by LUCY CHESTERTON AND JANE CARO
Jane: I was lucky enough to get to meet Lucy in person on a panel about feminism on Mornings on Channel 9 recently. I was able to apologise –again – but this time on television for hitting “send” in anger, in response to Lucy’s piece about feminism on Mamamia.
We also found that while we differed in some ways, fundamentally our belief in the importance of feminism is the same. If you saw the program, you will know that Lucy and I agreed to co-write an article about feminism and what it means to both of us. Here it is.
Feminism seems to confuse many people. They seem to believe that wanting to be equal means wanting to be the same. It doesn’t, it never has. It simply means wanting equal opportunities, equal pay for the same work and an equal right to control and manage your own life and decisions. A feminist believes that a woman is of equal value to a man, not the same as one, but she is also someone who wants to be seen as a human being first and as a woman second.
As a feminist, I seek respect over love – though I also believe that without real respect there is no real love – and this means I have largely (but not entirely) freed myself from the need for approval.
Feminism is not an organization. There is no sisterhood, no hierarchy, no tabernacle. I believe that feminism is actually a point of view; a way of seeing the world that puts a woman at the centre of her own life, rather than on the periphery of someone elses, and does not then call her selfish for doing so.