Everyone at Rice needs feminism

By Anastasia Bolshakova and Clara Roberts     9/30/13 7:00pm

"Identify yourself as a feminist today, and many people will immediately assume you are a man-hating, bra-burning, whiny liberal. Perhaps a certain charming radio talk show host will label you a 'Feminazi' or 'slut.' Even among more moderate crowds, feminism is still seen as too radical, too uncomfortable or simply unnecessary."

Over a year ago, 16 students at Duke University wrote this statement because they were concerned about the backlash against feminism on Duke's campus and in society in general. These 16 students started a public relations campaign for feminism at Duke, and since then, the campaign has spread to different universities across the globe. This year, we are bringing the Who Needs Feminism campaign to Rice University.

This week, we have been around campus, setting up photo shoots and asking Rice students why they need feminism. These photos feature men and women, students and faculty, English majors and engineers, campus leaders and lesser-known faces. Even President David Leebron and Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson stopped by to share why they need feminism.

---

---

The only characteristics that unify all these people are their affiliation with Rice and their desire for equality. There is no typical feminist. Feminists are all around you, chatting with you at Coffeehouse, assisting in your classes. These are ordinary people of any gender, any race, any class and any sexual orientation. They realize this is not just a women's movement - this is a human movement. These are people who simply believe everyone deserves equality. But what makes these people different from those who dismiss feminism is their understanding that feminism is neither scary nor irrelevant. They are willing to stand by their belief in gender equality, even when doing so may make others uncomfortable.

Many people push feminism aside, claiming gender parity has already been reached because we have progressed so much in recent years. Many of us would like to believe equal opportunities exist everywhere and any difference in what men and women achieve can be explained by the choices women make. However, we must realize that all our choices are made within a complex social, cultural, economic and political context. Structural inequities and dominant gender norms restrict women from achieving what their male counterparts can. These structures also interact with racial, ethnic, sexual, class and other identities to constrain individuals. So Owls, we would just like to take this opportunity to make you aware of a few important facts:

According to the New York Times, women with a master's degree earn 72.7 percent of what men with equal education earn in the same position. 

According to Catalyst, women currently hold only 4.2 percent of Fortune 500 CEO positions and 4.5 percent of Fortune 1,000 CEO positions. 

According to Stop Street Harassment, between 80 and 90 percent of women have been harassed in public. Harassment is a gateway crime that normalizes other forms of gender violence. 

According to the New York Times, one in five women are victims of sexual assault. 

According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the U.S. ranks 80th internationally in its percentage of women for the legislature. 

And one in two people on Earth are women.

At Rice, 48.3 percent of undergraduate students are women. Shouldn't they have the same rights and opportunities as their male counterparts? We need feminism because men should not feel afraid to wear pink. We need feminism because we refuse to justify our ambitions. We need feminism because we do not want to be judged by what we wear or our sexual choices. We need feminism because women's healthcare is still threatened by our state legislature. We need feminism because we love and respect our grandmothers, our mothers, our sisters, our friends, our professors and ourselves.

We need feminism. Why do you? Join us and ADVANCE for a discussion on feminism and women's rights this Friday in the Meyer Conference Room in the Ley Student Center at noon. 

Check out the Rice Needs Feminism Facebook page at facebook.com/RiceNeedsFeminism for more information.

---