defining feminism

At the "Defining Feminism" Gabfest on March 6, 2008, six women were asked to define what feminism means to them. Below is how Dr. Jan Everhart answered the question.

Feminism in Three Minutes

Feminism is a worldview that celebrates the presence, power, and passion of women. As a feminist I assume that women and men are God’s good creation. I challenge any presumption of male superiority. As a feminist I am aware that language shapes our perceptions of reality. “Mankind” does NOT include me as long as “men’s room” designates a space with urinals and toilets for men. Doctors do not deliver babies – the woman giving birth delivers the baby, and the doctor assists. The reality that the most insulting thing one can say about a man in our society relates to his mother –– should concern all of us.

As a feminist I expect health care providers to understand how heart disease manifests itself in women, and I find it appalling that in 2008, most US physicians still don’t recognize the early signs of HIV in women. As a feminist I advocate for women’s experiences to be told by women. Given the androcentric nature of almost all written texts in recorded history, I seek as a feminist reader to uncover women’s lives and women’s voices. I challenge the assumption that what has been recorded and preserved represents the full range of human experience.

As a feminist I am aware that race, gender, and class intersect in significant ways and that we cannot assume all women share the same experiences. As a feminist I expect equal pay for equal work. As a feminist I believe that the work of maintaining a household and caring for children is economically and socially valuable. Every parent is a working parent, whether or not she or he holds an additional job. As a feminist I advocate for the right of a woman to hold the highest office in the land AND for the right of a man to choose a role as primary childcare provider at home with his children.

Fundamentally, feminism means that women are people. We fulfill many roles: parents, pastors, plumbers, pilots, project managers, plant supervisors, potters, production line workers, podiatrists, pole vaulters, prison guards and prisoners, presidents of corporations big and small. Any letter of the alphabet would work for this exercise! Feminism embraces the simple but profoundly radical belief that women are fully human.


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Defining Feminism At the "Defining Feminism" Gabfest on March 6, 2008, six women were asked to define what feminism means to them. Below is how Dr. Jan Everhart answered the question. Feminism in Three Minutes Feminism is a worldview that celebrates the presence, power, and passion of women. As a feminist I assume that women and men are God’s good creation. I challenge any presumption of male superiority. As a feminist I am aware that language shapes our perceptions of reality. “Mankind” does NOT include me as long as “men’s room” designates a space with urinals and toilets for men. Doctors do not deliver babies – the woman giving birth delivers the baby, and the doctor assists. The reality that the most insulting thing one can say about a man in our society relates to his mother –– should concern all of us. As a feminist I expect health care providers to understand how heart disease manifests itself in women, and I find it appalling that in 2008, most US physicians still don’t recognize the early signs of HIV in women. As a feminist I advocate for women’s experiences to be told by women. Given the androcentric nature of almost all written texts in recorded history, I seek as a feminist reader to uncover women’s lives and women’s voices. I challenge the assumption that what has been recorded and preserved represents the full range of human experience. As a feminist I am aware that race, gender, and class intersect in significant ways and that we cannot assume all women share the same experiences. As a feminist I expect equal pay for equal work. As a feminist I believe that the work of maintaining a household and caring for children is economically and socially valuable. Every parent is a working parent, whether or not she or he holds an additional job. As a feminist I advocate for the right of a woman to hold the highest office in the land AND for the right of a man to choose a role as primary childcare provider at home with his children. Fundamentally, feminism means that women are people. We fulfill many roles: parents, pastors, plumbers, pilots, project managers, plant supervisors, potters, production line workers, podiatrists, pole vaulters, prison guards and prisoners, presidents of corporations big and small. Any letter of the alphabet would work for this exercise! Feminism embraces the simple but profoundly radical belief that women are fully human.
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