Feminism, as defined by the Oxford dictionary, is the advocacy of social, political and economic equal rights of both sexes. Women in the United States as far back as two centuries ago first engineered this equal gender rights movement. In 1919, hundreds of women gathered at the White House to protest for promulgation into law, the provision that will recognize their suffrage rights, to take part in the Democratic process of the country. After numerous clamoring, their request was granted and so much balance has since then been achieved in terms of social, political and economic equality.


Africa, West Africa in particular, has also felt the wave movement of feminism at some point in its rich history. The most prominent of them is the Aba women's riot that is widely regarded as the first notable feminist act in Africa. In 1929, thousands of Igbo women, from the then Bendel district, Umuahia and other districts, took to the streets to revolt against and redress the nefarious acts perpetrated by traditional rulers, mainly against women, during the indirect rule by our past colonial masters. At the end of the day, their act yielded positive results.


The main objective of feminism is to establish social and economic equality between both sexes. In this day and age, a whole new perception of feminism has been formed, which is alien to what feminism actually represents. This new form of feminism takes on men to be misogynists, male chauvinists, and demeaning beings. It rallies its adherents to be all out to bring men to their feet and pull out all the stops, regardless of the consequences, to establish their superiority over men. This, in every angle, is a transmogrification of what feminism stands for.


The current feminism is not all about dealing with sexist institutions, social, economic and political laws that discriminate against women. Its ideology tilts towards ostensibly propagating Misandrism - the hatred of men- under the guise of feminism. Misandrism is the same as misogynism except the former is carried out against men. The manifestation of this ideology is abundant on the social media spaces, Twitter for instance, where posts and comments that reek of derogatory tonality of the men is highly prevalent.


This faction of feminists that are latching on to this ideology is mostly the unmarried females, sex abuse & domestic violence and heartbreak victims. They develop hatred for men probably because of an ugly experience they had with them, education received or the environment they grew in. In most cases, misandrists are victims of broken homes. These conditions, unfortunately, mold their perceptions towards men as misogynists and patriarchal.


This grotesque societal development has all but subjected most men to becoming endangered species. There have been reported cases of men becoming victims of domestic violence, even though that is less looked at. If not nipped in the bud, there could be a surge in the rate of androcide attributed to Misandrism.


For all intents of clarity, I am not saying that feminism is a wrong movement. As a matter of fact, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool pro-feminist and staunchly of the opinion that women should be granted equal opportunity, not to some certain degree but just as the men in society. This polemic is more about getting our facts right. Most of the women out there fail to observe that there is a thin line between feminism and Misandrism and therefore easily get misled to advocate for a wrong course.


Feminists should be chiefly concerned with campaigning for greater rights and protection of women in the patriarchal society. This should be done more than purveying hate, disdain, and aversion towards man, which in the first place is uncalled for. Feminists are fighters against the patriarchal social structure that's largely deemed a repressive and exploitative structure against women. Feminists aim to revolutionize the societal order that has robbed them of their nature-given rights.

Do not hate men but hate the patriarchal society. Do not be a misandrist but a feminist.

FLwriter