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What does feminism really mean?
女权主义究竟是什么？
Imagine a world where skirts, makeup, and high heels are prohibited, where men are forbidden from giving gifts to women, where mothers ignore their children, and where marriage and dating are obscene. It sounds nightmarish, but this is the dogma many people have in mind when they hear the word "feminism". Feminists, we're told, hate men and want them dead. Or feminists want to switch places with men, so women can work all day and men can all stay home and keep house. Or maybe feminists want to be like men: dress identically, use the same toilets, compete in the same sports leagues. If this definition is true, it seems feminists would be the provocation for insurgencies across the whole of society, breaking routines, eradicating traditions and ruining everyone's lives in the process!
设想这样一个世界：在这里，短裙、化妆品和高跟鞋通通遭禁，男人们被禁止给女人送礼物，母亲们对她们的孩子全然不顾，而婚姻与约会更被视为下流。这听起来像是梦魇，却是很多人在听到“女权主义”这个词时而想到的教条。有人告诉我们说，女权主义者仇恨男人，希望他们都死掉。或者是女权主义者想要与男人互换位置，这样女人就可以成天工作，而男人则都呆在家里管理家务。又或者是女权主义者想要像男人一样：穿同样的衣服，用同样的马桶，在同样的运动联盟中比赛。如果这种定义是真的，那似乎女权主义者将会挑起全社会的暴乱，进而破除惯例，消灭传统，甚至在此过程中毁掉每个人的生命！
Fortunately, that's not feminism! Feminists don't believe that women are better than men or that women need to become or displace men. True, some feministsenjoy masculine pursuits like boxing, but they don't want to eject men from society. Feminists have fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons. Their lives are just as coiled up with those they love as anyone else's.
幸运的是，那并不是女权主义！女权主义者不相信女人比男人更优秀，抑或女人要成为男人或取代男人。诚然，一些女权主义者喜欢像拳击那样的男性所热衷的爱好，但她们并不想将男人从社会中驱逐出去。女权主义者也有父亲、兄弟、丈夫和儿子。她们的生活就像其他任何人一样，与她们所爱的人密不可分。
So, what do feminists believe? Distilled to its essence, feminism is the idea that men and women should have equal opportunities. A woman should be able to be a man's boss if she is as capable as any other manager, or a man should be allowed to look after children if he has the interest and ability. Nobody should find the situation strange or call it "queer". In other words, feminists believe in a world where no one feels colonized or oppressed because of the roles they fill.
那么，女权主义者究竟信仰什么？归根结底，女权主义指的是男人和女人应该拥有平等的机会。如果一个女人与其他任何经理一样能干，那她就可以做男人的老板；如果一个男人有照料孩子的兴趣和能力，那就应该允许他去照看孩子，没有人会觉得这种情况奇怪或称之为“怪异”。换句话说，女权主义者相信有这样一个世界，在那里，没有人会因其承担的角色而感到被奴役或受压制。
