The foundation of America is designed to support a culture of freedom and equality regardless of nationality, economic status, faith, sexual orientation or gender. It's a heart breaking truth that more than two hundred years later a battle is being fought to enable women with the same rights that were conceived during the birth of this nation. Feminism is the theory of political, economic, and social equality of the sexes according to the Merriam Webster online dictionary. A feminist is any person involved in organized activity on behalf of women's rights. In a survey conducted by the Huffington Post, eighty-two percent of the respondents supported the political, economic, and social equality of men and women. However, only twenty percent identified as feminists with the majority being women. Only sixteen percent of male respondents identified as feminist (Swanson, 1998). Why is support so high yet the number of men identifying with this group so low? In many circumstances the term holds a negative connotation rather than its actual meaning. When hearing the word "feminism," men flash to images of rioting, vindictive women who seek to blame men for all their problems. The stereotype that feminists hate men is the largest reason that the movement has not gained more support in the male population. I know this because I am a male feminist, and I have seen firsthand why other men, such as my friends, refuse to identify with feminism. A misunderstanding of feminism lies at the heart of this reluctance. Feminists do not hate men, rather they seek to liberate both sexes from gender roles and empower them in every aspect of our culture. Men in America need to identify and support the feminist movement in order to create a culture that not only progresses women but also eradicates gender norms, which could positively affect change in workplace sexism, sexual violence, and female-negative legislation.
