Recently, new research found that 52% of Gen Z and 53% of millennials believe that the promotion of women’s rights has gone ‘too far’ and is now discriminatory against men.
The research was conducted by Ipsos UK and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London, and its findings concluded that 55% men and 41% women thought this way.
As a woman, seeing this research come out made me feel incredibly concerned.
Women’s rights are under threat now more than ever. Events like the overturning of Roe v Wade, the looming gender pay gap, the ongoing attacks on transwomen, the war on girls’ education, the blatant everyday sexism and misogyny in every corner of our lives and the senseless threat on women’s lives for simply doing the most basic everyday tasks out and about, have made it abundantly clear why it is so important to amplify our voices and demand to be on an equal footing as cis men.
The entire point of advocating for women’s rights is to demand equality. Why is wanting to have equal rights as men being seen as a war or an act of discrimination against men?
Wanting to be treated fairly is not that big of an ask, and the fact that an alarming number of the younger generation is starting to see this basic ask as a step too far is dangerous.
Just because we are asking for equal amount of opportunities as men — not more, not less — does not mean that we are demanding to take away the rights of men. Equality is not a zero-sum game. One entity’s gain is not equivalent to the other entity’s loss.
It’s something many women agree with. We asked Twitter what they thought of the research – and it’s safe to say no one is happy about the findings.
Allie Mills tweeted: “Giving more rights and opportunities to women does not mean taking away the rights of men. True progress is inclusive and benefits everyone, regardless of gender.”
“Promoting women’s rights is not about giving women special privileges or advantages over men. It’s about ensuring that women have the same opportunities, freedoms and protections that men have always enjoyed,” Karen Boyd shared with us.
Ruth Davison, CEO of women’s charity Refuge, explains why these new figures expressing the younger generations’ attitude towards women’s rights are dangerous, especially when the movement still has such a long way to go.
“The figures published on attitudes to women’s rights are incredibly concerning, particularly that younger generations feel that feminist movements are going ‘too far’,” she says.
“While there has no doubt been progress, there is still a very long way to go before misogyny and violence against women and girls are eradicated. We now have to be concerned about the insidious ways in which social media and technology are being harnessed by misogynists to influence a new generation, and by perpetrators to further their abuse,” she adds.
The younger generations are the voice of a better future, but if we cannot rely on them to stand up for our basic rights when it matters, then what does that future for women even look like?
Wanting to enjoy the same rights and privileges as men is something that should never have to be up for a debate in the first place. However, the rise of misogynistic content on social media (and misogyny beacons like Andrew Tate) has only made this fight even harder.
“Questions need to be raised about how misogynistic content is being monetised by social media users, who are targeting young people. So much of VAWG (Violence Against Women and Girls) is rooted in misogyny, and videos showcasing and encouraging sexist behaviours or using misogynistic language can and does normalise it,” says Davison.
While we have progressed quite a bit when it comes to women’s equality and rights, it is nowhere near enough. As it stands, we are still 300 years from closing the gender wage gap. And our very existence is under threat every single day.
Women’s rights cannot go ‘too far’. This is not some badly written joke or a poorly executed prank. This is a matter of a person’s most basic fundamental rights that are questioned every single day in every single aspect of their lives.
If you’re threatened by the fact that someone just wants to enjoy the same privileges as you — as is their basic, god given right, by the way — you need to take a good hard look in the mirror.
Equality is not a zero sum game, it’s high time we stopped treating it as one.