This summer I took Women's Studies 101. I absolutely consider myself a feminist and I was one long before I had ever heard of the word. However, this course was an eye-opener for me. I was familiar with many of the topics we covered, but I did not recognize the severity of some of them, even in this day in age. I hope that this article is able to educate and enlighten anyone who is passionate about women and the fight for equality.

1. Parents kill or severely neglect their female babies.

In many Eastern cultures, son preference is very prevalent. This is especially true in countries with one child and small family policies. Sons are preferred because they can carry on family lineage whereas daughters cannot. They also cost less in countries that still practice the tradition of dowries. In countries with son preference, the mortality rate for female children is much higher than the mortality rate for male children.

2. Dowry deaths and honor killings are still very real (and very legal) practices in some countries.

Even in countries where there are laws against dowry deaths and honor killings, the laws are not strictly enforced. Dowry deaths occur when a bride's family cannot provide the dowry agreed upon with the groom's family. The groom or his parents take it upon themselves to kill the bride, often by holding her over the cooking stove until her clothing catches fire, so the groom can find another bride and another dowry. Honor killings are committed by male relatives when a female does any of the following things to dishonor the family: having premarital sex, being raped, cheating or being suspected of cheating, seeking a divorce, flirting, wearing makeup, wearing nontraditional clothing, and dating with parental approval.

3. Feminism is a dirty word in many cultures.

Most women in Eastern countries and cultures don't use the term "feminism" because of its negative connotation in their culture. They fear that it will undermine their efforts, so they often refer to women's movements simply as the fight for women's rights and women's equality. "Feminism" is also considered to be the Western concept and many Eastern women are wary of it because they feel that it is not representative of them. Additionally, most women's movements are tied into other movements focused on race or class.

4. Sexual tourism is a huge money maker for Thailand, Korea, and the Philippines.

Men, literally, go on vacation and buy tourism packages just to have sex. This is a huge reason why sex trafficking is the thriving industry that it is. In America, many women chose of their own free will to enter into sex work. Globally, most women and children are kidnaped and forced to work as sex slaves or they do it out of absolute desperation to make any money they can.

5. Almost nothing you own was made ethically.

If it wasn't made on U.S. soil, it most likely wasn't made ethically. Most of your clothing and pretty much any item you can purchase was probably made by a woman or a child in a sweatshop. They generally work 20 to 22 hours per day. They don't get bathroom breaks. They don't get to stand up and stretch their legs. They sit and they sew, assemble, and package items for your consumption. The worst part is that it's extremely difficult to fight this or boycott products when virtually every company outsources their labor to avoid labor and minimum wage laws.

6. Lesbianism has been around for a very long time and it wasn't always deemed unacceptable.

Of course, lesbians didn't suddenly pop up out of nowhere at the turn of the century. But it wasn't until the 19th century that lesbian-like relationships started to become taboo and unacceptable in society. Women often had very intense, romantic relationships with other women before and sometimes during their heterosexual marriage. Lesbianism can be dated back as far as Ancient Greece and Rome and it existed in all societies and social classes.

7. In order to help women in developing nations, we (Western feminists) need to listen to their needs instead of pretending that we know what's best.

This should be obvious, but many Western feminists think that they know what is best for women in other nations without actually understanding their needs and struggles. It's possible to give women in developing nations a voice without speaking for them. The only way to help these women is to understand the issues from their perspective because what may be a huge issue to you may not be the first priority of the women it actually effects. A fabulous example of this is when Western feminists want to fight for Muslim women to do away with the hijab and other religious garments without recognizing the fact that many Muslim chose to wear these garments for personal and religious reasons.

All facts from "Women Across Cultures: A Global Perspective" (3rd Edition) by Shawn Hughes.