Professor Dzodzi Tsikata, the Director, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, has disputed the notion that Feminists are anti-men, bitter, aggressive, and against culture, Christianity, Islam, and the natural order.
She said the belief that feminist ideas were imposed from outside and could derail other positive struggles was false.
She stated her position on Wednesday during a virtual Intergenerational Dialogue, organised by the Gender Studies and Human Rights Documentation Centre and Masimanyane Women’s Rights International, on the topic: “Dismantling the Myths around Feminism” under their ‘Eliminating Gender-Based Violence in Ghana Project”.
Prof. Tsikata said feminists did not only fight for their welfare but to make the entire society better, said the only way to reduce the ill thoughts about feminism and its goals, was to encourage more young women to openly take part in the worthy cause.
Madam Lilly Oseyda Mensah, a Young Feminist, Action Aid, said feminism was purely about advocating human rights, economic freedom, and political equality among others.
Reiterating the misconceptions about feminism, she said: “People think feminists are a bunch of rich women who don’t want to get married but prefer to have one child and live on their own because they don’t want to be submissive. But that is a wrong perception because it is their personal value and not feminism.
“People think feminism is about people with failed marriages because they are too vocal and challenge their men, but that is a misconception.”
Madam Mensah said feminism was all about identifying that there were disparities and helping to bridge the gap, adding: “If we acknowledge that women’s rights are human rights, then it is important to protect them.”
Feminism has taught people to be self-conscious and courageous to speak up about things that bother them in society from their families to society, she said.
“To me, if one is a feminist and sees a man being abused or maltreated by his superior at work, she should be able to stand up and speak against it the same way she would speak for a woman.”
On her part, Mrs Hamida Harrison, a Convener for the Women’s Manifesto Coalition, ABANTU for Development, said feminism was about respecting diversity and recognising that women’s experiences, knowledge, identities and strengths did matter in national endeavours.
She said there were people who ascribed to the beliefs of feminism and their actions but could not associate themselves with it because of the myths surrounding it.
“There is a misperception that all feminists hate men and believe men are the cause of all the problems in the world. But it is far from that. Many studies have shown that the negative stigma associated with feminism influences many who refuse to be identified as feminist and religion and culture have been the biggest culprits of women’s suppression,” she added.
Madam Magdalene Agyeman Badu, a Young Feminist, University of Ghana, recommended that a bigger group of feminist’s movements be created including younger generations to fight against infringing upon the rights of others.
“People need to help others to trash out the misconception about feminism so that they will have clear minds to join the fight. Demanding for respect and equality and not settling for less is what feminism is all about,” she added.