Feminism (n.): the policy, practice or advocacy of political, economic, and social equality for women. 

“AWID envisions a world where feminist realities flourish, where resources and power are shared in ways that enable everyone, and future generations, to thrive and realize their full potential with dignity, love and respect, and where Earth nurtures life in all its diversity” (1).

The Association for Women’s Rights in Development, (AWID), has been working for over 35 years to achieve the most successful and possible form of gender equality internationally by taking part in various feminism movements in order to spread awareness and make a change.

When reading Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay, it was very eye-opening to realize that so many women experience the same or similar things throughout their lives. The importance of the book is not only to bring awareness to these circumstances and obstacles but to show that they affect more women than we, as a society, are aware of.

According to AWID, “We connect our members and allies with one another, sharing and exchanging resources, ideas, and actions across relevant issues” (1). One of the biggest takeaways that I left with after reading my book was that there is an extreme sense of unity that comes with being a woman. Whether it be something minimal like breaking a nail or something extreme and tragic like being raped, every woman experiences something that other women can relate to.

Aside from being able to bring awareness to what women experience in this day and age, the book is simply non-fiction, written by real-life women and their real-life experiences. It isn’t a glorified and fictionized pity party in disguise. It is raw. It is real. It is the world that we live in whether that is recognized or not.

One thing, as women, that we all have in common is the need for resources.

The National Women’s Law Center dedicates their time and effort to work towards a more equal gender system for women and girls. They say that they “break down the barriers that harm all of us — especially those who face multiple forms of discrimination, including women of color, LGBTQ+ people, and low-income women and families” (1).

The NWLC is centered on a variety of issues such as education, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ equality, poverty, racial injustice, and life in the workplace as a woman.

The unique thing about the NWLC is that, as an organization, they stand up for what they believe in by using the law to back themselves up. This organization is a wonderful resource for women who feel the need to use legality as a way to back up their rights.

Back in 1972, the organization began when women working at a public interest law firm had four main goals in mind: “better pay for women, more women staff attorneys, work on women staff attorneys, and no serving coffee” (1). The NWLC would be an incredible resource for women who believe in gender equality and justice with the assistance of law and public policy.

Another incredible resource that is similar to the NWLC but uses different tactics to make a change is the Feminist Majority Foundation.

The FMF says, “our research and action programs focus on advancing the legal, social and political equality of women with men, countering the backlash to women’s advancement, and recruiting and training young feminists to encourage future leadership for the feminist movement in the United States” (1).

Instead of using the law like the NWLC does, the FMF backs themselves up with a mix research-based information as well as public policy. According to their website, they are dedicated to making a change and bringing awareness to many different and relevant issues, however, the majority of their dedication goes to women’s equality, reproductive health, and non-violence.

The FMF focuses on planning big events like open forums to discuss issues, as well as public education programs. They also hold various leadership and development training, open to anyone passionate and willing to make a change. Also, many of the members take part in protests seen in the picture below.

As I say in one of my past blogs, All the Single Ladies, it is heartbreaking and disappointing that our population as women is seen as one that can be taken advantage of and will be “too weak” to do anything about it. I only hope that as time goes on, the female population goes stronger and the stigma of sexual assault/rape, the failure of fair reproductive rights, gender/race inequality, etc. cease to exist.

We do live in a complicated world, but it doesn’t have to be that way.