Oh, I just used the F-word… “Feminism” or is it “feminism” in your world? I read an excellent article in the June 5, 2010 (yeah, I’m a little behind in my reading) Toronto Star, written by Nicole Baute, entitled Feminism, up close and personal.

The article talks about what it means in 2010 to call yourself a feminist, if you actually even want to call yourself that at all. Anyone who lived through the late 1960s knew what it meant to be a feminist. Being a feminist during this time was perceived to include activism, burning bras and going up against the establishment i.e., - men. I was too young to actually participate in any of this activism but my perception was that they were a group of women demanding equality.

Fast forward to 2010: women, who just as strongly believe in equality, may not be so quick to say they are feminists. The term has earned itself some form of negative connotation. So, when I read Baute’s article I had to stop and think, if I were asked today if I was a feminist, how would I answer and if it went one step further and I was asked if I was a capital F or small f feminist, which would I be?

Baute says in her article, “Feminism today is fragmented. There are as many feminisms as there are feminists, and feminists tend to disagree about what the issues are and should be, and how they should be approached.” To me, this statement sums it up nicely. I’m not sure what it means to be a feminist in 2010. I think everyone, including women, should have equal opportunities and be treated equally. I believe diversity of thought should be valued and all opinions, backgrounds and experiences should count in discussions and decision making processes. I think people should be called on their systemic biases and made aware of how damaging these deeply invisible beliefs hamper equality and diversity in the workplace. I do know the more inequality I experience the more willing I am to call myself a feminist.

So, if you were asked the question: Are you a feminist? What would you say? Are you a capital F feminist and if so, what does that mean exactly? Or would you consider yourself a small f feminist and what does that distinction mean to you?

Leave a comment about what feminism means to you. Maybe if we can discuss and define what feminism actually means in 2010, we will all better understand were we fit into this movement, if indeed it is a movement at all.