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Click here... * News * Voices + Find by writer o Yasmin Alibhai-Brown o Rebecca Armstrong o Memphis Barker o Terence Blacker o Chris Blackhurst o Archie Bland o Ian Burrell o Andrew Buncombe o Katherine Butler o Ben Chu o Patrick Cockburn o Laura Davis o Mary Dejevsky o Grace Dent o Robert Fisk o Andrew Grice o Adrian Hamilton o Philip Hensher o Ian Herbert o Howard Jacobson o Ellen E Jones o Alice Jones o Owen Jones o Emily Jupp o Simon Kelner o Dominic Lawson o Donald Macintyre o Michael McCarthy o Andy McSmith o Hamish McRae o Jane Merrick o James Moore o Matthew Norman o Christina Patterson o Amol Rajan o John Rentoul o Steve Richards o Deborah Ross o Kim Sengupta o Joan Smith o Mark Steel o Harriet Walker o Tim Walker o John Walsh o Andreas Whittam Smith + Comment + Campaigns o Child Soldiers o Equal Partners o Delayed Diagnosis o We are Malala + Debate + Editorials + Letters + IV Drip + Archive + Our Voices o Battle of Ideas o Rentoul o The Editors o The Foreign Desk + Commentators o Yasmin Alibhai-Brown o Terence Blacker o Simon Carr o Rupert Cornwell o Sloane Crosley o Mary Dejevsky o Robert Fisk o Andrew Grice o Adrian Hamilton o Philip Hensher o Howard Jacobson o Dominic Lawson o John Lichfield o Hamish McRae o Matthew Norman o Christina Patterson o John Rentoul o Steve Richards o Sarah Sands o Mary Ann Sieghart o Joan Smith o Mark Steel o Janet Street-Porter o Andreas Whittam Smith o Johann Hari + Columnists o Dom Joly o David Lister o Thomas Sutcliffe o John Walsh o Janet Street-Porter o Chris Bryant + Democracy 2015 + IV Drip Archive * Sport * Tech * Life * Property * Arts & Ents * Travel * Money * IndyBest * Blogs * Student i Newspaper Hot Topics Gerald Scarfe Syria Hillary Clinton Drug testing Laura Bates Follow Tuesday 30 October 2012 The end of feminism? There are more of us than you think On Netmums and elsewhere, feminism is being declared dead. But the more some people talk about it, the more they reveal they have no idea what it actually means [3404520.jpg] [3404520.jpg] Share Tweet +More Related Topics * Gender Studies * Feminism * Liberal Democrat Party * Justice Last week there was much ado about Netmums, the website which produced a poll pronouncing the end of feminism, on the basis that only one in seven of a group of women they surveyed self-defined as a feminist. To dismiss feminism as âdeadâ (as many media outlets promptly did) on the basis that one woman in seven constitutes an embarrassingly low turnout is interesting in itself, given that those figures would give it a nationwide âmembershipâ numbering just under four and a half millionâ¦more than ten times the membership of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties combined. Young women were declared particularly averse to the movement, with those aged 20-24 least likely to call themselves feminists. But it is worth remembering that this survey, widely reported as if it reliably summed up the views of all women, canvassed only Netmums users. Whilst Iâm sure there are plenty of young feminist mums out there, itâs probably fair to say that if you wanted a representative sample of how many young women aged 20-24 would describe themselves as feminists, surveying only those who are members of a parenting website probably wasnât the most unbiased way to get it. But regardless of the reliability of the figures, to âmeasureâ feminism as if it is some kind of card-carrying members club is to misunderstand the whole ethos of the movement. Somebody who works to further womenâs rights and achieve gender equality is a feminist activist. But to be a feminist, you only have to believe that men and women should be treated equally â itâs that simple; not something many people even stop to think about, much less put a label on. Want to know where all the feminists are? Theyâre the Oxford University students who are so fed up with the sexism they encounter that theyâve set up a Facebook page called âMisogyny Overheard at Oxford Uniâ. The woman who set up a blog just to record her experiences because she couldnât bear the constant sexual harassment in silence any more. The 22-year-old man who spends his time explaining womenâs rights to other guys. Theyâre the recent graduates whoâve set up a network for young professional women to connect with female entrepreneurs and businesswomen. Theyâre the 48 male and female welfare officers at Cambridge University who wrote, brilliantly, to the student paper to denounce an article claiming  women should avoid the âriskâ of being raped. Theyâre the young men proudly tweeting photographs of themselves wearing No More Page 3 T-shirts. The four-year-old girl who wonders why boys have to buy superheroes and girls have to buy princesses. Every little girl who doesnât know why she gets the toy cleaning set or the cooker when the ray gun and the baseball bat look so much cooler. Every little boy whoâs ever been shushed and ushered away because he wanted to play with the dolls. Feminism isnât a paid-up club or