Senior Michael Young expresses his opinions on feminism

Q:     Define feminism in your own words.

A:     I would say that feminism historically has been about women getting the rights they didn’t have before. Modern feminism is a breakdown of stereotypical gender roles for both men and women.

Q:     Describe the prejudices women may face.

A:     People are socialized to believe that men are more dominant than women. And women are believed to be more dependent on other people.

Q:     Are women the only ones who experience prejudice?

A:     It’s about women and men, especially nowadays. Men sometimes have expected roles that they don’t necessarily identify with. The world for women has now become less polarized and less specific while expectations of men haven’t changed that much. For example, the idea of stay at home dads isn’t really accepted in society as much as stay at home moms.

Q:     How do you express your support for equal rights for both men and women?

A:     I’ve been a member of the Amnesty International Club since I was a sophomore. One event that supports equal rights is the Night of Rights. We put up posters that describe human rights issues, and we also have petitions that people can sign.

By Monica Cheng
<[email protected]>