Are you a feminist?

The Oxford dictionary defines feminism as “the advocacy of womens’ rights on the grounds of equality of the sexes”. But what does it really mean to be a feminist? We asked the good people of Exeter.

Jane, Modern Languages, fourth year 

Yes I am and I think any sane person is. For me feminism is just equality between the sexes.

Tom, Economics, third year

I wouldn’t say that I am specifically a feminist but I wouldn’t say that I’m not. I’m not against against it but I don’t know the deeper arguments about it. To me feminism means equality and women wanting the exact same rights as men.

Raffat, Art Therapist

Yes I think I am a feminist but there’s a lot more to defining what that word means. I don’t think we should just label ourselves because I think feminism still has old 60s/70s connotations. I think that word can be reinvented to mean something quite different now for women of all faiths, all cultures and all different traditions.

Scott, Employability Assistant

Yes, I suppose I am a feminist. It means standing up for the rights of females and ensuring that women and men are all on an equal playing field.

Natasha, Philosophy and literature, fourth year

I am a feminist but I like to think of myself as an equal rights feminist. I hold lots of feminist principles about how women should have the same equal rights as men but also that we should focus on gender equality for both sexes.

Mimi, Engineering, first year / Miriam, Politics, first year

Mimi: Yes. I believe that everyone should be equal and that we should all have equal opportunities and equal rights, not just women but everybody.

Miriam: Yes I am a feminist. For me it means equality. I think a lot of people misunderstand the word and they don’t want to identify with it because they associate it with something that’s bad, but I think if everyone believed that it stood for equality then everyone would be a feminist.

Julian, International Relations, first year

Feminism means equality across all spheres of the social spectrum. I think it’s progressive. Take the political realm for example – it’s quite male dominated at the minute but we’re seeing an increase in the participation of women which is always good to see. I think it’s getting better.

Hannah, History and Spanish, fourth year

Yes I’m a feminist because I don’t think anyone should feel intimidated or put off from going for an opportunity or doing an activity that really interests them just because of their gender.