The narrative of feminism in today's era is no longer unfamiliar amongst Indonesian society. Since the National Commission on Anti-Violence Against Women was formed in 1998, the progressive advocacy on gender equality has been steadily increasing in Indonesia. Civil society flocked to advocate for the best interests of women through studies, policy advocacy and community empowerment. Various countries, including Indonesia, pay more attention to the gaps that arise due to power relations between women and men. This goes along with international movements that encourage gender equality such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The phrase that's most often heard of is the achievement of equality between women and men. However, what kind of equality that needs to be achieved? What kind of men do women want to be equal with? Is equality the final destination of the feminist movement? After equality occurs, then what? This article will try to re-analyze the meaning of equality and unveil the misconception around it.
Equality, which was derived from the word equal according to the Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, means parallel, at same level (position) and equivalent/balanced. However, of course KBBI explains the word equality etymologically and does not analyze the social context of the word. Equality sounds wonderful for women who are in the subordination of men within a culture that is thick with patriarchy. But, who are these men that women want to be equal with? Do white women who are in their productive age want to be equated with middle-aged black men? Do muslim women in an islamic state want to be equated with a male penghayat in Kuningan, West Java?
Equality between women and men can only be compared by two people (male and female) who are in exact same position. We can't put aside factors of privilege that are owned by certain groups when talking about equality. In addition, we also need to acknowledge that there is a gap among men that led to inequality between them as a result of discrimination based on class, race, ethnicity, etc. Equality can not be achieved without looking at the theory of intersectionality. Therefore, the concept of equality has become blurred because even white men that are often perceived as ideal standard of equality for women are not equal with all other white men.
bell hooks was one of the first black feminist thinkers who introduced the concept of intersectionality in feminist movement. She refused using capital letters in her name because such practice is a form of patriarchal cultures that keeps people focused on someone's name and personality rather than their work and idea. In her theory, she stated that gender relations cannot be separated from race, class and gender. Thus, the principle of intersectionality penetrated the boundaries of feminist movement from the then exclusive gender issues to an elevated and holistic movement of women's movement (which of course also fight for men whose rights are violated). However, it didn't stop there. bell hooks realized that inequality does not appear without a cause. Instead, it came into existence because of patriarchal culture.
The achievement of equality between men and women does not resolve the injustice, domination of class and oppression against women which are caused by the existence of patriarchal cultures. Therefore, equality is an outcome, not the final goal. The final goal is certainly the cease of patriarchal culture that puts women as second-class citizens who have no power over her own body, do not belong in public space and are fettered by gender roles which are created by heteronormative society.
The intersectional feminist movement has a new challenge to change the mindset of achieving equality to busting down the culture of patriarchy that harms both men and women. Equality as an outcome can occur with the expansion of the space for women in public and private sphere. For example, through affirmative action, women's involvement in decision-making inside the household, to the removal of discriminatory policies that restrict women's freedom. However, these changes have yet to answer the problem of patriarchal cultures that have been hegemonized in public's mind for hundreds to thousands of years.
Equality in access to education does not mean the public perception that "women do not need to attend school because they will end up in the kitchen anyway", has changed. Equality to choose a career does not mean the demands of society that women should immediately become someone's wife, because the thinking that women will no longer be desired after passing the age of 25, has changed. Equality before the law does not necessarily occur when female victims of rape are still blamed because of the clothes they wear or as a result of how late she returned home. All this perceptions are due to the patriarchal culture that has been rooted and ingrained in the society, not only in Indonesia but across the world. The culture of patriarchy should be eradicated starting from the little things that we often not realize, such as by teaching our children that boys are allowed to wear pink clothes and girls can play with car as a toy. Women should be free to be a housewife and career woman, in fact she can be both of them simultaneously because having many roles at once are one of human characteristics. A woman can be a mother, sister, daughter, wife, neighbor and worker at the same time.
Equality needs to be achieved on certain conditions, but feminist movement shouldn't stop there. Deconstructing the patriarchal mindset is indeed a tough challenge, but there is no other way to change it than by starting. Let's end the culture of patriarchy.
The phrase that's most often heard of is the achievement of equality between women and men. However, what kind of equality that needs to be achieved? What kind of men do women want to be equal with? Is equality the final destination of the feminist movement? After equality occurs, then what? This article will try to re-analyze the meaning of equality and unveil the misconception around it.
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| Women's March in Stockholm, Sweden. Source |
Equality between women and men can only be compared by two people (male and female) who are in exact same position. We can't put aside factors of privilege that are owned by certain groups when talking about equality. In addition, we also need to acknowledge that there is a gap among men that led to inequality between them as a result of discrimination based on class, race, ethnicity, etc. Equality can not be achieved without looking at the theory of intersectionality. Therefore, the concept of equality has become blurred because even white men that are often perceived as ideal standard of equality for women are not equal with all other white men.
bell hooks was one of the first black feminist thinkers who introduced the concept of intersectionality in feminist movement. She refused using capital letters in her name because such practice is a form of patriarchal cultures that keeps people focused on someone's name and personality rather than their work and idea. In her theory, she stated that gender relations cannot be separated from race, class and gender. Thus, the principle of intersectionality penetrated the boundaries of feminist movement from the then exclusive gender issues to an elevated and holistic movement of women's movement (which of course also fight for men whose rights are violated). However, it didn't stop there. bell hooks realized that inequality does not appear without a cause. Instead, it came into existence because of patriarchal culture.
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| bell hooks. Photo by: Karjean Levine/Getty Images Source |
The intersectional feminist movement has a new challenge to change the mindset of achieving equality to busting down the culture of patriarchy that harms both men and women. Equality as an outcome can occur with the expansion of the space for women in public and private sphere. For example, through affirmative action, women's involvement in decision-making inside the household, to the removal of discriminatory policies that restrict women's freedom. However, these changes have yet to answer the problem of patriarchal cultures that have been hegemonized in public's mind for hundreds to thousands of years.
Equality in access to education does not mean the public perception that "women do not need to attend school because they will end up in the kitchen anyway", has changed. Equality to choose a career does not mean the demands of society that women should immediately become someone's wife, because the thinking that women will no longer be desired after passing the age of 25, has changed. Equality before the law does not necessarily occur when female victims of rape are still blamed because of the clothes they wear or as a result of how late she returned home. All this perceptions are due to the patriarchal culture that has been rooted and ingrained in the society, not only in Indonesia but across the world. The culture of patriarchy should be eradicated starting from the little things that we often not realize, such as by teaching our children that boys are allowed to wear pink clothes and girls can play with car as a toy. Women should be free to be a housewife and career woman, in fact she can be both of them simultaneously because having many roles at once are one of human characteristics. A woman can be a mother, sister, daughter, wife, neighbor and worker at the same time.
Equality needs to be achieved on certain conditions, but feminist movement shouldn't stop there. Deconstructing the patriarchal mindset is indeed a tough challenge, but there is no other way to change it than by starting. Let's end the culture of patriarchy.
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