Echo celebrates Women’s History Month

I am a white, cisgender, straight, middle-class feminist and I recognize my privilege. I recognize, if I wasn’t these things, I would face different issues regarding misogyny. The problem is that many women in my position don’t realize their privilege, and this needs to change. Intersectionality is the idea that all oppression and discrimination is connected. For example, this means women of colo...

Feminists brag about being an all-inclusive movement, but that is not the case today. Supposedly, anyone regardless of gender, sexual orientation or political leanings can be a feminist. Feminism simply means supporting gender equality. The feminist movement has become strongly anti-conservative and hostile to those of us who consider ourselves politically conservative and feminist at the sa...

What is your current occupation? I’m a writer and I’m also a coach. I work with primarily women, but people who want to have expertise and who want a more public voice. I call it thought leadership coaching. How did you first become a feminist? I would watch as my dad was invited to speak and participate in some professional activities that my mom didn't and I would see her quietly dis...

Ever since I was little, teachers and coaches have set expectations for what I can and can’t do. From physical education classes to the ice rink, I’ve been constantly reminded how inferior I am compared to boys. I remember continually trying to prove myself in gym class, especially during fitness testing. At a young age, I realized no one had big physical expectations for me. In third grade...

In 1960, the sale of birth control pills was illegal in 22 states. Not even half of the country allowed women the right to prevent pregnancy. Estelle Griswold, a women's rights activist from New Haven, Connecticut, opened a clinic to start selling birth control for women in 1962. In response, she was arrested. By 1963, only 4 percent of women in the United States were on the pill, according to the Pu...

For hundreds of years, the struggle for gender equality has divided and affected many parts of life. Despite its sometimes negative reputation among men, feminism doesn’t just benefit women. Men should help women in the fight for equal rights because men can benefit from true gender equality. Men are, in many cases, the cause of these social issues, therefore they must realize that they too can ...

Since a young age, Emma Watson’s iconic character, Hermione Granger, from the “Harry Potter” series, inspired me to be the feminist I am today. Granger's witty, dynamically feminist character in a primarily male-dominated film defies gender roles, proving that anyone can turn over social norms. Let's face it — Harry Potter and Ron Weasley would be pretty hopeless in the wizarding wor...

All women deserve the right to make decisions regarding their bodies. Under no circumstance should any person be told what they can or can’t do concerning their reproduction. In an ideal world, birth control would never fail and unwanted pregnancies would never occur. But in the case of unplanned pregnancies, women should always have options. When it comes to arguments surrounding the terms “...

Actress Shailene Woodley holds an interesting view on gender issues — according to TIME Magazine, while she firmly believes in gender equality, she does not consider herself a feminist. I personally respect the view of believing in equality but not being a feminist. However, I do not agree with the unhealthy fear of the word feminism. Why is the word feminism or anything related to the word treated as a for...

You’re either a feminist or you’re not. There is no “I think women should be equal but...” If you believe men and women are equal, you’re a feminist. However, if your feminism does not include women of color, women in developing countries or transgender women, it is not feminism. Because I am a woman, I am expected to take a backseat to men. I should aim to achieve success, but not...

Paid maternity leave, which allows new mothers to bond with their babies and recover from birth, should be required by law in the United States to prevent parents from rushing back to work to maintain the financial stability of their families. According to the International Labour Organization, the United States is one of just four countries in the world with no mandatory paid family leave. The only requirement the United States has regarding mater...

Speaking out to the nation at President Clinton’s inauguration in 1993, Maya Angelou not only spoke out for herself, but also shared a vision for the entire nation. Born April 28, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, Angelou was born Marguerite Annie Johnson. Angelou earned her nickname as her brother began calling her Maya after he learned about the Mayan Indians. At the age of eight, Angelou was r...

I’m a feminist because no woman should face judgment for appearing “unladylike” and no man should be laughed at for not dressing and acting according to societal expectations. Our society continually develops mannerisms and daily rituals categorized into male and female. Everyone creates separate boxes and categories for different types of people. But in reality, gender and identity is a ...

One of U.S. history’s most famous wives was more than just a First Lady: Abigail Adams was an independent, political, pioneering feminist who refused to allow people to stick her in a gender role. Born in 1744, she married John Adams in 1764. A member of one of the country’s first political dynasties, she is the mother of President John Quincy Adams. John and Abigail's letters during the Continen...

Girls growing up in the United States find male leaders plastered on every media source — from billboards to televisions to cell phones. Leaders of multi-billion dollar corporations, like Bill Gates and Donald Trump, headline the news often. Even on the topic of women’s issues, men’s voices are heard prominently above others. In a study analyzing 35 national news publications, 81 percent...

Being a woman comes with many benefits, but being a woman is also really expensive. On average, women spend $1,350 more than men each year for identical products, according to Consumer News and Business Channel. Women pay more for products and services than men, and statistically get paid less than men in the workforce. According to a study by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs...

My gender never has, and never will, interfere with my resolution to stand up against everyday inequality toward women. Being a feminist and a man never seemed like a horrible thing — my parents raised me that way. Not once as a kid did I ever hear it was acceptable to treat someone unfairly, regardless of their gender. But when I got into middle school, I saw more tension between genders each da...

Sex is a common feature in society. It’s on the radio, TV and movie screens — it’s everywhere. Yet there’s a taboo surrounding virginity, specifically a woman’s virginity, that people refuse to discuss. For centuries, civilizations placed enormous emphasis on a woman’s virginity, with some cultures seeing it as a sign of innocence, and others seeing losing one’s virginity as a rite of ...

Last week, a tampon slipped out of my jacket pocket. The man walking behind me yelled, ‘hey!” so I turned around and saw him staring at me with a horrified expression. He gestured vaguely at the ground and scrunched up his face before saying, “next time, try to keep your private stuff to yourself,” and walking away. This is nothing new. When I was in middle school, we watched a video in hea...

Microaggressions are minor everyday offenses, intentional or unintentional, that target a specific group of people — in this case women. These small aggressions can be avoided through the respect, acknowledgement and encouragement of women. 1. Gender slurs We’ve all heard the phrase “stop being such a girl” used to demean someone for acting weak, whether that person identifies as fem...

When I was 12, I was loading my suitcase into a trailer, preparing for a road trip. My friends and I were talking when I said, “I packed five outfits; one for every day.” An older gentleman interrupted me saying, “Harry, we’re men. We don’t pack outfits. We pack shirts and pants.” That man was wrong. Did he know I carefully matched corresponding items of clothing that both looked goo...

A womanist consists of more than just being African American and feminist — it's a label I proudly claim. The formal definition of womanism is the realization that feminism does not encompass the perspectives of black women. An African American feminist? I thought there was no such thing. What I didn't know is that womanists are the real deal and I wanted to be one of them. A story that...

Rape affects millions of people in the United States alone and still predators face little to no consequences. As Kesha Sebert’s (Kesha) court case plasters every news source and Facebook feed, it brings attention to an issue that is too often overlooked — rarely is justice served in cases of sexual assault. In October 2014, Kesha filed a lawsuit against her producer, Lukasz Gottwald, professionally known as Dr. ...

Since the first women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls in 1848, the feminist movement has sought the advancement of gender equality in all aspects of modern life. However, as the movement progressed through a series of waves of activism, this core objective has sometimes been lost in the conflict between young and old feminists. The primary waves of feminism that experience conflict are the...