By Olusola Aladejebi


Whatever feminism is today has a baggage of history to it. There was a time, not too long ago, that women could not vote in elections, let alone stand to be elected. They could not own land or build houses in their names. And these restrictions on women were not limited to Africa and Middle East or Asia. Even in Europe and America women had no right to vote until the 20th Century. Specifically, in Britain all women were granted suffrage in 1928. In the United States it was 1919. Today, almost all countries grant women the right to vote.


Women have since broken many of the restrictions society placed on them. Women are heads of state in 10 countries. They are also heads of government in another 10 countries. Even Africa has had a female president in the person of Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia who was a two-term president. A female professor used to be addressed as ‘Professor Mrs’. Now that professorship has long ceased to be the preserve of the male folk, female professors are now addressed ‘Professor’ as their male folk. The same change of appellation has taken place in the judiciary and medical profession. The saying, ‘what a man can do a woman can do’, attests to how far feminist ideas have come.


The idea of feminism doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Men are glaringly in the picture. The earliest manifestation of feminist ideas was the quest to be free from the domination of men. Women were (or even still) treated like properties. In many cultures, man could marry a woman and send her packing for just any reason. There was almost no emotional security for her. With women having little economic rights, her literal survival was at the mercy of another man who grants her the privilege of marrying her. Education was denied the female child for many years. She was (and is still) blamed for bearing only female children. Even though science has shown that the man determines the sex of the baby, some men or women still refuse to believe it.


Some feminists say that apart from the physical, economic and political subjugation of women, there is also the masculine domination of the intellectual space. They claim the theory and practice of discipline such as science, law, and philosophy do not reflect the feminine worldview.


Although very few men would say they support oppression and subjugation of the women folk, the talk about feminism makes many men uncomfortable. This discomfort has diverse causes. Some are worried that the traditional roles they have always played are being contested for by women. Some view that only ‘irresponsible women’ who would not settle down talk about feminist ideas. Some consider it as outright abomination.


It is hardly contestable that when things (or people) operate in their proper position there is peace and valuable contribution. The reverse brings chaos. Most of my readers believe in the idea of a Creator. The Creator then should have reasons for the things He has created. The concept of headship by man of woman in the home is supported by many world religions. It is not surprising then that the upswing in feminism corresponds to rise in humanistic thought. (Humanism generally dismisses the idea of a Divine purpose).


In the context of the home, many modern women find endearing the idea of man’s headship. Part of the reason for this is the common human trait—oppression. Men have used the position of (family) headship to subjugate the women folk. This is just as we see the rich oppress the poor; the strong oppress the weak; one race oppresses the other; the experienced oppress the novice, and so on. However, the position of authority has only one purpose—Service.


Many women earn as much as their husbands. Many women are as schooled as the men. With this continuous erosion of the artificial paraphernalia of male authority, women are finding it unnecessary to recognize male headship in the home. But wouldn’t this be an error?


Headship doesn’t mean superiority, hence the male is not superior to female. Headship has to do with role and not essence. The architects have a maxim: Form follows Function. Isn’t it that men have some natural endowment that enables them to lead, especially in the home?


I conclude with a recent post I came across on Facebook: When a woman is treated right, submission comes naturally. About 96% of the women who commented agreed! So with all the talk of feminist ideas many women still resonate with the notion of submission. Or could it be that the poster’s Facebook friends were hypo-feminist like herself, hence the overwhelming agreement? Be that as it may, it is a No, No to oppression of women. Women all over the world must be supported to make their unique contribution to the world


Olusola Aladejebi works to build effective people systems in organizations. He also writes on Leadership and Organization architecture.

http://mouthpiece.com.ng/another-look-at-feminism/

When people understand that these are the core concepts of the true definitions of Feminism, the enlightenment and comprehension that has eluded a lot of people is brought to light.
This is a very nice write up and I hope it helps to shape the very primitive and archaic mentality a lot of people her have about Feminism. Even the supposed feminists that have completely skewered the whole thing can stand to gain and make necessary corrections to their seriously flawed views and opinions.