I Am NOT A Feminist

In light of everything going on in our country…politically speaking…I’m going to say something that I probably shouldn’t say.  I am NOT a feminist.  I am not going to vote for Hillary Clinton, on the basis that she is a woman. (Well…I’m NOT going to vote for her for a long laundry list of reasons…but that’s not what this post is about.)  I don’t care that she is “making history” for women.  Or at least that’s the mantra the feminists are touting.

Don’t get me wrong…I am grateful for the women’s suffrage movements during what is considered “first wave” feminism.  I am thankful for my right to vote.  I am thankful that I can go to the college of my choosing and become whatever I want to be.  I am thankful that I can own property.  But we aren’t living in that period anymore.  Feminism is now on it’s “fourth wave”.  Today’s feminists are fighting, often aggressively, for things like gender equality, the right to do whatever they want with their bodies, and the list goes on and on. But they are doing from a foundation that women are victims.  First of all, please know that I’m not saying that some of the things they are arguing aren’t valid.  But at what cost do we fight for these so-called “rights”?  Often, while standing up for what they believe, these feminists are degrading men.

I realize there are many…many issues in our world today.  Issues around the globe, and here at home.  Issues that I grasp and have faced myself, as well as those that I couldn’t wrap my head around no matter how hard I try.  I think the bigger issue is simply…HUMAN equality. When you have boys being forced into becoming soldiers in Africa, and girls being forced into arranged marriages in the Middle East…it’s a lot bigger than “slut-shaming” or “cat-calling”.  Honestly, injustice reaches further than just male and female, we can see that every day if we bother to pay attention to what is going on around the globe.

But, let’s take the smaller issue of equal pay.  Today’s feminists want to make everything about gender. Why is it men vs. women?  Take the gender out of it all…and it should be about ability to do the job.  Let’s say, my husband and I have the exact same job.  If we can both do the job exactly the same across the board, the pay should be equal.  BUT, if I can’t do the job to the same standard…for whatever reason…he should make more money than I do, or vice versa.   It’s honestly that simple.  It’s about qualifications…not gender.

So, why am I not a feminists?  I love traditional gender roles.  I love being a traditional housewife. I love cooking and cleaning and taking care of the home, while my husband goes off to work and brings home the bacon!  I think it’s okay to be feminine.  To be gentle and nurturing and sensitive.  I think it’s okay to submit to  your husband.  To allow him to make decisions for your family. After all, it’s what God has taught us.  I think it’s okay to have traditionalists values.  I think it’s okay to know that abortion is  murder and should be outlawed.  I think it’s okay to not vote for a woman to be president if she’s not qualified.  I think it’s okay to not identify as a victim, regardless of what has happened to you.  I think it’s okay to think that men and women are very different, and that equal and identical do not mean the same thing.  I think it’s okay to acknowledge that equality exists in our country, and to think that some women are taking advantage.

I know that there are many, many women who will disagree with me, and that’s okay too! I’ll get off my soapbox…for now!