give opportunities for women to have education and equal rights.

Feminism is an advocacy for women's rights so that they can be treated equally in social, political, and economic rights. Oppressed by the patriarchy, feminism seeks social justice for women to have a better society. A better society means getting the same opportunities as a man would have, being someone who is in a lead without being questioned how they got it, and being "in control" without the control and judgement of others just because they are a woman. The basic feminist ideas are:

1. Working to increase equality

2. Expanding human choice

3. Eliminating gender stratification

4. Ending sexual violence & promoting sexual freedom

Based on the explanation, feminism is an important concept to be strongly valued as an individual to an equal right especially for those who are oppressed due to their gender.

These days, feminism in Indonesia is an issue that is still talked about and faces struggles to be accepted by society. On one side, there are many men that still belittle women and believe that they aren't entitled to have power in this society. In many cases, there are men who have an idea that a woman should stay at home, be married, be a housewife, obey and follow her husband's orders. These ideas lead to women being objectified and even labeled as "baby-factory," worse it increases cases of sexual assault in women and young girls not to mention domestic violence in household. Feminism can help women to speak up about their rights and fight against these cases. However, on the other side, feminism can be mistaken as a meaning that offends and devalues men. Numerous female public figures start to influence people about how feminism means being an independent woman without the help of men. Moreover, they give the impression that women are more dominant now and have stronger will to provide than men. The words they use to describe feminism are farther by the actual meaning and causing them to go back to the inequality concept.

If we trace back from the beginning of feminism and how Kartini defines its meaning, feminism concludes that equality means rights for both women and men. It also highlights the importance of women to have the same chance and choice to take a lead in social, political, education and economy. Moreover, as human beings we should have respect for others regarding gender and age. Even when feminism taught us to promote freedom for women, we should not forget that feminism is about equality to begin with. Its purpose is to prevent the violence against women and girls, not to create a battle between who is better in both genders.

In conclusion, when we hear about such topics or quotes in social media, we should consider diving deeper into the concept and meaning before criticizing or commenting about it.

As a woman, it is needed to be well-organized and be brave in making decisions as well as statements, but we should not forget to appreciate others without disregarding them. We can be opinionated about feminism or any such topics, but we should choose our words wisely and respectfully without being judgmental and biased with our own stereotypes.