If the term 'mankind' includes women, why doesn't the term 'feminism' include men?

Question

What are your thoughts? :-)

Answer 1

If conditions improve for women they will for men.

Answer 2

It does.

Answer 3

they created it

Answer 4

There's a MAN in woMAN.  There's no MAN in feminism.  Plus, feminists hate men.

Answer 5

i think that the person that said that 'man' meant person, was right, given the fact that you find 'man' in the word "man" (duhh) and in the word "woman" - the 'wo-' likely referring to the counterpart of 'man' with b*****s and ovaries.

Answer 6

I believe "mankind" comes from the Old English word "man" or "mann." Meaning "human being" or "person."

The -fem- in female comes from the Latin root "femina" meaning woman.

I could be slightly mistaken but I'm pretty sure I'm generally correct.

Answer 7

Not sure I understand the question.  But I watched this programme about words ages ago, and it pointed out that 'man' actually used to mean 'person', so all the words that are like 'mankind', etc, could technically mean people-kind.  :)  Just thought that was interesting.

And what do you mean feminism?  Do you mean, why doesn't the theory apply to men?  Or why don't men agree with the theory?  Because some say they do agree, just like some women say they don't, lol.  I don't really understand the link between the two words, feminism and mankind, anyway.  Sorry, but I hope someone does answer you question properly! x

Answer 8

Actually, the words feminism does have something in the term that comes from men.

Jasmine

Answer 9

Feminism does include men. People seem to think feminists are all about women taking over the world, but they really just want men and women to be equal.

And my boyfriend is a feminist, so there are men who use the term to describe themselves.

Answer 10

Why should the term feminism include men?

Answer 11

Treffy hit the nail on the head, and mark's Girl makes a valid point too.

I cannot see how the two can be related.  Feminists actively promote the idea that feminism is for the betterment of women.  Whether I agree with that or not, it delibetately creates an exclusion of men.  Even claims that it ultimately benefits men seem more like justifications and incidental benefits, but is certainly not wholly inclusive.

It has long been held that the term "mankind" is gender inclusive, though language is fluid, and if a strong enough move to change the meaning or interpretation of the term is applied, then indeed yesterdays inclusive word can become exclusive.  Meanings of words change all the time.  

I still hold that feminism is an exclusive term, and is often witheld by some feminists from some women because of their beliefs or actions.

Answer 12

Well, men have masogeny.

Answer 13

You make a very good point.

'Man' can be used as a generic term just meaning human, as well as relating specifically to males.

'Fem-' has always applied only to females, and words relating to women's issues. When the term 'feminism' was coined, it was a movement advocating equality by means of improving women's rights, as women had fewer rights than men. Now, this isn't the case.

Most words change their meaning over time though, so I guess there's no reason modern 'feminism' couldn't include men. But I still feel that calling it 'equalism' or 'humanism' would draw a clear line in people's minds between the old focus of the movement and the new one.

Answer 14

Well since those are two completely different terms I fail to understand how this question makes sense.

Answer 15

You have hit on an interesting contreversy because it can be argued that "mankind" doesn't really include women.  The term was coined when women were considered less than men...so orginally it didn't refer to women.  When the founders wrote about all men were created equal they were not refering to women.  humankind might be a better term to include both because historically mankind didn't really include women.  Feminism does include men.  Men are feminists.

Answer 16

Because 'man' in its original meaning meant all humans, regardless of gender.  As far as I am aware 'feminism' did not originally have a meaning that included men and women.

Answer 17

It s debateable whether mankind ever included women  certianly women have had a very long history of being shut out of sharing power relations.

feminism doesnt need to include men for political correctness as it is a process engaged in by one group of disadvantaged people in  a struggle for equality.

As it stood before feminism all the world was a mens movement.  Women did not have equal rights - this is slowly changing by keeping a presence and by reiteration of hte state of affairs - when we have equality the word will pass into history.

it is only a descriptive word; not part of a trade off. - if this then that - Do you  have some point?

Answer 18

I thought, to the chagrin of the men-folk in here, the actual purpose of feminism and it's term stood for equality for both sexes.

Although it's practice that might differ from the definition, that is the point (I thought).

Answer 19

The term 'mankind' gives an illusion of including women...another question on here is 'why can't man control the weather?' No allusion to women there then...

