Feminism at Waterloo

There can be little debate about it: the sexist posters and emails that have been flying around campus are repulsive, ignorant, and even a little frightening. Whether they are the work of a truly misguided person (or group) or a troll grasping for attention, these acts have exposed some of the flaws in our community here at UW. While some might say “this was just one guy” or “only a small minority feels this way”, the fact that anyone, an individual or group, can act so callously that they leave their peers in fear diminishes our quality of student life. This is a university; a place where some of the smartest people in the world gather to learn and grow unhindered. I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that such a place is worth preserving.

Here in the Faculty of Engineering at UW, I have met some of the most intelligent people in my life and have had the most engaging discussions, but there are some topics that seems left off the table. It is time we open a dialogue on gender issues because as we’ve seen, there is still dissonance in the public mind on such issues. We are left with a lot of tough questions such as why are there so few women in engineering? Why would a male-dominated field be problematic? What makes anyone put up flagrantly sexist posters all over our campus?

The purpose of this column is to start this dialogue, to challenge people’s perceptions of gender issues (or the perceived lack thereof). This starts with what is sometimes referred to as the “F-word” – feminism. If you ask most people (and something tells me UW engineers in particular) what they think of feminism, you’re likely to get one of the following responses: “feminism is dead because women have equal rights now”, “feminism is about hating men and female superiority”, or “it’s just a bunch of bitchy lesbians”. Well, you know what I’m going to say. If we consult Merriam-Webster, the definition of feminism is “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes”. That’s it. Equality is a beautiful thing, but it is very elusive. It is easy to say that women nowadays find themselves equal to men and to a large extent it’s true – the issues today are hardly the issues of 30, 50, or 100 years ago. That said, imagine a situation where men’s campaign posters were attacked instead. It just wouldn’t happen.

Because of these preconceptions, most people probably don’t identify with the term “feminist”. So many times though I hear the phrase “I’m not a feminist, but I think that joke was really offensive” or “I’m not a feminist, but I think there should be more women in engineering”. Well I hate to break it to you, but those are pretty feminist ideas. Feminism is about improving life for everybody, men and women. It’s about standing up when you hear those jokes, when you see imbalance and unfairness, and when you see posters marginalizing women. Gender issues may not be as severe or as visible here as they once were, but they exist and they still matter. It has been stated that the solution to worldwide poverty lies in the empowerment of women in the workforce. This is the power of equal rights, but it can never happen if we don’t continue to think critically about our culture, our perceptions, and our future.

So let’s start this dialogue. I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions because this is something worth discussing. Please email me at bselby@uwaterloo.ca and tell me what you would like to see discussed. Let’s make our community a little more contemplative, more informed, and ultimately better.