a badge-wearing photo opportunity; itâs an idea. And 10,000 women whoâve had that idea have written about their experiences on the Everyday Sexism website, simply because it didnât seem right that they were treated differently because of their sex. Thatâs 10,000 feminists right there. When a woman writes on our website: âMy shorts are a practical choice of clothing for the sport I train in; not an invitation for stranger's comments/judgements. I shouldn't even need to justify thatâ Thatâs feminism. Would she have self-identified using the word on a Netmums survey (which also included the option to deem feminism âtoo aggressive towards menâ just to make it really clear what the right answer was)? I donât know. But honestly, it doesnât really matter. I canât tell you how many feminists there are by percentage, or geographical location or ratio. But I can tell you there are a lot. Far more than you might expect of a âdeadâ movement. I can think of no corresponding concept which critics and media alike are so wildly keen to loudly proclaim âDead!â âFinished!â âOver!â on the basis of the flimsiest of evidence. And that, in itself, speaks volumes. React Now Tweet Click here... Click here... * New * Hot * Commented Abdication is dead. Long live the Queen... 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Amoy Visit York Holiday prize Prizes & offers More From Laura Bates * Long after Jimmy Savile, our society normalises sexual assault and shames victims into silence * The protests sparked by gang-rape in India aren't the beginning and they won't be the end * 2012: the year when it became okay to blame victims of sexual assault * A letter to Santa from all women * FHM, Virgin and Zoo Australia: The 12 Days of Misogyny Related Articles * Tory waverers press-ganged to back Cameron on gay marriage vote * Gun totin' Obama silences critics * Punishment and poverty of imagination * The women who changed Britain forever * Hacking's model witness: Introducing Elle Macpherson iJobs Job Widget iJobs General * UK Global Securities Lending Manager * Personal Injury Solicitor - Gloucestershire * Senior Property Solicitor / Partner - Kensington * Quality Systems Engineer * Technical Business Analyst View the latest from iJobs Day In a Page * Sun * Mon * Tue * Wed * Thu * Fri * Sat [3_] [February_] [2013] (Submit) Go Read Next  From the Papal monasteries to Timbuktu, absolutism lives on Robert Fisk  The bedroom tax is just the latest assault on our poorest citizens Owen Jones The 10 Best men's moisturisers The 10 Best men's moisturisers Face facts: itâs time to hydrate with one of these hard-working products Richard Curtis: Twenty-five years of laughing in the face of tragedy Richard Curtis: Twenty-five years of laughing in the face of tragedy The creator of Comic Relief hopes that in another quarter of a century it may not be necessary. Until then, it's red noses all round Force of Firth: Nicole Kidman sends for Britain's heart-throb Force of Firth: Kidman sends for Britain's heart-throb He's the ideal husband for the millions of women who go to see his films, and to many of his leading ladies The women who changed Britain forever The women who changed Britain forever Veteran campaigners will gather today to tell how the act of protest transformed their lives Abdication is dead. Long live the Queen... Peter Bradshaw: Abdication is dead. Long live the Queen... When Queen Beatrix revealed last week that she is to stand down, all eyes were on Buckingham Palace. But giving up is not the British way Earl of Cardigan: 'Seeing police beat a pregnant woman does poison your view' Earl of Cardigan: 'Seeing police beat a pregnant woman does poison your view' An early run-in with authority shaped him. Matthew Bell hears about his latest fight TV comedy: What are you laughing at? What are you laughing at? 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Will it be 12 minutes of triumph or disaster Budapest: A fresh perspective on Hungary's capital A fresh perspective on Hungary's capital With grand architecture, cultural quirks and a rich café society, Budapest has enough to impress Simon Price on Jane Birkin: Jane reignites her flame for Serge Gainsbourg Jane reignites her flame for Serge Jane Birkin sings the songs of the inimitable Monsieur Gainsbourg Theatre Review: Old Times - Memory plays tricks, and so does casting Memory plays tricks, and so does casting Kate Bassett on the role-swapping production of Pinter's Old Times ind The Independent2 Derry Street London W8 5TT © independent.co.uk * Terms & Policies * Privacy Policy * Cookie policy * Code of Conduct * Complaint form * Email newsletters * RSS * Contact Us * Subscriptions * Apps * Work for us * Evening Standard * Homes & Property * iJobs * Advertising Guide * Syndication * Novaya Gazeta (English) * ES Business Connections * London Private Rentals Please provide search keyword(s) ____________________ Go * Advanced Search * Article archive * Topics © independent.co.uk Click here... 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