Generally speaking, I've done a little bit of internet research, and I think I can deduce why people, most notably men, are so anti-feminist, and why people, by definition, who are feminists won't associate themselves with the label.

There are a few reasons to look into, but most notably are these two.

1.) The "Straw" Feminist.

This is a fictional (well, mostly fictional) woman who hates men, or at least has contempt for them, and will conduct "male-bashing" and seems to hold the sentiment that women are superior to men, though she would never fully admit this. The idea of the Straw feminist is that she "sees" sexism in places where there actually isn't any at all, and she may even promote sexism against men. The creation of this character, or this trope, is based on the idea that Men and Women are completely equal, and therefor, Feminism is no longer needed. While there are some women out there who may embody this trope to varying degrees, it is a very small minority of Feminists who actually conduct themselves in this manner. However, the media loves controversy, and they will always hyper-focus on the most crazy and extreme people they can find in any movement, and Feminism is no exception.

2.) When power is threatened, the individuals that wield it will inevitably fight back to hold onto their power.

Patriarchy is a very real, very cultural thing... there is no denying this one, folks. Not only are men most often associated with positions of power, but things that men as a gender are expected to do and have are also much more valued in our society than the things women are expected to do. Even when gender-lines are blurred and men and women cross over, it is more socially acceptable for women to do manly things than it is for men to do womanly things. This aside, in terms of management and CEO's of companies and politics, while admittedly, these areas of work are more egalitarian than they have ever been in the past, they are still primarily male-dominated.

Establishing that there is a real Patriarchy (speaking just about the USA in this case), it also would make sense that men, particularly those in positions of power in society, are not too thrilled to have to give up their positions or make room for women. It's sort of the "Boy's Club" philosophy. Now, not all men feel this way and could care less about whether their boss was a man or woman, or if they had to work alongside a woman. However, remember what I said in point one? Well, the most extreme of these men who don't want to have to deal with women in power also receive lots of attention and focus, bashing feminism for hating men, or flat out claiming that women need to be put into their place (whether subtle or not).

Unfortunately, the media attention on these extreme position will cloud people's overall judgement of actual Feminism and what the proper response to it should be, though perhaps the biggest issue is the name itself doesn't sound like it suggests equality between men and women. However, I personally feel that the term is not inappropriate myself. In order to develop society in a way that men and women are equals, we must elevate women's role in society to be just as important as men... thus, we need to empower women, hence the term "Feminism."

PS: (** means there is more on that point below) Yes, I'm aware that there are sexist practices done against males, such as infant genital mutilation, expecting that men must always be a primary earner in a household, believing that men are not as good of parents as women, preferential custody of children to women instead of the most apt parent to care for the children or joint custody, ignoring or chastising men who come forward to report a rape against them**, social isolation and mistreatment of males who are "too" feminine, forcing males to sign up for the Selective Services just because they are male, valuing the survival of women over the survival of men**, expecting that men act tough and be more prone to violence, and the fact that in liberal circles, men are expected to comply with women's wishes in terms of an unplanned pregnancy**.


**Ignoring Men's Rape Reports

While this is definitely a problem, rape against women is, by far, much more prevalent. However, that doesn't dismiss rape cases against men... and I especially find it important to acknowledge rape against men when it involves an unplanned pregnancy... more on that point below.


**Valuing Survival of Women over Men

I believe that this is a problem, but I also understand why the practice is in place. A species cannot survive if the population of females is too small, especially in species where the female only produces one child at a time, particularly humans where the pregnancy lasts for nine months, and she is fairly debilitated by the last third of the pregnancy, and when child-birth for humans is actually quite dangerous. Before modern medicine, females often died during child-birth. Just a few males are required to continue a species's existence, as one fertile male can impregnate an unlimited amount of females, but a fertile human female may only be pregnant by one male at a time.

However, to dismiss that point... in modern society, especially since there are almost 8 billion humans on this planet, modern science has made human pregnancy and child-birth virtually risk-free and much easier, and population expansion is the last of human concerns; there really is no reason to continue this tired practice of valuing women's survival over men's survival. Every life should be equally valued.


**Men's Lack of Say in Unplanned Pregnancy

This is a complex issue, as there are problems coming from about 4 different sides to the arguments surrounding the issues, specifically about abortion. The current general sentiment of the USA, regardless of what policy-makers will have you believe from Conservative camps... most people believe that Abortion, while not a good thing, is a necessary practice, and that it should be a woman's right to choose what happens to her body.

However, this has the potential to place an unfair burden on men. If a woman decides to carry her pregnancy full-term, while the man who is the biological father of the child preferred an abortion, maybe because he's not ready to be a parent, or because he cannot afford the child, the man is out of luck, and will be forced to pay child support if the woman chooses to pursue him legally for it. Now, this issue is quite complex, and while it does occasionally happen, most women who carry their unplanned-pregnancies full term aren't doing it to get a "free ride" or "screw over" the man that she produced the child with. However, some argue that the man needs to be responsible in this case regardless of the woman's decision to encourage men to take an active role in contraception, which I do agree needs to happen, as there is a current societal sentiment that Birth Control is "a woman's responsibility" since the introduction of Birth Control pills.

Oddly enough, women I know who aren't using birth control pills who used to say that they actually feel happier/better during their periods because they are no longer consuming hormone-loaded pills, so if men take a more active role in birth control by wearing condoms or helping women use other means of birth control that work better. The BEST counter-argument to people who say that men should have a say in pregnancy is that men have the option to wear a condom or use male-centered birth-control during vaginal intercourse with a female. If he chooses not to do this, then he's already given up his choice in whether or a not a female gets pregnant.

An addendum to that point... a big argument for why women should have complete control over what happens during pregnancy is that it is a woman's body that must carry out the pregnancy with no input from a male other than the initial sperm, and that a woman should have complete control over her body. I generally agree with this statement, but I fear that if men's role in pregnancy is completely cut out, it will actually discourage men from not only wanting to procreate, but also discourage them from having sex with women in general. While this is a bit of an extreme view... I can already attest to a variety of men on this website who want nothing to do with a vagina, and part of the reason is pregnancy fear. However, once again, the best counter argument is that men can demand to use male birth-control during vaginal intercourse, and if the female rejects it, he doesn't HAVE to have sex with her. The moment he decides to not use protection himself during vaginal intercourse, he's already given up his right to choose whether or not the female will be pregnant. However, it doesn't mean that men won't have vagina/pregnancy fear.