The Wyvern Society: Feminism

“Victim-complex, man haters.”

“They already have rights - what could they possibly fighting for?”

“The Gender Pay gap does not exist.”

“They are just arrogant.”

These are just some the things we’ve heard around school.

So, the Wyvern society has decided to present to you today what feminism REALLY is all about.

By definition, feminism is “the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of EQUALITY for the sexes. Before we properly start our assembly, we wanted to highlight the word equality within this definition, as we’ve noticed how members of the public have twisted and misconstrued the point of feminism, as an attack on any other gender that is not female. More than a word, feminism is a movement advocating for women’s social, political, legal and economic rights equal to those of men. Its first documented use dates back to 1837 in France, where socialist Charles Fourier uses ‘feminism’ to describe women’s liberation in a utopian future. By the early 1900s, it is associated with women’s suffrage, but later evolves to carry more meaning. In particular, ‘intersectional feminism’ draws attention to how women face different forms of discrimination based on factors, such as race, class, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. In her 1851 speech “Ain't I a woman?”, American feminist and former slave Sojourner Truth draws attention to how women experience sexism differently.

It's important to us to emphasise the fact that feminism is fighting for the rights that women deserve, not simply attacking men - whether that is within the community of our school or in global atmospheres like UN committees, for example. Feminism is also cruical for the women who can’t fight for themselves, like the women in Gaza who are experiencing horrific violence and discrimination even in a society as evolved as we are in 2024.

Where has this stigma come from?

The stigma associated with the word, or concept, feminism has had to have come from somewhere. After all, as mentioned earlier, only 36% of British adults define themselves as a feminist. The hatred of feminists mostly comes from men with innately sexist ideologies that believe they are superior based on how the world has worked for ages. The world needs to change to promote equality and debunk the misogynistic ideologies that women are inferior to men solely because of gender, biological or not.

Some possible reasons for this stigma having arisen are:

· Feminism can often be associated with women bashing men

· This can link to some men feeling like feminism means they lose their “power” in the face of forceful women

· Or feel being associated with femininity will decrease their masculinity.

· Of course, there will always extremists who escalate things, but we shouldn’t generalize ALL feminists to be this way.

· Some iconic radical feminists, who call for a “reordering of society in which male supremacy is eliminated” can be seen on the screen, such as Catherine Mackinnon, Alice Walker and Andrea Dworkin, who have been instrumental in the fight against the degradation of women through pornography, for example.

Where did feminism come from?

There have, of course, been too many positive moments and iconic figures in the history of feminism for us to ever list in one short assembly. For some context, feminism can be divided into 4 main movements, or “waves”: First-wave feminism had a fairly simple goal: have society recognize that women are humans, not property. Second wave feminism built on first-wave feminism and challenged what women’s role in society should be. Three main types of feminism emerged: mainstream/liberal, radical, and cultural. Mainstream feminism focused on institutional reforms and reducing gender discrimination. Radical feminism, as we have touched on, wanted to reshape society entirely, saying that the system was inherently patriarchal and only an overhaul would bring liberation. Cultural feminism had a similar view and taught that there’s a “female essence” that’s distinct from men. The phrase “third-wave feminism” was coined in 1992 by Rebecca Walker, a 23-year old Black bisexual woman. When the internet became more commonplace, it was even easier to hear perspectives and ideas from feminists around the world. Fourth-wave feminism continues to reckon with intersectionality. Critics of “white feminism,” which ignores the unique struggles of women of colour, expose how non-white feminists and ideas have been – and continue to be – suppressed. Trans rights are a big part of the conversation, too.

Now, onto some incredible women within the fight for women’s rights, who have come before us, shaping and improving the society we currently live in.

