Feminism: Why We All Need It
Why We All Need Feminism
A Rigged Game, A Broken Elevator, and The Fight for Balance
Imagine life as a game of Monopoly. Except in this version, half the players—let’s call them women—aren’t given the same starting money. Their movement is restricted. When they pass “Go,” they don’t collect the same $200. The properties they land on cost more for them to buy, and the penalties are harsher. Meanwhile, the other half—men—play by a different set of rules, accumulating wealth and power with fewer obstacles.
When women ask for a fair game, they’re told, “Why are you complaining? You have a piece on the board, don’t you?”
Now imagine that instead of flipping the table over, feminism is simply asking to play by the same rules. It is not about taking resources from men or creating a new system where women dominate. It is about removing the barriers that make success, safety, and autonomy harder to achieve for one half of the population.
Yet, despite how simple this sounds, the idea of feminism still triggers resistance. Why? Because when you’ve always played the game with an advantage, equality feels like oppression.
What Feminism Really Is (And What It Isn’t)
Feminism is not about hating men. It is not about replacing one hierarchy with another. It is not about giving women an unfair advantage or insisting that all men are villains.
What feminism is about:
✔ Equal opportunities, not extra privileges.
✔ Freedom to make choices without systemic barriers.
✔ A world where gender doesn’t dictate success, safety, or autonomy.
✔ A society where men and women both benefit from freedom, fairness, and authenticity.
And yet, because feminism challenges who makes the rules, who holds the power, and who gets to define “normal,” it continues to be met with resistance.
The Broken Elevator: Why The System Needs Fixing
Imagine success as a skyscraper, with the top floors representing power, wealth, and influence.
Men get into an elevator that takes them directly to the top. There are challenges along the way, sure, but the system is designed to move them upward efficiently.
Women, on the other hand, are told to take the stairs. They carry extra weight—societal expectations, unpaid labor, harassment, lower pay—and every few floors, they’re told to stop and help someone else along the way.
If they point out the inequality, they’re met with:
“Why are you complaining? Just climb faster!”
Feminism isn’t about shutting down the men’s elevator. It’s about fixing it so everyone can use it.
And yet, when women demand equal access, some men respond as though they’re being asked to give up their own right to rise. But fairness isn’t about taking something away—it’s about ensuring that no one has to work harder just because of their gender.
Decolonizing Gender Roles: The Legacy of Patriarchy
For centuries, societies have prioritized male experiences in the same way that colonial powers imposed their systems on the lands they conquered. Women, in this analogy, have been expected to assimilate, to accept the conditions given to them without question.
Colonization told indigenous people that their cultures, traditions, and knowledge were inferior. Patriarchy has done the same to women. It has dictated:
- What women should wear.
- What roles they should have.
- Whether they could work, vote, own property, or even make decisions about their own bodies.
Decolonizing gender roles means challenging these inherited structures and allowing people—men and women alike—to express themselves without outdated expectations dictating their worth.
Why Feminism Benefits Everyone
Some men resist feminism because they fear losing power—but equality is not a zero-sum game. If women rise, men do not have to fall.
In fact, feminism also liberates men from outdated expectations of masculinity, including:
✔ The pressure to suppress emotions – Men are taught from a young age to “man up,” causing emotional repression and mental health struggles.
✔ Toxic masculinity – Patriarchy expects men to be dominant, aggressive, and stoic, limiting their ability to be compassionate, intuitive, and expressive.
✔ The burden of “providing” – Many men feel trapped in financial and societal expectations that prevent them from exploring their true passions and authentic selves.
✔ Healthier relationships – When men and women are equals, relationships are built on mutual respect, shared responsibilities, and deeper emotional connection.
A world that is fairer for women is also freer for men—because feminism is about removing outdated expectations for everyone.
Marie Shear Quote
“Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.”
The Fear of Feminism: Why Some Resist Change
When you have always been in power, equality can feel like oppression. Some men genuinely fear losing status, but feminism isn’t asking for power to be taken away—it’s asking for power to be shared.
The real question is: Why is equality so frightening?
Would it be so terrible for:
- Women to be equally represented in leadership?
- Men to express emotions freely without judgment?
- Workplaces to be family-friendly for both parents?
- Sexual violence and harassment to be eradicated?
Feminism is not a war against men. It is a liberation movement for all people, regardless of gender.
Margaret Atwood Quotes
“Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.”
Malala Yousafzai Quotes
“I raise up my voice—not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard.”
Where Do We Go From Here?
The Truth About Progress
The game is still rigged. The elevator remains broken. And despite the illusion of progress, the structures that have held women back for centuries are still deeply embedded in our societies.
After the MeToo movement, it seemed as though we were on the brink of a shift. Awareness was rising, conversations were changing, and for a moment, it felt as if real transformation was possible. But then came the resistance. Reproductive rights have been rolled back, gender-based violence continues at epidemic levels, economic inequality persists, and women’s voices are still being dismissed, discredited, or silenced.
The truth is, patriarchy does not dismantle itself. The progress we thought we had made was never secure—it was conditional, temporary, fragile. And yet, this does not mean we are powerless.
Feminism is not about fighting or taking something from someone else. It is about awareness, healing, transformation, and co-creation. It is about recognizing the ways in which we have been conditioned, unlearning the limitations imposed upon us, and stepping into a new way of being—one that is rooted in authenticity, sovereignty, and mutual respect.
This is not a battle. It is an awakening. It is a shift in consciousness that begins with speaking up, supporting each other, and refusing to accept a world where half the population is expected to carry the weight of inequality as if it were natural.
We do not need to tear anything down—we need to build something new. A society where everyone thrives, where no one is held back because of gender, where balance replaces dominance, and where transformation is not feared but embraced.
So no, the game is not being rewritten. We are rewriting it. And the more we raise awareness, the more we heal, the more we support and uplift one another, the more we make it impossible for the world to remain the same.
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