Where’s the feminism in FemTech?

“As feminists we need to take critical, radical measures in listening to women in the poorest communities about what they want and need instead of projecting narratives of ignorance onto them. . . . We have to be ready to listen to the girls and women who are still there, and not just the ones who were able to get out.” Mikki Kendall, Hood Feminism

Note: “Woman” here is describing anyone who identifies, or has previously identified, as a woman. I’d write “womxn” but that isn’t very conducive to SEO.

Let me start by saying how appreciative I am of the woman pioneering the frontier that is FemTech. FemTech is proof of the tables we’re building, rather than squeezing into. I applaud those women. I admire those women. In this article, though, I warn those women: FemTech is en route to be the next #GirlBoss if it doesn't become more inclusive.

What isn’t a woman’s issue?

If you haven’t read the real talk that is Hood Feminism, RUN — don’t walk — to your local book store. Kendall has given us a true gift in this critique of the feminist movement. As a quick synopsis of the book from the publisher:

All too often the focus of mainstream feminism is not on basic survival for the many, but on increasing privilege for the few. Meeting basic needs is a feminist issue. Food insecurity, the living wage and access to education are feminist issues. The fight against racism, ableism and transmisogyny are all feminist issues.

Okay, perhaps you’re starting to pick up what I’m putting down. Before I go on to explain why a $369 test to “learn which birth control option is best for you” is not the embodiment of feminism, let me also summarize the #GirlBoss Movement.

Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss.

For a more in-depth look at the Rise and Fall of the Girlboss, I’d recommend this Vox article.

An excerpt from The Girlboss Handbook:

• Work twice as hard as the [white] man next to you to win a seat at the C-suite table.
• Equate your self-worth to your LinkedIn title.
• Become a True Inspiration™ for womankind; if you can do it, they can, too.

The girlboss story is a sad one. A slew of middle-class, millennial women intent on shattering the glass ceiling only to find that they, too, were trapped within the confines of a system created by white men.

Not long ago, I yearned for a desk with a cute “Girl Boss” sign from HomeGoods. In fact, I proudly touted a t-shirt in college (no doubt, from a very unethical source) which read “My favorite position is CEO.” Insert cringe here. While I was so intent on climbing the corporate ladder (for what I truly believed, at the time, to be wholesome reasons), I was ignoring who was building said ladder.

FemTech versus Hood Feminism

If FemTech is creating new tables, Hood Feminism is making sure everyone has something to eat whether there’s a table or not.

Let’s play a game called FemTech vs. Hood Feminism.

Case Study 1

Birth control is a staple medication for millions of folks, not only to prevent babies, but to control any one of many hormonal disruptions: PMDD, heavy menstruation, debilitating menstrual cramps, you name it. Unfortunately, it comes with an endless scroll of potential side effects, some of which are more terrifying than others.

Enter: FemTech.

For a mere $369, you can order an at-home hormone test. The lab results of said test match your biology with a birth control least likely to cause side effects.

If you had $400 to spend, would you rather:

• A) Spend $369 on your half of the rent and the remaining on filling the prescription of whichever random birth control your doctor prescribes, or;
• B) Skip paying rent, risking eviction, and instead purchase this at-home hormone test and whichever birth control is advised as a result.

Case Study 2

You learn about a new clinic that’s opening in your city. It’s pegged as the “modern medical home for women.” You can’t remember the last time you’ve been to a doctor, let alone a women’s health doctor. You’re concerned about the pelvic pain you’ve been having, so you decide to make an appointment.

Unfortunately, though, your kids are home sick from school. You’re already losing out on money because you had to take the afternoon off work, so you definitely can’t afford daycare. No big deal, you’ll just bring the kids with you. Except when you walk up to the clinic, you start to wonder if you’re staring at an instagram photo IRL. Reality sinks in.

• You’re wearing whatever was clean that day — gray sweatpants and a stained t-shirt. The women in the lobby, receptionist included, look like they just stepped out of a fashion magazine.
• The walls are a pristine shade of white; your under-the-weather little ones are bound to wipe their snot-streaked hands across them. This brings you to a larger realization.
• You’re about to bring your kids into this clinic where the only noises are music from perfectly curated playlist and running water from the decorative fountain.

The shame spiral kicks in hard. No way was this place made for you and your family; you’d stick out like a sore thumb. As you turn around to head home, you convince yourself the pelvic pain isn’t that bad; you didn’t need to see a doctor anyway.

How will FemTech end?

Investors are pouring billions of dollars into FemTech, and the number is ever growing. The market is hot: current market size is estimated at $500 million to $1 billion. That’s a lot of zeros.

What else has a lot of zeros? The year 2000. With Gen Z’s entry into the world as full-fledged people with their own ideas and money to spend, businesses are straining to gain their trust. The traditional way of acquiring customers is gone; Gen Z votes with their dollars.

Here’s what Adolescent Content found when comparing a brand’s values to Gen Z’s purchase intent:

• 90% of Gen Z is driven to purchase by ethical business practices
• 87% of Gen Z is driven to purchase by a brand’s inclusivity

If FemTech companies - or rather the FemTech industry as a whole - won’t become more inclusive simply because it’s the right thing to do, they’re in for a rude awakening. My hypothesis on FemTech’s trajectory, should it not become more inclusive:

• Gen Z won’t buy into the FemTech startups investors have banked on because of a lack of shared principles.
• If FemTech isn’t cancelled because of blatant “yassification”, or lack of authenticity, it will at a minimum be ghosted.
• ROI will plummet, investors will stop investing, and FemTech will be a story of the past.

What do you think? Can FemTech become InclusiveTech before it’s too late?

Check out The Birth Control Database @ birthcontrol.best | A nonprofit making birth control options easy to understand.