Book Title: We Should All Be Feminists.
Author: Adichie Chimamanda Ngozi.
Published: 2014.
My Rating: 4.5/5.0. A short, warm and interesting essay on Feminism. Easy to digest. (I RECOMMEND!).
Before reading “We Should All Be Feminists”, I had never really given much thought to actively supporting feminism or being a feminist although I agreed with and acknowledged the usefulness of some of its theories that I had heard of.
That doesn’t sound so bad, does it?.
Like any other human organization, I believe the Feminist Movement has made its own share of mistakes like taking things too far/discriminating against males.
My closest male friend told me how he got a wrong idea about feminism from his female lecturer (supposedly a feminist).
In his words “she didn’t like guys at all, including the male lecturers”. She made a habit of putting her male students down while favoring the females in the name of feminism. This kind of behavior only adds to the problem.
However, feminism has also done much over the years to right the wrongs when it comes to gender discrimination and it is a worthwhile cause.
From Britain Suffragettes in the early 1900s (fighting for Women’s right to vote) to today’s Feminists, this is a fight that has lasted over a century.
I read two historical fiction books recently… one was set in the 1800s, the other in the 1900s and the discrimination against females was glaringly clear.
How is it that centuries later although much better than it was years ago, this problem persists?.
In Nigeria today, many females in high positions in the society are suspected to have “slept their way up the ladder of success”. Some females with excellent degrees face the same suppositions. While their male counterparts are seen to be hardworking, smart and capable of their achievements.
Very ambitious females who are uninterested in marriage are seen as unusual or even to be (to put it bluntly), “wasting their time”. Rich and successful ones are seen as intimidating and some still believe a woman’s sole purpose is home-making and childbearing.
And these are just a few of the many limiting/stifling mentalities that a lot of people (both males & females) in Nigeria have.
Not all men/women discriminate against females and sometimes it is done unconsciously; out of ignorance. This is why any medium that creates awareness on the subject should always be welcome.
“WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS” is one of such mediums. A call to wake up from our ignorance and treat both genders as equally as possible. The author also talks about how both genders are raised and the importance of unlearning some things we have accepted as normal.
This book is a worthwhile peek into some discriminations against females and even into some draining expectations placed on males in Nigeria. It also touches other parts of the world briefly. And I am glad I read it because it opened my eyes to quite a lot.
As a Christian, I believe we live in a fallen world and gender discrimination is one of the many products of that. And that feminism/being feminists cannot solve all the gender discrimination issues in the world. I believe the solution is found in Christ only.
Having said that, and maybe even BECAUSE of that, I believe we (BOTH males and females) can do our best not to be part of the problem, but to be part of the solution.
Lastly, in our bid to be part of the solution, we can also do our best not to ADD to it by taking things too far or discriminating against males.
Do you agree with this post?. Have you read this book?. Did you enjoy it?. What are your thoughts and/or experiences regarding feminism?. . If you haven’t read it does this ‘tale of the book’ make you want to?. Please feel free to share with us in the comment section. I’m looking forward to it!.
Yours truly,
Keno✍️.
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Tale of the Book 