Feminists will disagree with me but Feminism seems a negative movement. Is there anything positive to it?

Question

I get the impression that it's all about preventing the harm women allegedly suffer or the prevention of discrimination.

What are tangible benefits it provides to society?

Answer 1

Feminism is a good movement, its given women more opportunities in life.

Whats negative about it is the radical feminists, the ones that hate men and want more rights, and special privileges.

Real feminism isn't about hating men or getting more rights, its about equality for women ,and that's not a bad thing.

There are a lot of ignorant people who  think feminism is a "hate movement" but they're wrong.

Answer 2

I dont know about you but i dont trust anything that bleeds for five days and doesnt die.

Answer 3

"""Is there anything positive to it?"""

None.

Feminism is a hate movement that has become a cancer to society.

Answer 4

We make what we do negative or positive by our follow through. If I eat an apple that's good. If I eat twelve I'll get sick for three days and never get off the toilet... It's by nature and defination neither. It's by action both.

Answer 5

Feminism is essentially negative because its purpose or effect is undoubtedly to foment discrimination against men and boys.

Answer 6

Hmmm. Do you think that there is such a creature as discrimination? The benefit that it brings to society is fairness and justice. It also helps by allowing women to be on a leveling playing field so that they can do more for their country's than be broodmares and stop them from being waste receptacles for men. I for one am appalled at your attitude maybe if you were treated like women get treated a tenth of the time you would not even pose this question

Answer 7

if you're thinking the stereotypical feminist, yes, its taken too far. we have our rights now and we need to be careful about reverse discrimination.

but i think feminism is important in a milder form. women are treated as s*x objects far too often and we need to be valued for more than our bodies.

Answer 8

I must say ... FEminism and "preventing discrimination" are in no way related. As a woman I am more offended by the "liberation" than the "suppression."

Modern feminist are no longer fighting for equality, the are fighting for a gender role swap. Initialy the womans movement wanted equality and rights, however in this day the woman want the equal labor load and compensation as men, and they want the men to carry more of the burden at home until the entire system is manipulated.

I for one would not accept a husband who expected me to be his equal, nor wouldn't get the h**l out of my kitchen, but hey... thats  just me.

Answer 9

I think that the good points of Feminism are that it allows women more freedom to participate in society.  Women can be smart and have great ideas just like men.  It has also been shown that they think differently and they can provide different insights to issues that would otherwise be handled by only men with a male perspective.  That is the best aspect of Feminism; women can help contribute directly to society with their ideas in stead of staying at home, uneducated and only required to look after their house and children.

Answer 10

Are you scared of Feminists?  It doesn't take away your manhood.  I don't think women are better than men.

Answer 11

Suprisingly people these days know little about feminism. Feminism is NOT a movement declaring women superior than men. It's simply a movement to make women equal to men.

Quite a few of the benefits it provides have already been seen. Women now theoretically have equal rights as men.

However inequalities in the work force and salaries are still being seen between women and men and such a movement could help solve those issues as well in the future.

Answer 12

The feminist movement was created to enforce equality, and eliminate discrimination, which was a good cause, but it has turned into exactly what gun fanatic said, a cancer to society, but I am not going to elaborate on that. I answered a similar question yesterday. I will only say there is no longer a need for it, and if having a woman running for president against a black man doesn't prove that equality has been reached, nothing ever will. ;-)

Answer 13

no, i have never met a happy feminist, they are all too angry to see that most men are intact also in favour of equal rights

Answer 14

And PREVENTING harm and discrimination is not positive?

What?

I don't really get your logic, here...it seems like preventing harm and discrimination would be hugely beneficial to society in general.

Answer 15

My stereotypical philosophy  on Feminist. Feminist are really really femme. Guys don't have a labeled organization. So you can tell Feminist are sexist to the core. Anyhow they complain about men. Which makes me suggest they sleep with woman. So if you believe in God, someone, or just order of life. You know men are + or - and woman are vice visa. Thats why there needs to be balance. So where I am getting I don't know, but what you are asking is "Feminists will disagree with me but Feminism seems a negative movement. Is there anything positive to it?" Two lesbians mean positive for a straight mans point of view.  So yes it can be a positive.

Answer 16

well i guess i kind of like having the right to vote, have a career, and make my own reproductive choices.

Answer 17

Since when were harm and discrimination good for society?

Answer 18

Feminism is not about hating men or bringing them down.

It is about letting women define themselves and not letting our s*x based society define their roles in life.  

Wanting equality is not destructive.  The people who have the power thing otherwise though.

Answer 19

The ideal is very positive i.e. equal rights, but the movement itself has strayed a long way from the ideal e.g.

"All men are rapists and that's all they are" - Marilyn French, 'The Women's Room'

"Being a housewife is an illegitimate profession" - Vivian Gornick, feminist author, University of Illinois, "The Daily Illini" April 25, 1981.

"Men are the enemies of women" – Professor Ann Oakley (1984) in 'Taking It Like a Woman'.

"A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle" – Famous feminist slogan (original source unknown).

