I Love ifeminists!

I realise that most of the time I am pretty “down” on feminists. And a lot of comments get made when I criticise feminism to the effect of “we’re no all like that!”. So this is a video that seeks to rectify that situation to some degree.

There is a division of feminism called “ifeminism” which stands for individual feminism

Individualist feminism, or ifeminism, advocates the equal treatment of men and women as individuals under just law. The core principle of individualist feminism is that all human beings have a moral and legal claim to their own persons and property. It is sometimes called libertarian feminism.

The ifeminists site [1] has a F.A.Q [2] which gives some refreshing answers to questions. Here is an answer “isn’t the government trying to help women?” [3].

Governments have been the greatest violators of women's rights for centuries. In the 18th and 19th centuries in America, government denied to women the most basic rights of controlling their own bodies (e.g., birth control) and their own property (e.g., wives did not have an uncontested claim to their own wages). By the late 20th century, government cemented gender hostility into society by assuming a paternalistic role that advantaged women at the expense of men (e.g., affirmative action). Whether through privilege or oppression, governments seem unwilling to respect the full and equal individual rights of women.

To my mind the most famous ifeminist is Wendy McElroy. Who, in my opinion is one of the most intelligent female writers I am aware of. Wendy McElroy is pro pornography and is legally blind in one of her eyes after she suffered domestic violence in the past. However, she never jumped onto the DV hysteria bandwagon and admits her own culpability in the situation. The ifeminists website regularly features editorial contributions from well known members of the men’s rights movement such as Glenn sacks, Stephen Baskerville and Carey Roberts.

Ifeminism is more libertarian than liberal feminism and is certainly not radical. The belief is in the individual person and the rights they deserve. This is certainly a more palatable approach then most forms of feminism. Ifeminism can be said to encapsulate some of the ideas of the men’s rights movement. So there we go, never let it be said that I never had a good word to say about some feminists.