Why should we all be feminists? The short essay explains why. The author then calls humanity to rise and evolve in gender equality just as other areas have evolved.
The book “we should all be feminists” is a short thirty-minute read based on a presentation at the Ted talk show, explaining the need for feminism.
In the book, famous African writer Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie makes very striking arguments about gender equality and equity, using real life personal examples.
She begins by defining feminism, having been labelled a feminist at a tender age herself when she did not even know what the word means.
Examples in the book are mainly from experiences in her home country of Nigeria. She narrates clear and everyday life situations showing unfair treatment of women based on gender. The examples resonate very well with the African populace.
We should all be feminists addresses the misconceptions of what feminism is, especially as viewed by Nigerians and indeed the wider Africa.
To sum up the book and give it a review, I will list a few questions that emerge as the writer defines what should be an equal society. One free of gender imbalance
Family Roles
Society expects and places roles based on gender and not ability.
Does this not place a heavy burden on children?
Is it not a better alternative to allocate responsibilities based on ability or interest, as opposed to gender?
Should girls be ashamed if they are not interested in cooking in the family setting for example?
Gender Imbalance in a Marriage Setting: We Should All be Feminists
Should men be praised for doing house chores and looking after the baby for instance, if all parents are working and all get back home late?
Gender imbalance at the workplace.
Why is there a gender pay-gap at workplaces for same roles that men and women do?
Dating and virginity
Who should be blamed or praised for loosing or keeping virginity?
In the event of unwanted pregnancy, who should shoulder the blame?
Short Review
Although the book is in essay form, I found it a light read and it is written in a different way from the more academic essays. In fact, going through the book hardly seems like an academic debate. This is so thanks to the funny examples and simple way of writing.
In my view, the book is more appropriate for the African audience. Although it touches on some issues affecting women at a global scale, it resonates most with Africa.
Most situational notes in the book resonate extremely well with the African culture and tendencies towards women and how society shapes their future. In fact, there is a burden of societal expectations and limitations (in the case of women).
Examples and situations in the book make it ideal for a wider readership. Therefore, it extends its influence from an academic literature essay to a general informational and even leisure read.
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