I feel so grateful for everyone who is showing up for this idea.

To be frank, I had concerns about declaring to my friends, family, and colleagues that I am in fact a Feminist when I shared with them that I was starting this club. That’s because the word “feminist” still has negative associations for some people through the internet and general culture despite the actual definition of the word being rooted in equality between women and men – gender parity – equal opportunity.

I think it’s possible some people resist this word because to not resist it is to acknowledge that the situation is not yet quite equal, regardless of how much we want it to be. When dismissing the idea, one has to double down with conviction: it’s a non-issue, because otherwise why wouldn’t we at least be questioning the problem, let alone doing something about it.

The fact is, there are still quite meaningful inequalities in opportunities, judgments, assumptions toward the different genders. To the degree that I think there’s no use denying it. To be clear, I am not under any circumstances the most “well read” on these topics. But I have life experience as a woman and observing the world around me with much attention to detail.

Some say, “oh, it’s basically equal now, can’t we just move on from this topic?” This is a very loaded statement, whether they know it or not. To say this, you acknowledge it was not equal in the past, so what does this mean for the present and future? Should we not still fight to get there where we ought to be?

Nobody wants to be stunted at growth, ridden with limiting beliefs about who we are, what we can be, and how we should be. Which, if you were unaware, affects men as well, because they too grow up in an unequal system which puts the excess weight on their backs.

Sure, most of us just navigate the day to day world without thinking about these details because we are busy with our jobs, our friends, family, and kids, or hobbies and other activities. And for the most part we are, in this country at the very least, free to make our individual choices. However, some of the choices women make are influenced by cultural and societal messaging, and others are made to keep ourselves safe. No one should have to think, “my very existence threatens me.” This is not equality.

I’ve had a few unique jobs over the years, most of them managing projects and working in operations. Some things I learned:

Today, I was thinking about the problem statement for feminism and how I can apply those principles:

This solution is what I will be attempting to unlock alongside ClubFeminist members as we talk to each other, write and share experiences in a cohesive, accepting community.

The solution may just be for everyone to hear each other out.