Feminism means freedom

My adoption of the "feminist" title was a gradual process influenced by two very distinct factors in my life: my parents and my course of study.

My parents are wonderful individuals who made it clear to me from a very young age that I am the smartest person on earth and can accomplish anything. However, they also made clear what they consider acceptable female behavior, leaving me with confusion as to what my role in this society really should be.

As a woman pursuing a degree in the male-dominated field of computer science, I've been able to understand the balance of power that exists in academia and the workplace. I've witnessed and experienced incidents of overt condescension and outright discrimination.

Translating my experiences to a set of beliefs, I acquired the "feminist" label. As is the case with any generally misunderstood ideology, this has resulted in having thoughts, beliefs or attitudes ascribed to me without me ever expressing or stating such things. Too often, people predict and react to my viewpoint on comments they have made before I even respond. This only serves to make me feel that I'm seen as a walking ideology rather than an actual person.

The definition of feminism is "belief in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes." Many individuals share this belief, but shy away from calling themselves feminists.

My own interpretation of this definition is translated to a broad set of fundamental beliefs. I do not hate men, nor do I think men are inherently worse or better than women. I think that in our society, men are in the position of power and that is what I work to change. I do think that men and women are different; however, how much of this difference arises from biology and how much is socially constructed remains to be seen.

I will not make claims to be able to quantify what the balance of power in our society would be if all the social constructs were removed. But it is simply not fair to blame the discrepancies that exist today between men and women as being biologically inevitable. I believe that the gender roles in our society are constrictive and damaging to members of both sexes; both men and women should be able to exhibit behaviors associated with the other gender without fear of persecution.

These very basic tenets of my personal philosophy serve as a foundation for most of my other feminist beliefs. I feel that feminism has gotten a bad rap; many individuals shy away from calling themselves feminists because of all the negative connotations associated with the term. This, it seems, is not quite fair because so many of us believe in working toward the same goals, but are scared away by the threat of being called a bra-burning, man-hating, whiny bitch.

As soon as these stereotypical images are stripped away, it seems that many people strive for gender equality. I hope that those who do may have changed their negative associations with the word "feminist," and will consider adopting the title themselves.

Danielle Farrar is director of the ASUW Women's Action Commission. Opinions expressed here are her own.