Feminism is a term from the french which denotes the ideological, theoretical concerns of women, nothing to do with men unless they want to adhere to those principles, and as long as they have the humility to accept women's lead on the issues which have adversely affected them!

Answer 20

Touché, ma chérie.

Although I think when discussing terms you must take into account where they come from.

The use of the term mankind was created by men for a world of men. It connotes the complete erasure of women as people.

Feminism refers to the state of being feminine and intended first to reinstate the feminine condition into the world of men. It not only includes men, it even acknowledges the history of women's subordination.

Good question.

Answer 21

Good question.

What I don't understand is, if men were in power and feminists campaigned etc it must have been men which made the decision to let women vote etc. So really it was down to men giving the women her rightful... rights.

Answer 22

feminism doesnt actively represent or help men. its a hate group

Answer 23

The word mankind or  "man" hails from the Latin word "mens" which does not relate to men or women or gender.  It means basically, "the creature who thinks or is aware", as our species differs from other species in, say, how we are aware that we will die whereas other creatures are not "aware" that they will die someday, or, as Rene Descartes stated, "I think therefore I am" ("Cogito, ergo sum").

The word "human" does not relate originally to men or women, either, but to the Latin word for "black soil" or humus.  Early humans were darker skinned, contrary to politically correct racist depictions of early people as White. The word "feminine" hails from the Latin word "felare" which means "to suckle" as in breast feeding.  And, masculine hails from the Latin word "mas" or "mares" meaning the s*x that fertilizes the ovum.

Men have long used the definition of human being as "the creature who thinks or is aware" to divide humans along arbitray lines of "inferior" thinkers (to be exploited and enslaved and scapecoated) and "superior" thinkers(enslavers / exploiters) to justify their oppression of people by denying outright that they are not "mankind" but lesser animal species.  Concepts of "superior intelligence" is a common weapon of tyranny, a corruption of what it means to be human (a creature who thinks and is aware) into a belief system that some humans do not qualify as humans (and can therefore be exploited and enslaved) based on transient subjective notions of what "intelligence" means.  The Catholic Church, for example, was debating until just a couple of hundreds years ago whether women did or did not have "souls" and the capacity to be "aware" as men have.

Because women were victimized by that tryanny and were excluded from humanism and the rise of men into legal protections for their unalienable human (mankind) rights, they rose within the existing "qualified only human" system and brought greater "awareness" into the social consciousness to secure legal rights for themselves.  Feminism is not only about the rise of women but also about changing /raising the awareness and consciousness of men, too, in how they perceive women to be as "aware" and equally members of "mankind", the species that thinks and is aware, as are people with male genitalia.  So, the term "feminism" as a social movement does indeed include men.

Answer 24

a man can be a feminism

i am all for woman right

Answer 25

Because then it would be called fe-MEN-ism.

Sheesh.

Answer 26

The term mankind = people, as many point out its term epitomology may well ahve been gender neutral.

It now serves to show how many women are embittered toward all things that appear masculine in this age. As many of them say it doesnt include women - the word wasnt created in this age, nor its meaning and its roots go further back.

Feminism - feminism doesnt and wont include men except in only confrontational of manners - just look up there, one gives us a nice long diatribe about how feminism does but to acheive a certain effect on them, whether its wanted or not (and she fails to note that men in this age already have it).

Another that it has nothing to do with men (yet the movement must exist with them and with their support), Others have no incling of what is meant by 'included' (gotta wonder) and more from there. How can feminism include men if it only confronts and forces change, change that so far mentioned has either been acheived in some instances long before hand or has been acheived. Change of no benefit whatsoever unless by conincidence.

Im just waiting for the dont you want women to have equal rights - already acheived if not more than.

Dont I think women are spirtual creatures with a soul - yes I d**n well know so. Do you think I wasnt born of a mother for my thoughts?

and so on ... blah blah - to many are only capable of retaliation ot support their thinking rather than understanding.

Because of that alone - if this is how the reaction often goes at this level - what is the reaction like at a higher level where all that anger can change things?

@Jen Im curious how does one sided discrimination legislation improve things for both?

Answer 27

"mankind" is short for "Humankind" therefore not specifying a gender.