Imran Khan Calls Out Feminists for Degrading Motherhood: His Thoughts About Women Is Exactly Why We Need Feminism

Cricketer turned politician Imran khan has found himself amidst yet another controversy. He recently made a comment on how feminism  is a bad influence on today's women. In an interview with Amber Rahim Shamsi, on Pakistan's Hum TV,  Khan said, "A mother is the biggest influence in her child's life." Commenting on feminism he also said, "I disagree with the Western concept of feminism; it has completely degraded the role of a mother."

Pakistan based journalist Bilal Farooqi shared a video that shows Imran Khan making the statement -

Imran Khan's comments immediately faced backlash on social media and popular names in Pakistan took to twitter to express their disagreement.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has been associated with online trolls in the past too. And the moment Khan's statement was met with backlash, PTI's army of trolls were quick to defend him. They gave various arguments to justify him.

Here's the full interview:

However, what Khan has said can not be justified. There are broadly two reason for it - first, Imran Khan's understanding of the term feminism is questionable and second, feminists are not against motherhood or being good mothers.

Now let us dissect the two concerns. Firstly, why Imran Khan' idea of feminism is incorrect. Feminism is a movement to establish equality in the social, political, economic and personal space for women.  Unlike what Imran Khan said, feminism isn't making women inefficient but is actually making them aware of that they are as efficient as men.

Secondly, Imran Khan doesn't understand that motherhood is not the sole objective of a woman's life. Some may long to become mothers, while others don't. Motherhood is a great gift bestowed to a woman by nature. But it is entirely her choice to opt for it, not the society's. And feminism empowers women to make that choice: either to break traditions or to adhere to it.

So does feminism corrupt the idea of motherhood? It doesn't make a woman any less feminine or heartless that may affect her capabilities as a mother, which is Khan's major concern as expressed in the interview.  Feminism is only empowering a woman to be better, independent and stronger. And guess what? a self-reliant, confident woman is capable to actually raise a child better. I rest my case.

If at all feminism has anything to do with motherhood, it is to make a mother more independent, strong and dependable. To all the trolls and supporters of Imran Khan: you cannot defend him by saying that while he disregards feminism, he propagates equal rights. That's because feminism is synonymous with equal rights.

Here's a thought; have you heard of the demand for maternal leaves? Well, it is for 'empowered women' to raise their children better, and it exists because feminists exists. Give it a thought.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 19, 2018 03:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).