There is an awkward question we should ask ourselves: did the feminism create a better world for all human beings in all the levels? And not just for you personally?
Ok, here we go: feminism! I deleted sentences many times before publishing my thoughts, I was afraid to appear obvious and to some extent pathetic. First of all, who am I? I am a white woman, living in the Western part of the world. In Germany. In Berlin. Lucky me! My words might feel outrageous for all the women who have no rights, who can't decide for themselves to choose for abortion, who are victims of sexual harassement. I'm sorry if you are experiencing these horrible things. Sorry sorry and sorry. I'm writing about feminism from a privileged point of view: other people previously fought for me and for my rights. I am also privileged since I never felt discriminated in the office just because I am woman. I didn't experience any types of discrimination. But I have to share that I roll my eyes when I hear about feminism false myths. Let me tell you why.
C-level is male dominated, women are more reluctant than men when it comes to ask for salary increase, women are often in charge of child care with unpleasant conditions: yes, I know all of this. The point is that men are not our problem. Nope. Insisting on someone's dishumanity by proving our own values won't lead to anything. Proclaming that women will change the culture of any given system is a lie we bought. Women, even if they go with the best intensions ever, will be absorbed by a system older than them. In order to gain the entry into such a patriarcal environment, you must mimic its behavior and take its own values: the display of power, the love for power. By doing this, women become part of the scheme they try to fight. Truth is that it is always more convenient to find our value by belittling another person value.
When I think about feminism, I don't imagine women to be "authorized" of being part of the current system, designed by the rules of patriarchy. I imagine women re-shaping the world that already exists, the working ethic we got used to. It is not about gently knocking the doors of the capitalist world and kindly ask for acceptance. When we talk about safety of women in the offices and fair salaries, we are separating women from the rest of the world, we are putting them in a cluster. While talking about salary gaps, we should keep in mind that no one wants to be paid more just because she is woman, it is all about talent: talents should be paid more. Full stop.
As women, or better as human beings, our call is not to recruit anybody in a fight against another gender. Our call is to listen to the needs and the desires of another person even if those needs differ very much from ours, our call is to act with humanity! Not every woman wants to become a CEO. We must ensure that everybody is simply enable "to be the best version of themselves" without imposing our own view of the world. Another crucial point I want to underline is the following: our sick capitalist working places have become hostile even to men. We have to think deeper about our overall culture, a culture that sometimes rewards inhumanity, inequality and isolation...not just for women. That's the enemy to fight, independently from our own gender.
I often heard that women are so essential in the workplace because of their empathy, as if empathy has a gender. Well, the idea of women being more empathic and caring than men originates from the male world. Previously this was the excuse to keep women at home to take care of children, to diminuish their intellectual value. Empathy has nothing do to with being a woman or a man, it is about being human. I also distance myself from the current attempt to indoctrinate young generations with the idea of being strong and pushy. Why do we tell this untrue story to the little girls and little boys and we don't tell them that humanity, kindness and compassion make a difference? Why pushing them to replicate the patriarcal paradigm? We already have so many women and men sitting on meeting tables and trying to dominate the rest with their inhumanity? We don't need additional new members to join this gang. We must raise little girls and little boys who are absolutely confident about the fact that it is enough to be human.
I want to have more humanists than feminists in the workplace!
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