Misogyny and sexism has been around in multiple aspects of life and history since the beginning of time, and we need to put an end to it. From ancient times to the present, it has been an ongoing problem. Women have been deemed inferior to men, have been discriminated against, and degraded for way too long. We all need to speak up and work together to stop this, we need feminism.
In Aristotle’s Politics, it states “Again, the male is by nature superior, and the female inferior; and the one rules, and the other is ruled; this principle, of necessity, extends to all mankind”. Ancient philosophy influenced society to normalize misogynistic and sexist ideologies, and it has done almost irreversible damage to women since. Another historical example of misogynism/sexism are the Salem Witch Trials. Out of the 20 people that were executed, 14 of them were women because of misogyny. Those were only of those who died, about 150-200 people were accused of witchcraft, a majority of them being women. This proves how misogynistic ideas heavily affect women in different ways. An example of how misogyny/sexism is still occurring today is how toxic men on social media use derogatory terms for women, such as “foid”, “hiplet”, etc. This establishes the idea of how misogyny has been an ongoing problem, and we need to avoid these types of ideologies.
Since the 19th-early 20th century, there have been four waves of feminism, all fighting for different women’s rights. The first wave was for women’s suffrage, to independently own property, gain further access to education, and to be seen as a citizen rather than a spouse. The second wave was to gain equality within aspects of life and society, such as politics, job positions, marriage, and sexuality. Additionally, they fought for abortion rights through Roe v. Wade case in 1973. The third wave’s objective was to finish what the second wave did not. The current and fourth wave is to focus and spread awareness on body shaming, sexual harassment/assault, and rape. These waves make up what feminism is today.
Misogyny and sexism has affected women in mental health, physical health, and their well-being. Statistically, women have to deal with more stress because of their unfair role in society. 1 in 5 women in the United States struggle with their mental health. (ED, PTSD, depression, etc.) Misogyny also causes internalized misogyny within some women. This causes low self-esteem, and negative self-perception, which causes a downfall to women’s mental health. These societal pressures on women should not be normalized because it causes their mental well-being to decline.
Women in some countries, such as the United States, have more rights than they did since the first wave of feminism. But in other countries, such as Afghanistan, women have little to no rights. In Afghanistan, they have strict dress codes, losing the right to be in school, forced marriages, and it is not allowed for women to be involved in politics. Meryl Streep said, “A squirrel has more rights than a girl in Afghanistan.” Feminism has gone a long way since, but there is still much more we need to do in order for every woman in the world to achieve equality. We need everyone’s voice to speak up to make a real change.
Sofia Amynurin Vinoya – Carmel Catholic High School – DMSF Class of 2030
Photo Credit: Colvernand – Adobe Stock