Feminism and Egalitarianism

Feminism lacks a single unambiguous definition, but focusing on the formal definitions from certain major dictionaries can help us find a preferred meaning.  I include:

“the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes” (Merriam-Webster’s #1)

“organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests” (Merriam-Webster’s #2)

“the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men” (Oxford)

“the belief that women should be allowed the same rights, power and opportunities as men and be treated in the same way, or the set of activities intended to achieve this state” (Cambridge)

“belief in women’s rights: belief in the need to secure rights and opportunities for women equal to those of men, or a commitment to securing these” (Encarta #1)

“movement for women’s rights: the movement committed to securing and defending rights and opportunities for women that are equal to those of men” (Encarta #2)

Two definitions concern thought, three concern activism, and one additional definition concerns both.  It seems necessary to accept feminism as a word that regards both thought and activism, as both meanings have rich histories and great influence.

Five of these six definitions specifically mention equality of sex / gender.  One meaning only mentions activism on behalf of women and their interests, although this meaning does not preclude the notion of aiming for equality.  Given the academic popularity of equality in the definition of feminism, and given that a cause is more elegant when it applies the same standard for all concerned, feminism is at its best when it desires equal rights with respect to sex and gender.  As such, I will assume feminism to include this condition.

An interesting aspect of feminist discussion is how sex and gender intersect other characteristics.  Both in gender-related academic research and on feminist websites (or at least this website), attention has been paid to inequality regarding race, ethnicity, class, religion, and sexual orientation, even when the issues do not immediately relate to sex and gender.  This vision for feminism has an appeal in that it is mindful of (in)justice on a much broader range of dimensions, even given that sex and gender are substantial in their own right.  After all, if equality is good for one immutable factor, it is plausible that the same should hold for other immutable factors.  This approach arguably makes feminism synonymous with egalitarianism, which makes “feminism” redundant as a belief system.

Still, while egalitarians may believe in equality across a broad range of factors, ones using this site may possess a heightened interest and understanding of sex and gender issues, so it is nevertheless convenient for the site to focus heavily on information on this nature.  At the same time, it is useful to read posts on other topics that strike a particular chord with contributors, so we still make and keep ourselves aware of other inequalities outside of sex and gender.  This content can make us better egalitarians and not just better feminists, even though our knowledge and experiences may make our activism better-suited to focusing on sex and gender issues.

Having an identity as a feminist and as an egalitarian can serve a feminist well.  Particularly with the term “feminist” facing attacks from people who are not privy to a proper definition, oppose feminist ideas, and/or wish to exploit the easily impressionable, it can be handy to carry an established and “boring” term such as egalitarian as back-up when the “scary” f-word gets people worked up.  Doing so clarifies our purpose as feminists by efficiently contradicting the misleading or false definition given to our audience by other sources, and the contradictory emotions may give someone enough pause to reconsider their prejudgment.

While the two are not the same, it is hard to identify with feminism and not subscribe to the egalitarianism corollary.  Feminism may be a special passion, but the greater cause we work for is egalitarianism, so we should take pride in the latter as well.  Embracing both terms allows us to keep a broad perspective without losing a key identity, and having both at our disposal helps explain what we want to accomplish.  Using a more-encompassing term as appropriate will provide a more relatable message: one that can reach people with their own pro-equality priorities, but one that shows we can work together.