When I wrote my prior article, Gender and Politics, I was asked by many exactly what rights feminists are seeking. Yes, many refuted the wage gap, and one even sarcastically referred to his handy copy of the US Constitution. Well, my dears, sit back and enjoy because sometimes what is more important are the things that go unmentioned. This is a list I have compiled of some of the rights for which feminists fight.
1. The right for females to have any job males can have (including in the military- yay women on submarines!).
2. The right to not be sexually harassed at the place of employment (because while this is not exclusively done to females, the VAST majority of sexually based harassment is done to a female).
3. The right to not be a victim of domestic violence. Did you know in the state of South Carolina that in the same year that cock fighting became a felony, a bill to make domestic violence a felony was as well on the table and it didn't pass? And again, I know this is not only a female problem, but 95% of domestic violence is against women. Feel free to research this topic in Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti.
4. The right to informed decisions about birth control (this is an issue for both men and women). Also, on that note, many women are fighting to keep their pro-choice option as this seems to be constantly on the table for question. Worth mentioning is that I am actually pro life, and while most feminists would denounce me as a true feminist, many would not. There are many breeds of feminism.
5. The right to not be put on certain tracks in school due to age, sex, race, ethnicity, etc. Tracking women in specific classes (avoiding STEM subjects) creates job segregation. Jobs that are comprised of mainly women are generally paid less. Feel free to take a closer look at this in Understanding Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality: A Conceptual Framework by Lyn Weber.
6. The right to not be devalued with age. While ageism is real for both men and women later in life, it begins VERY early for women. Women are constantly infantilized because younger and more innocent is better. Take one look at any magazine and advertisement, and I think you'll see what I mean.
7. The right to not be stigmatized for being pregnant and unwed. Men don't have that problem and neither should women. Being pregnant and single should not keep a woman from any government job- because men aren't asked about their kids and spousal relationships prior to employment.
8. The right to not be revictimized for being raped. One will often here that she was asking for it by her manner of dress, the neighborhood she was in, the late hour she was out, or the mental state she was in. I call BS (for all you LDS out there, I mean Bologna Sandwich :). If someone says no the answer is no regardless of ANY other conditions of the event. The conviction rate of rape is in the single digits (~6%)- please check out this and other rape statistics here.
1. The right for females to have any job males can have (including in the military- yay women on submarines!).
2. The right to not be sexually harassed at the place of employment (because while this is not exclusively done to females, the VAST majority of sexually based harassment is done to a female).
3. The right to not be a victim of domestic violence. Did you know in the state of South Carolina that in the same year that cock fighting became a felony, a bill to make domestic violence a felony was as well on the table and it didn't pass? And again, I know this is not only a female problem, but 95% of domestic violence is against women. Feel free to research this topic in Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti.
4. The right to informed decisions about birth control (this is an issue for both men and women). Also, on that note, many women are fighting to keep their pro-choice option as this seems to be constantly on the table for question. Worth mentioning is that I am actually pro life, and while most feminists would denounce me as a true feminist, many would not. There are many breeds of feminism.
5. The right to not be put on certain tracks in school due to age, sex, race, ethnicity, etc. Tracking women in specific classes (avoiding STEM subjects) creates job segregation. Jobs that are comprised of mainly women are generally paid less. Feel free to take a closer look at this in Understanding Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality: A Conceptual Framework by Lyn Weber.
6. The right to not be devalued with age. While ageism is real for both men and women later in life, it begins VERY early for women. Women are constantly infantilized because younger and more innocent is better. Take one look at any magazine and advertisement, and I think you'll see what I mean.
7. The right to not be stigmatized for being pregnant and unwed. Men don't have that problem and neither should women. Being pregnant and single should not keep a woman from any government job- because men aren't asked about their kids and spousal relationships prior to employment.
8. The right to not be revictimized for being raped. One will often here that she was asking for it by her manner of dress, the neighborhood she was in, the late hour she was out, or the mental state she was in. I call BS (for all you LDS out there, I mean Bologna Sandwich :). If someone says no the answer is no regardless of ANY other conditions of the event. The conviction rate of rape is in the single digits (~6%)- please check out this and other rape statistics here.
2 comments:
With respect to 5, I remember being very interested in the topic during the big class-action lawsuit against WalMart. One of the arguments WalMart used was essentially that they didn't discriminate, they promoted people with certain qualifications and that men more frequently met them, which sounds reasonable to me. But then, it turned out that the qualifications they wanted were met by, for example, being a stocker, then a cashier, then so on up a chain. But back when people were first hired, women tended to be put into positions as greeters, and men tended to become stockers. I may have the positions wrong, but that was the general idea.
I've always found that to be a far more convincing argument than the wage gap between men and women. I don't expect someone with an English degree to be paid as much as someone with an engineering degree, because someone with an engineering degree is more likely to be able to add monetary value to your company. And right now, far more men graduate with engineering degrees than women. On the other hand, I've seen some pretty good arguments that our society tends to track young girls away from STEM subjects, while boys are encouraged to pursue them.
Pro-life!! Yes!!
Post a Comment