Feminism is bigger than one little word and works as an undulating force to unite women around the world. The concept has evolved over the decades with one wave giving way to the next and each generation reshaping the definition.

But mostly, it’s a very personal term. It’s an -ism that’s full of emotion. Feminism can’t really be captured by a dictionary entry — it’s a tapestry of women’s experiences and influences.

The first International Women’s Day was celebrated by the Suffragette Movement in 1911 — more than 100 years ago. It was recognized by The United Nations in 1975, and by 1977 the UN made March 8 the official day for women’s rights and world peace.

For International Women’s Day, the Star asked women across the country how they define the word feminism.

Kimberley Wong: Chinatown Community Organizer. Unceded Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh Territories, B.C.

Feminism isn’t a term I grew up with. Neither was racialization. I was raised by matriarchs with pointy fingers, hands on hips, sharp tongues, round bellies and puckered lips. Of men whose softness came through in the fresh fried rice they offered you on Saturday mornings. In Cantonese culture, honouring our ancestors is central. But honouring ancestors and being complacent in the violence of deeply embedded patriarchy within our cultural institutions isn’t the same. Navigating racialized cultural spaces as a feminist, and navigating feminist spaces as a racialized person, is complex. My definition of feminism is defined by organizing in these differing communities.

Cheri DiNovo: Order of Canada recipient, former NDP MPP, United Church minister and LGBTQ activist. Toronto, Ont.

As the first woman in my family born a “person” and not the property of my father or husband (my mother was born before Canada’s Persons case) it simply means “equality”. (For Indigenous women it took decades longer if it arguably ever happened.) We still don’t have equality, and won’t until we have free universal child care and equal pay. Those are core demands of feminism I, and others, have been fighting for decades to achieve.

Morgane Oger: Trans activist and Former B.C. NDP candidate. Vancouver, B.C.

Feminism is the beating of my heart. The power of all women to take control of our bodies and our lives. The right to determine what makes sense for our own bodies. The work being done to free everyone from the conventions of compulsory gender roles that Trans lives show can be escaped. The banishing of patriarchy’s henchmen. Feminism is both a source of inspiration and a collaborative movement chipping away at oppression. It lifts us all up by helping our world become more equitable. It leaves no one behind. It frees our children to reach their full potential to be their very best selves, whatever sex or gender that may be.

Ameera Ali: Journalism student double minoring in Human Rights and Indigenous Studies at Carleton University. Ottawa, Ont.

Feminism to me is a movement. It is defining that, despite cultural, religious or traditional ‘norms,’ women are equally capable of achieving the same goals and tasks of men. We have the power to create new ‘norms.’ Feminism defines that we, as humans, are not better than one another, but rather equal to one another. We all carry individual strengths and weaknesses. Rather than using them in competition with one another, feminism is uniting with our sisters to push past boundaries, knock-down negative stigmas and reach our full potential.

Lisa Kelly: Lesbian parent and feminist activist. Toronto, Ont.

My feminism has evolved throughout my life. It has always been fundamentally about gender equality. It has changed over the years to include a quest to expand our understanding of gender. As a lesbian, I have witnessed the wide range of examples the 2SLGBTQ+ and non-binary communities have offered on how to be a human. This has shone a bright light on how assigned gender roles and stereotypes exist and how to dismantle them. The masculinities and femininities that are performed, embodied, and experienced in my community contribute to the more complex feminism I hold today. It is an ongoing evolution!

Shannon Sampert: Retired political scientist and the first female op-ed editor of the Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg, Man.

Feminism has been my unofficial project since the 1970s when I started working in media. Very often I would be the only woman working in a radio newsroom. I faced news directors who would tell me I couldn’t anchor the morning news because my voice didn’t have the authority or was told I was too ugly for television. I dug in my heels and persisted. Survival is feminism. Even now in my late 50s, with a PhD, some men still try to talk over me because of my gender. I don’t let them get away with it anymore.

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Lana Payne: National Secretary-Treasurer Unifor, trade unionist, mom, believer that a better world is possible. Toronto, Ont.

My feminism is rooted in activism, in organizing. As a trade unionist, I have dedicated much of my work to advancing women’s economic justice. I have done this as part of a powerful sisterhood of working women who fight daily for equality at work, at the collective bargaining table and in the political arena. As long as there are women who face exploitation, violence, sexism, wage discrimination, harassment and unfair treatment at work, none of us can rest. Together, we must fight for the social and economic justice that moves women — and everyone — forward.

Ghezal Durrani: YWCA Community Developer Coordinator, survivor, social activist and student of life. Vancouver, B.C.

Feminism means an end to sexism, social injustice, racism, discrimination, poverty, and gender inequality. Feminism means to work with each other and honour each other’s differences in order to achieve gender equality globally where every person feels safe and included. For me, feminism also means that people do not have to worry about their race, sex, religion, gender, and sexuality because these are social labels which create barriers for many individuals who do not fit into the social labelling. Feminism for me means that society’s most vulnerable members should not feel alone or die silently from social inequality. I believe that we need to be a conscious human beings first then feminist.

Lindsay Squires: Bank manager and activist. St. John’s, N.L.

Feminism has been with me my whole life. It was never a taboo word in our family home. My mother describe my grandmother as a feminist. My grandfather, who had four daughters and four granddaughters, always spoke about his “strong girls” with pride. My father never allowed gender to discourage us or acknowledge that gender was a differentiating factor. I now proudly consider myself a feminist and consider this a key part of my identity. Feminism is not about being better then anyone, it is very much about believing in oneself and encouraging those around you.

Shaila Carter: Community leader. Shelburne, Ont.

“I define feminism as the fight against women’s inequality. I will focus on my places of worship, and in religion. Although our holy book in Islam claims that we are equal as women, we are not necessarily treated equally by both men and women in the Muslim community. Until women are looked upon as equal by members of my faith, and until women are treated and paid properly in religious places of worship and occupation, Muslim women cannot move forward equally as their non-Muslim counterparts. Feminism to me is the fight for equal rights by both men and women. We cannot feel we are people, if we see men being treated better.

Correction: March 8, 2020 — This article has been updated from a previous version to correct the spelling of Kimberley Wong’s name.

These interviews have been edited and condensed.