Feminism today is a hashtag on Twitter, a text post on Tumblr, and has many groups on Facebook.  It is no longer necessary for feminists to converge together in one place and hold a physical protest.  Now, it is possible to spread the message to millions of people in numerous countries through the Internet.  According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, feminism is “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.”  This was a common sentiment shared by both students and teachers at Lewis Mills when asked what their definition of feminism was, or, more simply put by junior Megan Butler, “girl power!”

While most people support the idea of feminism, the majority of them do not identify as feminists themselves.  Mrs. Quinn, an English teacher here at Mills, suggests that “a lot of young women believe feminism means you can’t take on the role of the housewife or be a mother,” when, in fact, “feminism is about supporting women in whatever they want to pursue.”  Being a feminist does not equal shunning traditional gender roles, but rather allowing women to choose if they want to adhere to those roles or create their own.

There are several issues that feminism is currently trying to address.  The first problem is that the word “feminine” is used with a negative connotation.  Specifically, the phrase “like a girl” has often been used as an insult to put down males who may under-perform by society’s standards, thus implying that females’ abilities are inferior to males’.

Another very prevalent problem is the wage gap between men and women in the workplace.  Females are paid significantly less than males who work the exact same job.  In 2013, the gender wage gap for full-time and year-round workers was 21.7%.  Following Equal Pay Day, women will have to work from January 1, 2014 until April 14, 2015 to earn the same amount of money as what men earned in 2013.  According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, men and women will not receive equal wages until 2058 if current trends continue.

Lastly, another major feminist issue is the treatment of women in the Middle East.  Throughout the region, women are denied many basic human rights, including education and the right to drive. Those that speak out or attempt to assert themselves are either arrested for breaking the law, or punished even more severely.  For example, Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist for female education.  When she was 14, Yousafazai spoke out against the Taliban in Pakistan for denying young girls the right to education and was shot as punishment.  Fortunately, she survived, but had to leave the country and move to England to escape death threats.

Feminism has been brought into the public eye more than ever before due to social media.  Senior, Mike Ruby, said that sites such as Tumblr have educated him and changed his views on feminism.  Emily Delaney, a junior, also added that “there are Twitter accounts based on feminism, but there are no clubs or groups for it at school.”    Social media has also portrayed the cause in a generally positive light as it shows that there are other people who believe in the same things as you, and is also a great source to find new opinions and ideas that may influence your own.  However, it is important to note that there is a downside to virtual feminism.  Numerous hate groups exist on the Internet, and many fill comment sections of feminist pages with hate and misinformation.

“There are people downgrading and judging women online, and it counteracts the movement,” says Megan Butler.