Six Feminist Myths: Reflections

Follow the money. By Pär Ström.

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I've now covered six feminist myths. The myths are claims made in the gender debate that lack basis in reality, and they all claim that women are being discriminated against or in some other way being treated unfairly. There are more than six feminist myths of course, but I've chosen to focus in this book on the most important and widespread of them.

One can wonder how myths like these are created and spread, why this happens, and what impact they have on our society.

A myth is often started when a researcher or a debater with an agenda carries out a project or writes a report from a skewed perspective. The agenda is put ahead of objectivity and research ethics. For example, it's easy to direct focus in a research project so important facets of reality are kept hidden. It's also easy to choose patterns of questioning so one gets the results one wants. These are but two of the myriad ways one can manipulate a research project or a report to create an impression that is distanced from reality.

The next phase is spreading the myth. Our media organisations have a great responsibility here. Many (but not all) journalists don't conduct critical reviews of reports and surveys as soon as they're seen to be in accordance with accepted feminist ideology - as if everything dealing with purported discrimination of women is obviously correct. And then the sources start citing one another, an echo effect that is enhanced because for such a long time it's been considered politically correct to express feminist views.

The next phase happens when the media are cited by public debaters, politicians, and 'experts' - everything's gone around in a circle and the myth's become an 'established truth'.

So what's the cause of feminist myths? The answer is given - the people who have something to win. We've acquired a formidable gender industrial complex with consultants, researchers, investigators, organisational representatives, lecturers, columnists, gender teachers, and other 'gender pros' who all are profiting, making careers, and building their personal status by inflating the myths about the discrimination of women. And they all help one another to keep the merry-go-round going merrily around.

The gender industrial complex has long since become institutionalised, its representatives sitting in powerful positions in many sectors of our society. And that means they have access to the till. And that means the colossus can survive under its own power like a player piano. Those who are part of the gender industrial complex have a very strong vested interest in stopping their house of cards from tumbling down - which is the reason there's so much vitriol towards those who question them and what they do.

Feminist myths are harmful in many ways. They empower the wrong people and the wrong social groups. They direct research, legislation, and other sociological contributions down the wrong path. They also harm individuals. I've received mail from young men who've told me about the terrible problems they've had establishing relationships with women because they've believed for such a long time that girls and women think and act exactly the same way as boys and men.

Feminist myths also contaminate the climate between women and men. The myths have contributed to a near state of war between the sexes in Sweden, instead of the sexes being able to complement and complete each other and help each other to success and happiness in life. Feminist myths are an obstacle to achieving a healthy society. And they certainly are an obstacle to true equality. And it's important to point out that both sexes lose out because of the feminist myths.

True equality can be built only on a fundament of truth. Only a house of cards can be built on a fundament of myths - and until those houses fall, they're characterised by injustice.

I took up an example of how feminist myths are created, enhanced, and spread at the Newsmill website.
http://www.newsmill.se/artikel/2011/03/16/genusmyten-om-kvinnors-verl-gsenhet-r-osann

You can also visit my blog Genus Nytt (Gender News) where I discuss gender issues from the perspective of true equality.
http://genusnytt.se

Copyright © Pär Ström/Stiftelsen Den Nya Välfärden. Translation copyright © Rixstep. All rights reserved.