The word feminism is traced to the time of enlightenment. Its meaning has been changing overtime. It discusses any theorists that see the relations between sexes as one of inequality, subordination or oppression. It also unleashes the theory that sees this as a problem of political power rather than forces of nature and regards this as important for feminists’ theory and practice. This resulted from men having more power over women. Which means that men have more opportunities than women.
This came about with mainstream history side-lining women history which then led to the coming up of Her-story (Women History). The coming of Her-Story created room for women supporting women in terms of fighting for their rights where they are being violated, promoting each other in terms of education, businesses etc. We have seen women championing organizations to support the girl child and the society embracing it as “Girl Power”. African historiography also brings us to an anthem of “Black Girl Magic”. Women have found joy and pride in achieving their different goals without being undermined. Her-Story has proved to be powerful and stories are being written on a daily basis.
Nevertheless, there are varied needs and perceptions of women in various societies and experiences. In as much as women seem to have the power to control; women are still fighting fellow women for power. Women are fighting fellow women for men. Women prefer befriending men because they do not find a safe space in fellow women whilst some feminist strands have viewed men as enemies. What are we teaching the future generation? Should a woman fight a woman? Has the fight for equality brought chaos amongst us? Social media is no longer safe for a woman. Cyberbullying is being chaired by women to insult, shame and belittle fellow women. What happened to restoring and adding to the voices and experiences of significant and accomplished women to history in order to motivate other women and empower them? What happened to women’s desire for a better self-image and greater sense of self-worth? We can do better.
