“Feminism is the radical notion that women are people."

Lesson 37: Everyone should be a feminist.

I know, I know. Some of you out there are laughing at me right about now. I know this statement seems a little absurd, especially to the guys reading this. But is the idea that women are equal to men completely ridiculous? Everyone should be in favor of giving women equal status in society and of everyone being free from oppression. Every time I see statistics where women get paid less for an equal amount of work or hear a joke that suggests that a woman's place is in the kitchen...I almost explode from anger. It's so stupid that women are referred to as the weaker sex although they face equally difficult  challenges as men. When you think about it, because women are still so oppressed they actually face bigger hardships than most men do. Sometimes I almost cannot believe some of the ways that women are oppressed throughout the world.

For example:
-In Saudi Arabia, women aren’t allowed to drive, or even ride bikes, and men aren’t allowed to drive women they’re not closely related to. wth?
-Husbands in Egypt and Bahrain can file an official complaint at the airport to forbid their wives from leaving the country for any reason. In Syria, a husband can prevent his wife from leaving the country. In Iraq, Libya, Jordan, Morocco, Oman and Yemen, married women must have their husband’s written permission to travel abroad, and they may be prevented from doing so for any reason. In Saudi Arabia, women must obtain written permission from their closest male relative to leave the country or travel on public transportation between different parts of the kingdom. -Men tell women where and when they can go? Oh heck no.
-Women’s unequal legal rights increase their vulnerability to violence. In many countries in the region, no specific laws or provisions exist to penalize domestic violence, even though domestic violence is a widespread problem. Domestic violence is generally considered to be a private matter outside the state’s jurisdiction. Battered women are told to go home if they attempt to file a complaint with the police. Few shelters exist to protect women who fear for their lives. Spousal rape has not been criminalized; husbands have an absolute right to their wives’ bodies at all times. Penal codes in several countries in the region also contain provisions that authorize the police and judges to drop charges against a rapist if he agrees to marry his victim. Can you believe this? Like really?
-Many countries criminalize adult, consensual sex outside of marriage. In Morocco, women are much more likely to be charged with having violated penal code prohibitions on sexual relations outside of marriage than men. Unmarried pregnant women are particularly at risk of prosecution. The Moroccan penal code also considers the rape of a virgin as an aggravating circumstance of assault. The message is clear: the degree of punishment of the perpetrator is determined by the sexual experience of the victim. -So men are the only ones allowed to decide when they can have sex?

Isn't this absolutely ridiculous? Even in the US women face things like this everyday. Maybe not to this extreme, but still.