- THE SUFFRAGETTES - In the first major rallying cry for feminism, The Suffragettes fought passionately for women's rights, most specifically, the right to vote. Their movements and protests, both peaceful and radical, allowed for the nationwide right for women to vote in 1920. Some of the most notable women in the movement include Mary Wollstonecraft, Susan B. Anthony, Alice Stone Blackwell, Elizabeth Cady Stanton

- SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR - An outspoken political activist, writer and social theorist, in 1949 de Beauvoir wrote The Second Sex, an ahead-of-its-time book credited with paving the way for modern feminism. In the influential (and at the time, extremely controversial) book, de Beauvoir critiques the patriarchy and social constructs faced by women. The Second Sex was banned by The Vatican and even deemed "pornography" by some—a fearless start to the fight for feminism.

- ELEANOR ROOSEVELT - Roosevelt became the first First Lady to take on responsibilities beyond merely hosting and entertaining in the White House. Before her tenure as First Lady, she was already outspoken and involved with women's issues, working with the Women's Trade Union League and the International Congress of Working Women.

- GLORIA STEINEM - Aptly referred to as the "Mother of Feminism," Gloria Steinem led the women's liberation movements throughout the '60s and '70s—and continues to do so today.

· MALALA YOUSAFZAI - The courageous teenager rose to fame with her memoir, I Am Malala, documenting her fearless journey as a young student fighting for access to education in Pakistan. Ever since, Malala has been traveling the world advocating for education rights for women and children through her foundation, The Malala Fund

If you are interested in finding out more about the history of feminism, UN Women have a fantastic interactive resource that I encourage you to look into.

Why is it important to reduce stigma?

Please watch this short clip from the recent film Barbie, as we think no one sums it up better than America Ferrara in this powerful scene!

Women in Gaza: How is feminism helping and why is it so important?

Currently in Gaza, many women are being held as hostages and killed. It was noted by UN Women that for decades the Israeli occupation and the denial of self-determination have subjected Palestinian women to multiple layers of egregious and systematic discrimination and violence.

- UN women estimated that 16,000 women and children have been reportedly killed by Israeli forces since the conflict erupted nearly 5 months ago.

- Out of 1.9 million people seeking shelter, almost one million are women and girls

- UN women found from its analysis of funding from last year's flash appeal for Gaza that just 0.09% of funding went directly to national or local women's rights organizations.

ONLY 0.09%.

We wanted to highlight this as the case study today because as many of you know, the situation in Gaza is currently very severe and affecting MANY people every day. We wanted to shed some light on the perspective of women living in the middle of this very real situation, to help you hopefully understand why feminism is SO important.

At its core feminism advocates for gender equality, trying to dismantle the systems of oppression and discrimination based on gender.

It is not about whether females are better than males, it is about ensuring that people of ALL genders have equal rights and treatment in society.

It has been seen that people think feminism is doing more harm than good and we see the negative stigma behind feminism, however we believe feminism is simply just an instrument in driving social and cultural change, as we challenge patriarchal norms and institutions through activism.

Without this concept women wouldn’t be able to have the strength to fight for what they believe in and what they DESERVE, and without it, things such as (see list in the PowerPoint) would have never happened.

Abortion –1967 it was legalized, along with access to contraceptive pills.

And the current Iranian women's protest currently ongoing.

Why should you care?

So why are we telling you this? What is the main point we’re trying to put across to you? Well, these case studies tell us that feminism is not just a western concept, and it serves as a catalyst for change in a global sense. It has amplified the voices of marginalised women and advocated for laws and policies that address their problems. This has been exhibited through the legalisation of driving for the women of Saudi Arabia that has protected their rights, much of which has also been highlighted in the various other case studies on the screen.

Therefore, we believe people of ALL genders should care about feminism - we are all a crucial part of the equation. If you believe that all people, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age or ability should have equal legal rights, access to voting, education and employment, then that takes everyone to speak up for those rights. When we chose to subscribe to stereotypes and toxic ideologies, we choose to harm ourselves, chose to harm women, and harm everyone across the gender spectrum. But, when we choose to support feminism, we lean towards a more equal society by supporting each other and allowing each other to express themselves and flourish. Thank you for listening.