"I believe that women are the more spiritually advanced s*x" Erica Jong, Washington Post, December 6, 1992

"We are, as a s*x, infinitely superior to men." - Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in 'One Woman, One Voice'

Yes, feminism has promoted the idea that women are kind, intelligent, in touch with nature etc, but promoting the idea that women are superior to men isn't exactly a positive idea for humanity IMHO.

Answer 20

it gives us a bigger work force so more people can work and pay money to the government. also, it  paved ways for you to not be discriminated against when you apply for collage. women AND men alike.

Answer 21

Are you old enough to remember the feminish movement?  Like so many movements when it initially began the pendulum swang way to the other side of the spectrum, this is where most of the negativness of feminism began and unfortunately there continues to be a thread of that negativeness around.

It is not negative, there was a need for equal treatment for women in the career field, in health care, in the courts...etc.  The need still exists and women, like others who have received less than equal treatment in society, there is still a very long way to go.  Again like those groups, there still is an extreme faction out there, but most feminists are no longer extremists.

Women have provided a great deal to our society in nearly every field possible.  And...your mom was/is one, so is your sister if you have one, your grandmother, your daughter if you have one someday.

Answer 22

There is nothing positive about feminism. It is nothing more than hate and greed.

Answer 23

Feminism is not about raising women up and putting men down.  It is about achieving equality between the sexes.  It is about breaking gender norms and stopping generalizations.

Answer 24

Not everything has to have tangible benefits for society.

Answer 25

the kind of feminists your talking about arent feminists at all, as feminists fought for the equality we now have, but are the self-proclaimed "intellectuals" i.e.,overemotional whiny egotists. they do NOT fight discrimination they encourage it, in the form of preferential treatment. you see them trying to pull this BS with  minorities too. real feminists: Susan B Anthony and Margaret Thatcher.

posers: the Clintons, Michelle Obama and most college professors. no offense to Mike Adams.

Answer 26

Are you being sarcastic? :)

Answer 27

As a writer for 25 + years, I cannot help but  stress the significance of seperating perceptions and literal terminology... The ONLY Negative part of the above question lies in the "NEGATIVE"  perceptions that have systematically attached to the Objective Term , or word classification --" Feminism" .  Feminism can neither be defined as Negative or Positive; it is literally a cultural Classification, like the words: "American" or "European".  Have fun with your discussion; just a pet peeve of mine.

Answer 28

I must disagree in that women having the right to vote is a good thing, but Feminism has also led to an increase in several negative things towards men.

The reduction of gender roles is a key point here. This does not add less stress to society but more. Men nowadays seem to have no real purpose in the family. They are constantly bombarded with talk that a woman can better nurture, earn income and take care of the family. This has led to increases in divorces due to the feeling of not being need on the man's side, (which has led to larger abondonment which no one thinks is good) and women seeking to find themselves.

This led to the divorce culture that is in place today where children of these divorced families are evermore hesitant to get married.

The list goes on and on...

Answer 29

Feminism is what you are referring to, but really you are dealing with a dynamic that is common in any movement, which is that those who originally provided the momentum for legitimate causes have the energy that they created taken over by forces who take it far beyond anything the original supporters ever wished for, or even imagined. It is sad and unfortunate that decent women hoping only to be treated as equals in society have had their movement used to provide a podium for g*y and L*****n issues, as NOW (National Organization of Women) currently endorses. The same with abortion issues. Most women never suspected that their hope for equal rights would result in the extermination of children in the womb because they gave energy to what their cause once represented. It is a sad affair, really, for the need for change was evident and legitimate. Yet, others took the cause and distorted it beyond recognition.

Answer 30

What's wrong with trying to prevent discrimination? Discrimination is harmful to progress because it restricts what things a person may pursue on an arbitrary basis, rather than on talent/ability.

What benefits does it provide to society? Well, it certainly benefits women that enjoy the right to vote, the right to a career, and other forms of independence. But based on your wording I'm guessing that by "society" you mean men. Feminism helps men, too-- it rebels against the notion that women are inherently more nurturing. As you may know, the US legal system is renowned for denying custody of children to men after a divorce. Thus by lessening the perception of women as more nurturing, feminism may be able to turn the tables.

Another way it helps men is by reducing gender roles. When successful, it can reduce male stress.

EDIT: Lance, your point on gender roles was very good, but I'm saying what I say from a young person's perspective. Everywhere I look, around my school, there's tremendous amounts of pressure to fit in and to conform. One of the categories for conformity is gender. Guys that don't fit the standard are called g*y (not that this is a bad thing, but it's USED as a put-down by those that call others g*y).

In that setting, gender roles are extremely detrimental to education because in addition to the stress caused by schoolwork, dating, and family pressure, there is the stress and fear of harassment and being thought effeminate.

Answer 31

So, discrimination, a benefit to society? Feminism itself is an ideal, and a good one, but it has evolved, like a religion almost, into little sects. The man-hating one, by the way, is very small. It's more about the right to say, do, be what you want without fear of oppression. I mean, take the idea that pain during childbirth is woman's punishment  for original sin? ??? !! So, as you can see, it is about creating equality. The only worrisome feminists are the nutters that go overboard.