"Feminism isn't about making women strong. Women are already strong. It's about changing the way the world perceives that strength." —G.D. Anderson
Even in a society scarred by unequal treatment of women, I am proud to be a female. I recognize that inequalities such as women making $0.79 to every male dollar, the gender roles women have been fighting to break out of, and the many issues revolving around abortion are still very prevalent, but we need to give ourselves props for how far we have come. Just think - until around the 1920s women wearing pants was socially unacceptable. It was unacceptable for women to wear trousers in senate until 1993! Women have now had the right to vote for just under a century, and are making strides in policy changes regarding service in the armed forces. While we as women still have extensive amounts of work to complete in order to bridge the gap in equality, understanding where we come from and how far we still have to go in the eyes of society is key.
Prior to the industrial revolution the roles men and women had in society were quite different. With the average life expectancy being lower, due to disease and lack of medical knowledge, women were expected to contribute to society by having as many children as possible, and then spending their time raising them. Children played an important role in society, especially in farming communities where they were expected to aid in helping around the farm, therefore making large families very beneficial. Men predominantly did all the hunting, gathering, working, and farming, so women could devote all of their time to gestating and rearing children. Taking care of children was a full time job prior to day care services and public schooling, which aided to the familiar image of the women staying home with children and the men leaving the house daily to go to work. These gender roles (at the time) were not considered sexist because women are the only ones able to gestate, so their role in society while not always valued was vital. Our past roles as women were diversified out of personal, familial, and societal needs – not out of desire. If men were able to bear children, women would have been the ones receiving education, doing the heavy lifting, working and earning money, and thus the roles in modern society would be reversed. But these roles should no longer constrain my ability to strive.
Modern advances in medicine and technology, in addition to amenities such as childcare services have given women a greater opportunity to receive a higher education, pursue careers, and delay bearing children based on personal preference. However, society seems to still be stuck in a gender role rut. Historically, women were deemed less valuable than men in the work force because typically, women were not as physically strong, and for a long time not equally educated. Today, women are able to receive equal education, opening up more jobs that women are qualified for.
Yet, one major inequality exists – women on average receive $0.79 to every male dollar earned for the exact same job.
This sends the message that women are not as important as men, or not as valued. Paying women less for the same job is 100% unacceptable. Some claim that it may be due to the level of education women received. However, in recent studies where men and women completing the same job were compared to the education they received, women with higher GPAs than men and were still paid less. In a day in age were all the variables for success can be equal among genders, the reward should be equal too.
Another issue we see in the news all too frequently is sexual assault. Our society teaches women to take it upon themselves to ensure their own safety. Yet no one bothers to explicitly mention that sexual assault is not okay because talking about sex other than abstinence is taboo in the education system. I acknowledge that not all men sexually assault women, and it is possible for women to sexually assault men, however it is extremely more common that the case involves a female victim and a male offender. This issue seems to become increasingly more complicated when alcohol is involved. When someone drinks too much and becomes victim of sexual assault, they are told it is their fault, that they should have been more careful about their consumption. But when people talk about the assaulter, they are let off on excuses of being intoxicated.
This hypocrisy puts victims at a disadvantage in judicial courts, and when going about their daily life. Rape is rape, no matter the mental state of a person. Rape is NOT non-consensual sex, that’s like saying there is swimming and non-swimming. You are either swimming or drowning, calling it something other than what it is, will not protect victims from the consequences of someone else’s poorly thought out actions. Speaking from personal experience, women have formed unnecessary habits to help protect themselves, because its easier to have a get-away plan than to tell someone no, which should not be the case. Society should be teaching everyone, regardless of gender, that sexual assault is not okay, even when under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
When it comes to discussing female anatomy, every aspect of a woman seems to be sexualized. Whether we are talking about the way women dress, to how much make up they wear, how feminine one is perceived as, or being able to breastfeed a child. If a woman’s appearance does not match that of the social status quo, it is unacceptable. Women should not be shamed for feeding their children in public, when lingerie is sold in more sexualized ways. Breasts are for the purpose of feeding children, not pleasing others.
Women should not be shamed for their clothing choices.
While it is understood that dress codes are put in place in schools to prevent extremely provocative clothing from being worn, if girls are sent home for shorts that are just above the fingertip, or a bra strap out of a tank top, or shoulders being exposed, we are telling girls that covering up their body is more important than their receiving an education. If schools are so concerned about dress codes, make a uniform part of the code. But also realize that this is not the solution to a problem, addressing the issue by teaching school children that modesty is important, but also not to sexualize bodies.
Women should not be targeted for the amount of make up they wear. It is a personal choice made to boost self-confidence, not hide “ugliness” or to impress anyone other than themselves. People should not be ostracized for falling on the gender spectrum somewhere other than exclusively male or female. We are all human and how we identify is a PERSONAL choice. Sexualizing the human is demeaning and is only a distraction to those who cannot control themselves.
Women are scrutinized for many aspects of their lives, including personal.
An example of this is abortion rights. Prior to 1973 abortion was only legal if the fetus would prove to be fatality to the mother prior to birth. In 1973, abortion in America was legalized deeming a right to privacy, which included abortion. I personally believe that life is a beautiful gift that should not be condemned by irrational choice, however I do believe there are instances where abortion is a reasonable response to an unfit pregnancy. For example: if the fetus is parasitic to the mother, or if a fetus was conceived in an instance of rape or incest, or if the mother has a disease that may greatly affect the fetus’ quality of life.
There are regulations revolving around abortion to make it both safe and ethical, but keep in mind that the choice to abort a pregnancy is not an easy one and women who choose to do so should not be shamed for their choices. Moreover for those who are wholly against abortion for the fact that it is against a religion, I understand where you are coming from, but when it comes to making laws the church and state are separate. If the thought of aborting a fetus is that appalling to you, then I suggest you do not take part in it, but it is a personal choice to make, not the governments to regulate.
As I mentioned before, women have made leaps and bounds toward equality but we are not quite there yet. We have movements encouraging not only equality between genders, but support and inclusion of all genders as well as sexual orientations, women empowerment, and supporting better body image. If you identify as a woman to any degree understand that it is perfectly fine to not look like the women in magazines. They are photoshopped to the point where that isn’t even them--they don’t look like that naturally. If you are not model skinny, don’t worry, being that thin is not healthy. Whether you like wearing make up, or not, going to the gym, or not, want to be a mother, or want to pursue your career, want to travel the world, or break the record for longest time on the couch consecutively–that is all okay and normal.
We as women need to stand together to make more change, to even the playing field, to set the bar for acceptance. We are equal to men and we can prove it! We have been on the disadvantageous end of the stick for a long time, and we are rallying together to make progress. But what we cannot afford to do is shame each other, giving ourselves and others the approval to shame us too. We should give more compliments to our fellow women, help empower one another, give an extra hand to someone in need, let them know they are not alone.
