Feminism as a Cliff Analogy

By Zohal Arbabzada – a recent high school graduate who is an aspiring writer and a humanities fanatic!

Feminism is based on the primary purpose for gender equality.

So what does this mean?

Allow me to explain using a cliff as an analogy.

Men stand on the top of a cliff.

Women traditionally have been at the bottom of this cliff.

Feminism is the movement that allows women to slowly climb this cliff so that they can be on par with men in the opportunities they can have in the world. It will allow both men and women to be the makers of change in the world.

However, there will come a point where women will need the help of men to be equal to them. This may sound contradictory to the notion of women empowerment, but how can women be empowered if men do not acknowledge their existence? It is not only your sense of self, but it is the people and opportunities around you that empower you. If men hold considerable control over opportunities, then they are a key part of enabling women empowerment.

When you’re at the bottom of the cliff you are unknown; you are dark and often mysterious and different.

However, the closer you get to the top of the cliff with your own strength the less unknown you become … and the more familiar you will be to those above you.

There will reach a point where women will be so close to gender equality. It is at this point, that men must reach out a hand and help. They must use their privilege to pull women up and play their part in keeping the scale balanced.

This can only happen when one can understand the other in a myriad of ways; whether this is intellectually or even emotionally.

This seems impossible, but that’s the point. Humans fight for the impossible … we always have and we always will.

The point is, if men refuse to help then there remain only a few options for women:

1. Claw against their oppression
2. Fall down the cliff and let go of all the progress that’s been made
3. Bring down their oppressors with them; the old “if you burn, then they’ll burn with you” saying.

As you can see point 3 lends itself to the type of feminism that has been manipulating the primary purpose of gender equality recently. This can only mean chaos, and only detracts from the goal to allow both men and women, in their own rights, be allowed to make change in the world.

The problems of the world will only accumulate if men are too focused on their pride and women too focused on bringing them down.

Two extremes are not the answer – they never have been.

Gender equality is.