Steminist blog

Can't Stop, Won't Stop

Shreyasi Mukerji

International Women’s Day exists because progress is not automatic. Every year on March 8, the world pauses to acknowledge not only women’s achievements, but the barriers that remain. This year’s theme, “Give to Gain,” is a reminder that when we give (our voice, our solidarity, our support), we don’t lose anything. We multiply impact. We strengthen communities. And when women thrive, everyone rises.

I don’t know how it came to be that I made the topic of feminism my whole personality. On at least a weekly basis, I am confronted—directly or indirectly—by someone that questions the need for feminism. There are those that believe in equality but don’t like the terminology. There are those that believe that feminism is the absolute death of culture. Then there are pure misogynists that recognize and exploit the ill-effects of patriarchy because they genuinely believe they are superior to women. I’m not here to educate, to appeal to anyone’s ideology, or to pull out evidence of cultural or religious evolution from the internet to fight a case. My only purpose is to remind everyone that the need for feminism continues to exist, and that I’ll never stop kicking up a stink about it.

Why label it feminism if I’m asking for an egalitarian society? Because naming the issue is part of giving. There are multiple human rights violations to be fought; here is the specific one I’m talking about. Feminism identifies the imbalance we’re addressing so that others can understand where to contribute. And this year’s theme reinforces that: giving support, knowledge, resources, and visibility is how we gain a more equal world for women and girls. 

My essays in this website usually address nuanced workplace issues and microaggressions because many think we’ve made it; we’ve conquered inequality and are possibly even overcompensating with tokenism in the name of inclusion. But let’s be real: we still have awful things happening to women outside of just lack of representation in medical research, ergonomics and university biases. They didn’t happen to me. But they happened to a fellow woman.

On a weekly basis, I ask myself—what are these gross injustices that I have faced? But who am I, really, in the grand scheme of things? Certainly not the barometer of women's rights. I think about the women in abusive relationships, the women doing unpaid or underpaid labor in silence like it’s expected of them, the women being told how to dress, what to say, when to talk and how to behave, and the women who are treated like decoration, like objects, like wealth, like burdens, and like slaves. Just because I come from a loving home and a privileged background does not mean there aren’t disproportionate amounts of women undergoing oppression in our world. And until the last group of women struggle for the right to be themselves, feminism will remain relevant.

Equality is a collective project. I want a world where women’s rights are not optional, fragile, or negotiable. And if that makes feminism sound like my whole personality, then good. Some things are worth giving your whole self to.