Hello there. I am a college student who has to do a 10 to 20 page term paper. I have decided to look into a topic that I know very little about and I was wondering if you would help me. My topic is Feminism, but this is such a broad subject that I have narrowed it down a little to the economics (women get paid less than men for the same job) and the glass ceiling effect of women. The latter part of the above sentence I already have information about, but first I need to define feminism and to do that I need to do a little information finding. Can you please tell me how you define it and what does it mean to you? I will include your name and web site in my paper. Thank you in advance for your assistance. Tania

When I'm asked to define feminism, I usually refer to the dictionary definition of feminism - which is the movement toward the full social, political and economic equality of all people. In my own life, I like to add on: that every person have access to enough information to be able to make choices in their own lives. By that I mean, it's not so much about what choices we make, but that we have the freedom to make them. For instance, do you want to be a homemaker, a teacher, a dentist?

Too many people still presume these roles rather than choose them - so again, it's not a matter of what they choose, but that they know all of their options. I don't want to leave you with the impression that it's only about work - it's about all the choices we make - and that others make for us - having kids/raising kids, having the freedom to wear the clothes we want to, be athletic, get equality in divorce... You should also look through other discussions in this section to see how other people define it.

—Amy