Bringing up topics that usually induce different opinions or varied opinions in a casual conversation is much more difficult than it looks like. In this iffy and oblivious world, here we are discussing the two most raging topics of all times, to favor feminism or to favor equalism. It is more like a war of terms than a war of the sexes. To speak with utmost reverence if one is for equality, it does mean that the gender is equal between both the sexes. Not to lie I feel like we’re all put in a spot when it comes to talking about two things as similar and as contradictory as they could be. These are words that I’ve witnessed being casually used by a whole lot of people to maybe sound woke enough. Of course I have also crossed paths with people who have spoken about the same things with utmost genuineness as well. But what I mean is that such heavy words are often thrown around in disguise over a certain other thing and there’s nothing that can be really done about it. It is unfortunate in a few ways where people do not tend to use the words in the right manner. But then I ask myself if there is even a right way for such things to talk about! Like I have mentioned before there are always two sides to a coin likewise there are two sides to a story and also two sides to a perception. The underlying problem is that our minds are stuck in the pre-established notions and over the years that has grown stronger resulting in us only becoming more and more opinionated. Standing by our own cause and defending the same with all the strong points that we have is nothing but worth admiring. At the same time our minds being extremely opinionated tend to go against a lot of other people and that often pisses them off.                          

 Now I do not really wish to be this wayward eternally blabbering person. This will basically be an account of what I’ve understood of the terms feminist and equalist. The more I learn about both the terms it surprises me of all the never ending things that have a scope of coming up only when one can make up their mind to view things differently or mostly to keep an open mind. I refer to these words as “heavy” because I truly believe that these are words that can’t be just blurted out like any other word. They hold their value within themselves and casually using them simply weighs them down. A very familiar concept of a male dominated society or a patriarchal society has been deep rooted in all of us, no matter which culture we belong to or how upgraded our lives are. This has existed for years and is continuing to do so in spite of innumerable desperate conscious efforts to eradicate the same. The thing with habits or stereotypical mindsets per se is that our minds have been long captivated in a specific bubble and if we try to get out of it, our minds find it extremely difficult. Feminism is rooted from the conception or rather misconception that women are getting dominated by men where standards have been set for a man to conquer and for a woman to only visualize and nothing more. Given the situation and examples under the term feminism, it is not at all wrong to ask for one’s own stand in life. A concept that many people are aware of “the glass ceiling effect” explains how women are provided work according to their capabilities and have been assigned a particular amount of monetary benefit whereas at the same place men tend to have a much higher reach when it comes to their capabilities and the monetary benefits. There is so much that is wrong with the effects of the glass ceiling effect and it is called so because of the glass like invisible barriers that have been stopping a lot of women to own their rights and privileges. It keeps certain people from getting jobs, despite being well qualified for the same but it doesn’t only end with the work life. It spreads out to even personal areas of an individual’s life. Coming back to feminism it is an absolutely noble cause to stand by oneself unless there are layers attached to it. Very often feminism is defamed by a lot of people, a lot of us because of the negative reinforcement of the same. The aspect of “the other” is what makes it a hard pill to swallow because it is a known fact that we are all equal and there is no “other”. The movement developed throughout the years empowering a lot of women all over the world. In most societies, women tend to face gender related challenges on a daily basis which have been resolved over the years in some developed countries, but in a country like ours, the barrier still remains. Concerns and issues like this has led to the emergence of what is termed as feminism. It started with the goal of abolishing the hierarchical system- patriarchy which mostly gave men the power in government and society. Nevertheless, we have come a long way and we have women taking over today and that has been possible because of the persistent dedication of feminists. But today it has become a topic that no one would want to discuss openly because of the selective feminists coming at them as they have long deviated from the concept of it. It has started to fade away and the importance of the very word is edging towards shallow concepts. The word feminism speaks mostly for the women instead of both the genders and in some or the other ways this is difficult to resonate with. It’s almost as if it is a language that only speaks women whereas the agenda was never so. There needs to be something in it that can be referred to as binary and can be used to work towards equal rights for all irrespective of gender. Lately it has started to become outdated in terms of the fact that it creates friction between man and woman.                            

Feminism and equalism are similar concepts that work towards equal rights for all but are often confused with each other. Both the terms thrive on the purpose of equal rights although feminism does seem to emphasize more between the differences and inequalities between men and women. What I personally dislike about the concept of feminism is that it comes with a pre-assumed notion that women are underprivileged as compared to men. I mean isn’t that only a way to demoralize ourselves? We have all come so far and now we’re at a place where women are at par with men or even better in certain situations. An equalist fights for equal rights for all, regardless of sex, age and gender. On the other hand a feminist focuses on women’s rights, throwing light on the equal treatment of both the genders with a slightly restricted space for thought. Feminists are often criticized for taking an extreme approach in their fight for equality which at some point of time also means that it can be achieved but by overlooking someone else’s needs. Equalists are criticized for their broad approach towards gaining equal rights for all. This is the reason why I feel like neither of them can be replaced by each other. It’s just sheer acceptance that can lead us to believe that both feminism and equalism are beneficial in their own ways and there is no point in hovering around the strong disbelief that they are meant to contradict each other. Despite some key similarities, the movements are quite different from each other and in my personal opinion it will not be fair to overrule one of them. This is something that might have been discussed a ton of times and is brought up in our day to day conversations but the rift is not as necessary than it seems to us.              

    At the end of the day, all of us look forward to a place that is just, a place that doesn’t over power one or their privileges in any way. As much as it sounds doable, it is going to take a lot of us, consume a lot of us to give our best to bring the balance between both feminism and equalism. Addressing the elephant in the room, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that equal rights is what the world is working towards. Eventually will a personal stand even matter if there is no space or scope for consideration? Talking about this, it feels as though there is no fixed decision regarding the same and there will never be one. What stays with us is neither a black area nor a white area but a grey unclad state of mind wherein there’s going to be chances to see with an open mind if one wishes.