Power. Everyone wants it; and when people are denied power, movements can eventually start. Feminism has spread around the world since before women earned their right to vote. This shift in social and political views has led to the continuing empowerment of women and the push towards gender equality.

This movement is about fighting for women to unite as a sisterhood, not shame each other, and more importantly to build each other up so women can have equal opportunities.

Under with the broad term Feminism, there are sectors in the belief system. These sectors differ drastically; from Political feminism to The Pro-Woman Line to Comparable Values (Equal Pay/Equal Value), and the sometimes controversial Women’s Right To Choose. All of these groups differ, but together they are all very key in understanding why feminism is important.

Political Feminism: Political Feminism is primarily focused on women’s rights in the government; it is the idealism that women’s rights should not be influenced by the government at all. Political feminism is asking for a direct divide between women’s “roles” and government policies and politics. It is the belief that the government should have no say in a woman’s home role or personal decisions directly affecting them.

The Pro-Woman Line: The Pro-Woman Line is the idea that women are not at fault for “beauty standards.” An example of the Pro-Woman Line is if women are taken more seriously or treated better if they wear makeup, then they will wear makeup because they are doing what they need to do to succeed in today’s society. This goes along with the view that women live in a repressive society, if women are generally accepted they would not have the incentive to change their behaviors.

Comparable Values: Comparable Values seeks to even the comparable worth in the employment of both men and women. It is specifically based on the differences in pay roll between men and women. On average, women get paid 35% less than men for performing the same job. The Movement is to begin to equalize the gender gap in our working society to not only give women the incentive to work hard but also the incentive to prosper in the workforce.

Women’s Right To Choose: Women’s Right To Choose is the belief that women should have complete autonomy over their own bodies. It is the idea that anyone other than themselves should not be able to overrule a woman’s personal choice. The interpretation is that a choice regarding someone’s personal health whether it be mental, or physical, should be their own.

It is generally important to know all of the facts before making any decision; if you want to learn more about the broad term, or specifics of The Feminist Movement, read here.