International Women's Day is a great opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the feminist revolution, one of the most important, if not the most important, revolutions of my generation. We can proudly say that we women have achieved equality of rights and opportunities, independence and power in the familial and public space.
The disparity between the sexes, which in the past was biased against women, has led to the establishment of powerful feminist organizations, the passing of legislation and increased public awareness that have dramatically changed the balance of power between the sexes in Western society. If there is a disparity between men and women, it is usually the result of personal choice and not the dictate of society. If she has the necessary skills and ability, a woman can now aspire to be whatever she desires. The issue of domestic violence, once the banner of the feminist revolution, has also noted significant achievements through like the establishment of centers for battered women and the public consensus that there should be zero tolerance for any form of violence against women.
Just as with the other movements that achieved their goals and realized their visions, the feminist movement should have lauded its achievements with pride and renounced its victim narrative.
But because making such a statement would eradicate the political and economic power of the female lobby, they have found a new mantra and that is the harming of men. Today, as it currently stands, the feminist revolution is mainly concerned with gender rights, not human rights. For example, despite research indicating men suffer from domestic violence, we concern ourselves only with violence perpetrated against women, instead of focusing on violence in general. It seems the working assumption of those who continue to claim discrimination is that if things are bad for men, they will be better for women. Campaigns like #MeToo pop up with the aim of "re-educating" the masculine gender. If in the past, we women fought for our right to be heard and to prevent victimization, today we have become the victimizers.
This campaign of delegitimization has not passed over the government and judicial institutions responsible for creating the discriminatory laws against men. No lawmaker, minister or judge wants to be responsible for making a decision or remaining silent on the subject of the protection of women and then learn another woman has been abused or God forbid murdered.
So, while the victimhood narrative could be understood at the outset of the feminist revolution when it was necessary to better women's standing in society, today we must ask: Is this narrative still necessary? Will we necessarily have it good if men have it bad? Although the feminist movement has done much to open doors and shatter glass ceilings for women, we should now contemplate a new path, a path in which we renounce our weakened position, encourage women to take responsibility for their own lives, speak out when they face discrimination, file a police complaint when they are abused and work harder and with determination to get wherever they want to be.
