Feminism is a term that is frequently tossed around in this day and age. Many take this term to mean the encouragement of females to feel empowered while stepping over the same men who have overshadowed them for so long. After all, as implied by the term itself, feminism only focuses on promoting women, right? Wrong.

Despite its seemingly misleading name, feminism intends to promote equality among both genders, encouraging equal opportunities and tackling a multitude of issues, from wage gaps to uneven participation in sports.

Receiving benefits such as getting a large cappuccino despite paying for a small size or having your thrift store purchases discounted 50 percent simply because the cashier sees you as cute may seem like it’s all fun and games. Traditional male and female roles dictate men to pay for meals as women sit pretty across the table. When they fail to adhere to these norms, men are most often criticised or shunned.

Feminism proves to be important for men. If one were to evaluate annual suicide rates, they would learn that men commit suicide 3.5 times more often than women, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Seeing feminism as important to men also means understanding that walking around in misandrist T-shirts reading “I bathe in male tears” is just as politically incorrect as a man demanding his partner to go make him a sandwich. The fact that condescending attitudes like these exist in the 21st century is unacceptable.

Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them. Email Lara Dreux at [email protected].