There are many ways to run a nation and many nations on the planet. But, one thing that all of them seem to have in common is a differentiation between their approach to equality and their approach to individual freedoms. Since no Utopian society exists, there are always some that are a little more equal than others and some that are a little more free than their fellow citizens.

Despite the wide array of definitions of the term ‘feminism’, at its heart it is the fight for women to be regarded as intelligent individuals that are not and should not be subjugated by men. Even in the most evolved society, the role of the woman is often hampered by the stigmas associated with having a vagina. We are viewed as being the weaker sex, despite the ability to endure more physical pain and having longer stamina.

Freedom, on the other hand, has no gender bias. It is a term universally applied to anybody’s ability to make their own choices and given the opportunities to both exercise them and realize any consequent benefits or repercussions. It can be used to describe apes and elephants at the zoo just as well as prisoners serving a jail term.

Where the two definitions get muddy is in the current state. Few women are truly regarded as being equal to their male counterparts. In Western society we are much closer to this goal than in many other nations. Still, glass ceilings do exist and they are often reinforced by steel and concrete. Despite the fact that there would be no people, women or men, without both working together toward common goals women are not given the right to decide whom to be with, how many children to have, how to raise them, or when they might be able to regain some sort of sense of self beyond being a mother.

Women who try to work around preconceived notions and opt not to be a wife or a mother are often ridiculed and made to feel like they are letting society down. They are not permitted to peacefully go about their lives, contributing in other ways to the overall good. A woman’s worth is based on her children, regardless of her education, professional background, or list of accomplishments. As long as -there is a division of biological-based-labor and economic dependence of one group on another, we will not likely see a true separation of feminism from the movement’s biggest detractors.