What is feminism? It is a political movement supporting the equality of sexes in all aspects of public and private life. I often hear men wonder what they can do to support feminism. Here are 10 suggestions for all of us:
- Don’t laugh at sexist jokes.
- Belly laugh to the comic genius of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
- Move to clean up dishes after a meal before anyone else does.
- Read biographies about women. Start with Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein by Miranda Seymour. Move on to Do They Hear You When You Cry – a stunning political and personal journey by and about Fauziya Kassindja; a woman from Togo who sought asylum from the practice of female genital mutilation.
- Read more literature, watch films created by women. Check out the mind-boggling book Orlando by Virginia Woolf. Then watch the beautiful film of the same name by director Sally Potter.
- Stop to consider what it means that one in three women in the world has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime. At least 1 in 4 college women will survive a sexual assault during her academic career. Now, look around at your female relatives, friends and colleagues.
- Seek opportunities to mentor women and girls.
- Stop to wonder whether your work colleague actually was overlooked for that promotion because she was a woman.
- March with a woman’s group at a political rally. Have fun.
- Suggest 10 additional easy ways for all of us to become better feminists.
Reprinted with permission from http://itbeginswithme.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/10-easy-ways-for-men-to-become-better-feminists/.