As you may have inquired by the title l am a left winger who doesn't support modern-day feminism. I know what some of you might be thinking "what does your political affiliation have anything to with feminism?" l will get to this question later on this take. I will list all the reasons as to why l don't support feminism anymore and section them off in detail after.
My top 5 reasons (l will explain them in further detail below):
1. Feminism has morphed into a political party rather than being a standard universal ideology
2. Feminism is having a severe identity crisis
3. Feminism does not live up to its dictionary definition
4. Feminism has developed a toxic mainstream attitude
5. Feminism ultimately is not supporting women's choice but rather an "ideal" image of what women should be according to feminist
1. Feminism has morphed into a political party rather than being a standard universal ideology & movement
Feminism is no longer the unified movement that it used to ("almost") be. Second wave feminism has held its roots in unifying all women under one common goal. That goal was to gain equal treatment & opportunities for women. This wave of feminism (aside from some racial aspects) was united to achieve this goal and to better the lives of current & future women. This goal was noble & it was beneficial for all women, not just a portion of the female population.
Fast-forward to the present and many women who identify with the feminist movement are overwhelmingly on the left side of the political spectrum. Feminism has almost if not entirely become synonymous with left-wing politics. This is not due to the fact that women from other political affiliations have just not been interested in joining the movement but rather the fact that many current members of the movement do not wish for them to take part. If you do not align yourself with ALL the political views of the majority of the movement you are not allowed to join because that doesn't make you a "good" feminist.
This means that the movement has taken other causes into consideration, not just the one common goal. This is not what feminism is supposed to represent, once you break out to other issues you no longer become a dedicated united movement but rather a politically fueled group with similar agendas. This leads to isolating other women or men who would like to partake in the movement & basically hijacking it to fit their ideas. 
2. Feminism is having a severe identity crisis
Feminist are not in agreement to what feminism is and what it's advocating for. Many feminist tend to make their own definition of feminism and what they believe it represents. Some women think it's about "equality of the sexes" while others believe its solely about "women empowerment". This is an issue because the message that is being displayed toward the public is mixed and nonsensical at times. Nobody wants to embrace a term that is murky in definition & has no clear-cut goal or objective.
I believe this is due to the fact that feminism has very little to fight for in the western world compared to second wave feminists of the past. With no crippling issue regarding rights violations currently facing women in the west, it's hard to find common ground amongst women as to what issues need to be prioritized. Not to mention the different ideologies & perspectives on the different issues that some women find troubling while others find to be acceptable. As someone from the outside looking in this seems to be chaotic and very unappealing. It would be much easier to claim to be an equalist and favor equality among everybody rather than be part of a movement that seems to be everywhere and nowhere.
3. Feminism does not live up to its dictionary definition
According to Merriam-webster, the dictionary definition of feminism is: "the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes". The fundamental problem that is facing feminism is that it assumes to believe that there is a big gap between male & female inequality in the west. The way the argument is leaning massively toward the female issues disregarding the male issues as fictional or not important enough to address because women are so behind that they need to "catch-up". The problem with this argument is that this is not the case, if women are not equal to men then they are no more than an inch away from equality. A lot of feminists would argue that we are not equal because we don't have equal representation in government or the private sector. The problem with this is that this is not due to lack of opportunity but more about lifestyle choices. Statistically women vote more on average than men do and the percentages are only increasing:
In 2004, 60.1% of women and 56.3% of men voted. That's 67.3 million women and 58.5 million men
- a difference of 8.8 million.
In 2000, 56.2% of women and 53.1% of men voted. That's 59.3 million women and 51.5 million men - a difference of 7.8 million.
In 1996, 55.5% of women and 52.8% of men voted. That's 56.1 million women and 48.9 million men - a difference of 7.2 million.
Feminist complain about how many old men are in office but contribute to placing these men in power. Bernie Sanders was beloved by many feminist and he is an old white male. As for the private sector, many women don't enter stem felids but not because they are discouraged but because they simply don't opt to participate in these professions. The ones that do however have seen a spike in hiring advantages over equally qualified male applicants (“Women Preferred 2:1 over Men for STEM Faculty Positions.” Cornell University)
Women & men tend to seek different professions some are male dominant and others are women dominant such as (Veterinary medicine, Biology, pharmaceuticals, nursing, teachers, & social workers). Yet feminist won't question a woman-dominated field but will question a male-dominated profession not considering the different variables at play. This kind of disregard is what has many outsiders questioning whether feminist actually care about both sexes reaching equality. There are a good number of male-related issues but if we bring them up we are seen as dismissive of female issues which is not the case. Many feminist get mad because males are bringing up issues relevant to them and they view it as hijacking the cause. Even though they will claim to be for both sexes so this contradiction has many questioning the motives of the movement. This is really frustrating because it just ties in with my former point of mixed messages between the feminists.
4. Feminism has developed a toxic mainstream attitude
While discussing with males & even females l have come to the realization that many feminist have a really nasty attitude towards anyone who won't claim the label. Instead of trying to explain their opinions in a reasonable way a few of them will act in a condescending morally righteous manner. Perceiving the aura of entitlement and justice for oppressed women and anyone who doesn't wear the badge in honor must be a chauvinist or ignorant person.
The constant use of terms like "privlaged" and "toxic masculinity" are painting people with a broad brush and its a turn-off. Nobody wants to participate in a movement that constantly reminds us of how naturally "toxic" we are and how we must constantly check ourselves to make sure we don't behave in a "toxic" manner. Language is very important and it does matter how you phrase your beliefs because if they come off as aggressive then very few will be receptive.
5. Feminism ultimately is not supporting women's choice but rather an "ideal" image of what women should be according to feminists
Lastly, feminism wants to push out an image of what women should be rather than letting them decide what defines them as a woman. If a woman wants to be an astronaut than that should be supported if a woman wants to be home with the kids that should equally be supported and not be looked down upon as if these women are some sort of "traitors". Career women are applauded by feminists but a stay at home mom is not mentioned because that's too "girly" or "feminine" in nature.
Feminists will embrace "masculine traits" in women but will shame a woman who enjoys showing "traditional femininity". They will claim that women naturally behave like men and have been suppressed by the patriarchy to enjoy "traditional femininity". This is why they look down upon these women who embrace the traditional feminine vibe because they feel as if they are pushing forward the patriarch's ideal of women rather than her natural self. What these feminists fail to see is regardless of what they believe to be the case a woman has the right to choose what path she takes and should not be shamed by her fellow "supporters" for doing what makes her happy.
Thanks for reading my take on feminism. If you agree or disagree please feel free to comment below to make your point. Constructive opinions are always preferred! Sources for my take down below.
Sources:
“Women Preferred 2:1 over Men for STEM Faculty Positions.” Cornell University , news.cornell.edu/stories/2015/04/women-preferred-21-over-men-stem-faculty-positions.Elkins,
Kathleen. “20 Jobs That Are Dominated by Women.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 17 Feb. 2015, www.businessinsider.com/pink-collar-jobs-dominated-by-women-2015-2.
Lowen, Linda. “Do More Women Vote Than Men?” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, www.thoughtco.com/more-likely-vote-women-or-men-3534271.
Russell, Nicole. “How the 'Feminist' Left Let Women down in 2017.” New York Post, New York Post, 30 Dec. 2017, nypost.com/2017/12/29/how-the-feminist-left-let-women-down-in-2017/.
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