While many think equality between genders has already been established, the feminist movement proves otherwise. Contemporary feminism - or a so-called “third wave” - addresses the deep issues of human interaction and claims that women deserve the same treatment as men do regardless of the sphere.

There is a common idea of feminists hating men and being the worst choice as a partner. But if you are the one who agrees with such stereotypes, you probably don’t really understand what being a feminist means. Though gender roles in dating will certainly be different from a common model, it happens out of a simple desire to be respected, and if you spend a little time digging into the ideology, you will find the reasons to relate to it and contribute to current feminist movement.

Just coming across such phenomena, which breaks the social rules you are used to, can be uncomfortable. So here we collected the facts about what feminists want to make it easier to understand and help guys date girls who support gender equality.

Feminist is not exclusive

It stands for equal rights for all people no matter what their gender, sexual identity, skin colour or any other peculiarities are. Feminism is also not about hating men, but about gaining equal rights. And there is no such thing as a typical feminist, as all women supporting these ideas are absolutely different. They can:

• wear make-up or prefer bare face;
• be housewives or run a corporation;
• have a wardrobe full of dresses or comfortable men’s clothes only;
• have long hair or shave their head completely;

Even though, like in any movement, there are radical supporters, who consider themselves better solely on the basis of rejecting all societal norms, bad feminists do not exist. Having a stereotypical girly appearance has nothing to do with the ideas you share.

Feminism addresses responsibility

Sociological studies have shown that women do a significant amount of unpaid work also called invisible work. You may ask what it is, and the answer is the household duties that are historically thought to be women's responsibility. This includes cooking, cleaning the entire apartment, washing the dishes, cleaning the clothes and many others.

While it could be perfect for earlier societies, nowadays women are equally involved in providing the family with money. It's just unfair to burden them with even more responsibility. A reasonable solution is sharing the duties with your partner. You could do the things you like more or set a schedule that will be comfortable for both of you, but leaving a single person to serve the needs of the whole family shouldn’t be an option. Therefore dating a feminist be ready to cook dinner while your girlfriend is at work and iron a shirt yourself before going to an important meeting.

A reasonable solution is sharing the duties with your partner.

Feminism influences parenthood

And it again leads to choices women get. First of all, feminists want to have access to contraception and make their partners understand the importance of protection. They think that parenthood should be planned and until each of the partners is ready to actively participate in bringing up a child and make equal input, it’s better to postpone. Lots of feminists start dating over 30 because they feel more mature and accomplished, so they naturally prefer to have kids later.

When it comes to actual upbringing, feminists consider fathers need to be equally involved. Spending time with children, taking them to various activities, finding a way for each of the parents to have some personal time and space by being with a baby - these are just some simple examples. So intending to commit to a long-term relationship with a girl who is a feminist, consider the perspective of getting kids to be discussed and demand a lot of your involvement. You won’t get away with simply giving your baby a hug in the evening.

You won’t get away with simply giving your baby a hug in the evening.

Feminism is about choice

It is about having the opportunity of being yourself. The easiest way to understand what it means will be on the example of typically male and female jobs. Men are thought to be better candidates for higher positions, while women are considered vulnerable and emotional which leads them to not being able to make serious decisions. Moreover, almost every country in the world has laws prohibiting women from getting certain jobs.

Feminists want to prove that there is no basis for such claims.

• The choice feminism gives to women is not only about career but also education, relationships, raising a child, maintaining a household and much more;
• There is no difference between men and women apart from sex organs, which in current world can undergo change as well.