My favourite bits of the book were revealing that feminism is still so necessary; while many may believe that feminism is outdated and no longer relevant, that society has evolved and adapted, there are still so many instances of ingrained cultural oppression. Women may have pushed some areas forward, but there is still so much to do in terms of equality. I love that Adichie addresses it less as raising women up, or at least that not being the only aspect, but also about helping young boys learn they do not need to attain some outdated masculine ideal. There is no need for them to be the bread winner, when both men and women can be paid equally and hold the same position. There is no need for men to hide their emotions, embracing empathy should not be seen as a weakness but a strength. Sensitivity is not only a female trait, and society enforcing that it is makes it harder for both men and women to grow. Feminism is about helping every gender become more comfortable with themselves. Social "norms" are the major issue, we do not need to pit men and women against each other to make this work, what we need is to simply rethink how our culture classifies men and women. Adichie's examples were on point and highlighted her meaning well. Simple everyday instances of sexism still exist, because of how children are brought up, what society continues to teach the younger generation (like: women do not have their own money, women aspire to be wives, etc.). While this may be slowly changing, society is developing and evolving because of the feminist movement and the desire for equality above all else. This book should be part of every curriculum. Both women and men should read this book to understand the faults still inherent in our society. Maybe that would help change even just a small part of their perspective. I highly recommend this book. It is so short you can read it in one sitting! You will feel smarter coming out of it and have an urge to help this amazing movement forward. Yes, we should all be feminists.
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