The World is filled with misconceptions and misinterpretations and one of the most wrongly interpreted word is the word feminism. We often view Women who associate themselves with this word as either unhappy because they cannot find husbands for themselves or because they hate men or because they don't use all the girly or lady like stuffs. Sometimes we say feminism is not part of the African culture, so we try to distant ourselves from it, saying it's the way of the west. If those are your opinions, then you are far from the truth.
What then is Feminism? Feminism is the belief and aim that women should have the same rights and opportunities as men. A feminist is someone who feels a lady should have the same right and opportunities as a man, when placed on a level playing field.

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Let's say you have a daughter or a sister, and she goes to a mixed high school, will you say because they are boys in her class then she can't come out as the best student in her class? Of course not, and your reason would basically be because she and the boys in her class, are on a level playing field, so the best should get credit for it, irrespective of their gender. If you feel that way, you are a feminist, it's as simple as that. But going up the ranks in life, the situation becomes more complex. Men and Women are different, different hormones, different body structures and different abilities, women can have babies, men can't or at least not yet. 52% of the World's population are females, yet most political positions and positions of power, prestige and influence are occupied by men. You'll agree that the higher you go in the hierarchy of power, influence or prestige, the fewer women you will find.

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It's a man's world is a phrase that demonstrates, men's dominance on the World and it totally makes sense, some centuries ago. At that time, physical strength was the most important attribute for survival. It was survival of the fittest, the physically stronger person was more likely to lead. Men in general are physically stronger, though there are many exceptions. But today it's the survival of the smartest*. We live in a different world, the leader isn't likely to be physically stronger, but the most intelligent, creative and innovative. This creates a level playing ground for both male and female, as there are no hormones responsible for creating this qualities. A woman is as likely as a man to be intelligent, creative and innovative. The world has evolved, we have also evolved, but sadly our views and ideas about gender hasn't evolved.

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Society has inputed into us that men are more important than women, but you'll agree that for coming out tops in her class, your daughter or sister is just as worthy as the boys in her class. Feminism is not an easy conversation, it tends to make people uncomfortable, both male and female. For men, they feel threatened by the idea of feminism. This comes from the insecurity which comes as a result of how boys were brought up, their sense of self-worth is diminished, if they are not naturally in charge as men. And women who tend to distant themselves from this term do so, so as not to be seen as unhappy with their lifes or so as not to scare the men away, and most times, they are affected by the fact the society raised them to see themselves to be below the male folks, hence changing the status quo is always uncomfortable.

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Feminism goes beyond believing in human rights. Yes feminism is part of the human rights, but to categorically say feminism is human rights, means we denying the specific and particular problems that are exclusively to the female folks, it would be a way of pretending that it's not women who have been excluded for centuries from certain opportunities. In a university, a boy can easily avoid troubles from lecturers by abiding by the rules of the school, but the case is quite different for a female, even after following all the necessary rules of the school, she still might catch the fancy of a lecturer, who will insist on her passing through his bed, before she can pass his course. Therefore, the problem is not basically about being human, but specifically about being a female human. For centuries, the World divided human beings into two groups and it has proceeded to exclude and oppress one group. It's only fair that the solution of the problem should acknowledge the main issue.

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We need to know that feminism has absolutely nothing to do with putting down men or boys in order to elevate the status of women. It has nothing to do with women controlling the World or making Men lose out on power, impact, influence, authority or economic opportunities. Its just asking for a fair chance for the female folks, when placed on a level playing field. We also need to know that feminism is about equality, not sameness. It's vital to understand that same does not mean equal. Feminism is about equal rights and equal access to opportunities. Many fear that feminism will overturn time honored traditions, so they'll tell you that according to our culture a woman is subordinate to man. But culture is constantly changing, a hundred years ago, the Igbos killed twins, for fear of bad omen, the Zulu tribe used sharp blades or rocks to circumcise teenage boys, tribes in Kenya and Tanzania cuts off the genitals of female in a bid to circumcise them, in order to prevent them from engaging in sex. As horrible as these sounds, they did happened, a hundred years ago. But things are different now.

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Culture functions ultimately to ensure the preservation and continuity of a people. Culture does not make people, it's people who makes culture. So if you object strongly to your sister, daughter or mom being paid lesser than a man for doing the same job, you are a feminist. If you feel that your daughter or sister should have equal rights and access to things in her class, as the rest of the boys, then you are a feminist. If you feel that your daughter, sister or mom should have the same political, social and economic rights as every man, you are also a feminist. If you prefer people to be recognized for their talents, skills and brilliance and not their looks, you are absolutely a feminist. It's therefore time for us to embrace the concept of feminism, it's time for us to remake ourselves. It's time for us to dream and plan for a different world, a much happier world, where your daughter, sister, wife or mom wouldn't be denied access to opportunities because the World feels they are lesser to the men. And to do this, we need to change the way we think, we need to evolve, the men need to speak up for this course, we need to raise our children differently, we need to tell our boys that they are equal to the the girls and tell our girls not to feel inferior to the boys. We need to teach them equality not superiority. If you and I truly embrace feminism, the world would be a better place.

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We all should be feminist

Remember when God thought of greatness, he created you to show for it.

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I'm @daniel-otaniel, a Nigerian, and We are amazing people.