Why am I a feminist?

Because the first time I was called a slut I was eleven years old and had never even kissed a guy. Because every day on the way to school or uni I get whistled at like a dog. Because one of the most important people in my life has had an abortion and it was the right thing to do. Because people think it's funny to make jokes about rape or say 'stay in the kitchen and make me a sandwich'. Because I live in a culture where getting drunk or wearing a short skirt is a crime and rape is the punishment. Because I'm an atheist and I will not tolerate having my behaviour judged by the hypocritical moral standards of religion. Because more women will be maimed or killed at the hands of men than malaria, cancer, traffic accidents and war all put together. Because both of my grandmothers are illiterate and uneducated. Because when I was growing up the housewives in my neighbourhood used to pick on my mother for working full time and putting me in daycare. Because in many parts of the world women are punished for 'being raped'. Because even though I'm a well-off educated girl in a liberal Western democracy, sexism has affected my life in so many ways.

That's why.