Masculism and men's rights movements

Masculism emerged in the 20th Century as a reaction to the feminist movement in order to address men's interests and rights. The masculist movement encompasses a broad range of views and attitudes towards feminism. Some masculists view masculism as a complementary movement to feminism, with both movements seeking to correct gender discrimination, while other masculists explicitly oppose feminism and support a "new patriarchy." Many pro-feminist academics have been involved with men's studies, an area of research formed in response to men's rights movements and women's studies. Men's rights activism is commonly involved in addressing areas such as paternity fraud, family and divorce law, rape legal and reporting issues, the treatment of men in domestic violence cases, and negative stereotypes about men. Michael Flood, a pro-feminist, has characterized the movement as anti-feminist men's rights activists who "have ridden the wave of right-wing backlashes against “political correctness” and efforts at social justice" However, some men's rights advocates have argued that some forms of feminism have contributed to widespread misandry in society. Feminists have responded by denying that feminism is connected with misandry, and argue that this characterization originated outside of feminism to discredit the movement.

Modern women in Europe and North America enjoy a multitude of freedom that often goes underappreciated. Women today are afraid to call themselves feminists because of the negative stereotypes associated with that word. Before I talk about the present, let me talk about the past and let you know what a feminist really is.

In her pick, lina defined feminism as "a) the principle that women should have political, economic, and social rights equal to those of men b) the movement to win such rights for women" which is from the Webster's New World dictionary. Atari (rightfully) pointed out that it was more than that. That feminism is everything, the positive and negative associated with that term. The problem is, no one remembers the positive, or how feminism in the past is responsible for the freedoms we have today.

Even in the pick linked above, plenty of people still state that they believe in "the freedom of women and our rights to vote and have a say in everything" (actual quote from a user) but that they don't consider themselves a feminist. Most people do not even know that there are different schools of feminist thought, just as there are different sects of major religions. There is cultural feminism, material feminism, liberal feminism, ecofeminism, and radical feminism. In brief, cultural feminism focusses on the essential differences between men and women, and celebrating those differences in women that allows them to bond. The famous "Vagina Monologues" is a form of cultural feminism, which celebrates the idea of womanhood and pride in our own sexuality. Material feminism, also known as Marxist feminism, recognizes the plight of the oppressed women and sees capitalism as its fault, believing capitalism to be a means of exploiting not just workers, but women. Liberal feminists believe in the essential freedom of women. Their focus is to ensure that freedom, mostly from the state (who they see as the main oppressor of women) and to allow every woman the right to self-govern. It focuses on the power of the individual, and asserts that if a woman wants to be treated as equal, she has to present herself as an equal and believe in herself. Ecofeminism believes that the oppression of nature and the oppression of women are interconnected, and that nature is mainly a feminine force being dominated by a masculin patriarchal culture. Radical feminism, often the stereotyped feminism, believes that it is the flaw in our patriarchal society that oppresses us. It is often deduced that radical feminists hate men, which is not true. They hate the patriarchy, which puts men in power, not the men themselves.

Causes and successes of the feminist movement in the western world include:

Women's Sufferage

Reproductive rights, which includes birth control and abortion rights

Equal Pay for Equal Work Laws

Educational Rights

Diminishment of mandatory gender roles

Sexual assault and harassment laws

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