Feminist Club at Emery

(Top row, from left): Nicole Zucker, Ryan Middleman, Ashley Barriga, Yardu German, Abbie Martinez (front row, from left) Haley Abramson and Melissa Goldblatt. (Photo: Elizabeth Stockdale)

I’ve spent the better part of my 17 years believing, without a doubt, that I would be awarded every opportunity that my male classmates had. My parents have worked to ensure that I have the chance to work for and achieve my goals. Growing up, the fight for women’s rights always seemed so distant. I would see on TV or read in the paper about the horrible treatment of women in third-world countries and I felt for them.

But I always assumed that these problems were exclusive to foreign countries, so distant from my world. Only within the past few years have I begun to realize that the fight for women’s rights is still an extremely necessary, crucial campaign, and is far from won. 

The first problem is people’s response to the word “feminist.” They hear it and seem to equate it with words like “man-hating” and “raging misandrist.” What many people, both men and women, do not understand is that feminism is the belief in political, economic, and social equality between genders. It is not a campaign to criticize men or tear apart a system; it’s a human fight for gender equality.

Emery/Weiner junior Abbie Martinez, and senior, Haley Abramson, recently founded Emery’s first Feminist Club. Members meet during lunch every Friday to discuss current events regarding feminism. 

Central issues in the fight for gender equality include the expectation that a woman’s place is in the home with the children and that a man’s place is at work, making all of the money. This perception is harmful to both genders, because each person should be free to live as he or she chooses.

The club discusses other discrepancies as well, such as the wage gap between men and women, as well as treatment of others in general, and how it is harmful to both genders. 
Members of the Feminist Club are encouraged to bring up ideas, articles, or thoughts about the fight for equality between genders.

In the next few weeks, the Feminist Club will be giving a presentation to the girls of Emery and the boys of Emery, separately. The presentations will discuss what it really means to be a feminist and will hone in on many of the issues that young men and women face in high school, like the pressures of gender expectations and sexist behavior from peers. The Feminist Club works to spread awareness about equal rights, and we hope that the club continues until, one day, there is complete equality between men and women.