Why teenage boys don't want to call themselves feminists

Identifying as a feminist is, for many of us, synonymous with believing in gender equality. But, for teenage boys in the UK, it's not quite so straightforward. 

British teenage boys don't want to refer to themselves as feminists, even though they believe in gender equality. Their reasons for distancing themselves from the word are far-reaching and complex. 

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Recent research by the National Citizen Service (NCS) found only 11 percent of teen boys call themselves feminists, despite the fact that 88 percent of them believe in gender equality. 

Per the research, over a quarter of teen boys don't believe in feminism, and almost a third think the term "feminism" is no longer relevant. While some feel the term is outdated, there also seems to be a lack of understanding of what it really means to be a feminist. One in ten teenage boys say they don't know what the word "feminist" means, and 16 percent believe it means favouring the rights of women over those of men. 

Mashable interviewed teenage boys to find out what the word "feminism" means to them. 14-year-old Jacob believes in gender equality, but he refuses to call himself a feminist. "I feel like the radical feminists affiliated with feminism put me off calling myself one," he says. Jacob knows that a feminist is someone who believes in equal rights for all genders, but says that "there are a lot of different kinds of feminists"

16-year-old Max says his friends see feminism as "a group of middle-aged women who whinge about insignificant discrepancies between men and women." But, he doesn't share their views. "Being part of an ethnic minority has taught me that we all have a moral obligation to strive for equality in all aspects of life whether it affects us directly or not," he says. 

Jamie, 14, doesn't call himself a feminist because he believes women have already achieved equality. While Jamie's positive-thinking about the state of women's rights is admirable. The gender pay gap in the UK currently stands at 18.1 percent, so equality has sadly not quite arrived just yet. 

Interestingly, Jamie is of the opinion that "some feminists demand more rights than men." And, just like Max, Jamie's friends do not describe themselves as feminists.

For Rafe, 14, things are not quite so straightforward. "I don’t really think of myself as a feminist even though I passively support the cause," he says. "To me, a feminist is someone who is actively part of the cause." In his mind, a feminist is "someone who actively takes part in the women's rights community." That said, he is a staunch advocate of equality. 

"I believe that men, women and non-binary people should have equal rights and respect," he says. Rafe thinks that people doing "equal work" should be paid the same. But he doesn't think it should be enforced by law "because the quality of work is sometimes a subjective thing."

16-year-old Jack says he's "never thought about" whether or not he identifies as a feminist "'cos whatever you label yourself it doesn't affect your opinion." But, despite not wishing to "label" himself, Jack does believe in gender equality and he understands the meaning of the word "feminism."

The good news is that, for the most part, teenage boys care about gender equality. The problem appears to lie in the terminology. For some, the word "feminist" is loaded with connotations of radicalism. 

And, the good news is, that not all teen boys have an issue with the word. 15-year-old Krishan identifies as a feminist because he states "there is still gender inequality which needs to be addressed."

For 19-year-old Aaron, identifying as a feminist is something he feels everyone should strive for. "Being a feminist in my opinion just states that you want a more balanced society as opposed to the negative connotations that the word 'feminist' sometimes has," says Aaron. 

While it's great that so many young men are passionate about equality, it's clear that there's a reluctance to use the word "feminist". So, should we be working harder to address the misconceptions about this word? Or, should we just forget about labels, and focus on achieving actual equality? 

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