'I call the dads of my students if they're sick.' 23 women on their daily acts of micro-feminism.

Micro-feminism is a new term coined on TikTok that's been used in full force here at the Mamamia offices. 

What is micro-feminism you ask? It's the practice of inserting small feminist acts into your every day.

For example, writing "Mrs & Mr" on invites to hetero couples instead of the other way around or asking a man instead of a woman to hold your baby while you do something. 

@mamamiaaus Micro-feminists, rise up #feminism #microfeminism #feminist #officelife ♬ original sound - Mamamia

The TikTok we posted sharing our micro-feminist acts has over one million views but we're not done talking about this. 

So, we decided to ask 23 more women what their go-to micro-feminism acts are for inspiration. 

Here's what they said...

Ellie.

"I make sure I stipulate whether I’m talking about the Men’s Footy/Cricket team (as they do for AFLW or Women’s Cricket), so it’s not just considered a baseline. This has become normal for my sports-mad 10-year-old son, who says the same, to the point where he legitimately once asked if the 'Men’s Matildas' are any good."

Unsure if you're a feminist? Watch this. Post continues below.

Anne.

"I’m a teacher and I include the father and mother in all discussions, particularly if they relate to caring responsibilities, to emphasise education doesn’t just automatically deflect to Mum only."

Sarah.

"I hold the door open for everyone (but I feel like it’s micro-feminism when I hold it open for a man and they look a little shocked by it)."

Janice.

"I call out people who ask 'Is your husband home babysitting the kids?' No, he is not. He is home being a parent."

Jess.

"Not moving out of the way for men when walking, and actively stomping if they’re just standing somewhere annoying like in a doorway."

Lisa.

"I’m a writer at a university and I find when I interview women, they often understate their skills and achievements significantly more than men. 

When I’m transcribing interviews, I often change hesitant language to more definitive language on par with how their male counterparts have spoken. I obviously get their sign-off on the finished product before publishing and they sign off on their new and improved quotes!"

Tara.

"I always take the seat in the middle of the men in a meeting."

Michelle.

"I don't make my three daughters do chores. I figure that they will be doing enough for the rest of their lives... or hopefully not."

Alex.

"I work in a bank and when I open a joint bank account or set up an insurance policy, I always put the woman’s name first."

Eve.

"I don’t cook dinner ever. My husband and I both work. He handles all the dinner prep (including the weekly shop) and cooks dinner for the family every night. If he’s too tired to cook we get takeaway, I never do it."

Anna.

"I'm the first name on our family Medicare card, then the kids and then my husband. I did all the admin for it, so why not?"

Natalie.

"Using Ms because I am not determined by my marital status."

Lucy.

"Changing details of books to make them more feminist. Doctors, truck drivers etc. all become female."

Alison.

"We call our Robo vacuum a male's name."

Janet.

"On work emails and Outlook, I list my female colleagues first. If I need to assign any colours, I'll use pink for guys and blue for women."

Isabella.

"As a teacher when needing to get children’s attention, I say 'Girls and Boys', always putting the girls first."

Shannon.

"I am a teacher. I call the dads of my students if they are sick or if they need a permission note signed, etc. I often get a huff of agitation on the other end of the line. As if the men are too busy to deal with ‘silly school stuff’. It’s so satisfying."

Stacey.

"I change the pronouns in kids' books that only have men for animals."

Taylor.

"At Catholic Mass there are some communal prayers where the pronoun He is used for God. I always say God instead. Sometimes I refer to God as She."

Leah.

"I always ask men 'Can I help you carry that?' when they're holding something heavy."

Olivia.

"I don’t enjoy any sports but I try to put women’s sports on the TV so it helps their ratings and helps lift women’s sport in the media."

Charlotte.

"When my boys assume gender, I often add 'or she' to the end of their sentence. I do it so often that now they will add it themselves."

Tamara.

"When someone talks about going to the doctor, I ask what SHE said."

What is your act of micro-feminism? Tell us in the comments!

If you want more culture opinions by Emily Vernem, you can follow her on Instagram @emilyvernem.

The women in this article are known to Mamamia, but their names have been changed to protect their privacy. 

Feature image: Canva.