WOMEN’S DISCRIMINATION STILL LIVES ON

For over many years, women were seen as inferior to men. They were discriminated and thought as weak. However, with the modern way of “thinking” and with all the law enforcement on equality and women’s right activists, many (but not all) consider that discrimination towards women has faded away. But let me tell you something, they are wrong! To me it feels as if the western society is blind to reality due to propaganda

like “women rights” groups and “equality” for women campaigns.

I am not actually saying these campaigns for equality and these women’s rights groups are fake or they are just pretend, but the way I see it some people often think just because these things exist, women’s discrimination is taken care off and no longer an issue in today’s society. In reality, there are countries that discriminate towards women, for example while I was searching on the web I came across an article that was posted not so long ago. The article mention although there have been major improvements on women’s rights in Afghanistan; the discrimination towards them hasn’t faded away. The article goes on to say that women in the country are suffering from abuse, violence, poverty and above all lower wages. The article mentions that women who works (makes carpets), makes only around 50 U.S dollars per two months.

http://paktribune.com/news/Afghan-women-still-suffer-from-discrimination-and-poverty-268415.html

To the article above, many (not all) might response with a “so what “, and say that Afghanistan is a developing country and not all countries are like that. But that is not the case; every country has some sort of discrimination towards women.  

When discrimination against women comes to mind, the two major subjects that pop up is sexual harassment and rape.
However, women are discriminated in various ways. For example the work force in U.S. when I read the following article I was surprise to find out that women are still looked down upon in their worked fields.

 http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/sunday-commentary/20140411-gender-discrimination-hasnt-disappeared.ece

THANK YOU 4 READING

Questions 

Do you think the topic women discrimination should or shouldn't have an importance in today’s society?

According to the second article often men are chosen over women for higher position in the work fields, but in your opinion do you agree with the article?

Do you agree with me when I say often some people believe discrimination against women has faded away because they are blinded by propaganda like women’s right groups and equality laws and campaigns?   

 

                                                                     Works Cited

“Afghan women still suffer from discrimination and poverty." Pakistan News service. 20 Apr. 2014. Web. 25th Apr. 2014.

"Gender discrimination hasn't disappeared." The Dallas Morning News. 11 Apr. 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.

Gender Equality Myth or Reality

Gender equality Myth or Reality

Is gender equality fair? Here’s a question that I would like you guys to ponder upon. How can two different creations with two different fundamental roles be treated  the same ?If we are biologically, mentally and socially different is it fair to be treated as one? In my opinion no, I believe the idea itself is illogical and somewhat unjust. Take for instance, in sports men and women are segregated so each can drive themselves to their full potential without any biological barriers. If they were put together it would be equality because they are treated the same, but is it just. No, not really because males are naturally stronger than women so to compete,women would have to strive harder giving that males have an unfair advantage. This is equality but is it necessarily fair? We need to stop constructing societal ideologies regarding equality and focus more on achieving equity. The key to unjust expectations isn't equality but it is respect (Hassan).

This relates to a quote Beyonce recently said that sparked a lot of controversy : “We need to stop buying into the myth about gender equality. It isn't a reality yet. Today, women make up half of the U.S. workforce, but the average working woman earns only 77 percent of what the average working man makes. But unless women and men both say this is unacceptable, things will not change. Men have to demand that their wives, daughters, mothers, and sisters earn more—commensurate with their qualifications and not their gender. Equality will be achieved when men and women are granted equal pay and equal respect”(Gender Equality Is a Myth!).

One must understand the difference between equity and equality to truly understand the point i'm trying to convey.  

“Equity, as we have seen, involves trying to understand and give people what they need to enjoy full, healthy lives. Equality, in contrast, aims to ensure that everyone gets the same things in order to enjoy full, healthy lives” (Distinguish between Equity and Equality).

Here is a video that further goes on to discuss the difference between equity and equality ...

Both males and females  have a form of beauty. Both genders also have strength and weakness that construct their identities. These differences make each group of individuals unique.  Instead of trying to conform to theses societal pressures that we should all be treated the same, I believe we should treat each other with respect and push each other to strive to the best of our abilities to achieve success. By being empathetic we can develop a society based on equity rather than equality.   

So i guess its time to reflect. What do you think about equity vs equality in gender?
As a male reader what is your opinion on women wanting equality vs women wanting equity? 
As a female reader would you rather be treated with equity or with equality?
What were your opinions on Beyonce's controversial statement? Do you agree with her?Give some examples or maybe even personal experiences to justify your answers?

"Distinguish between Equity and Equality." SGBA eLearning Resource. Prairie Women's Health Center of Technology , n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. <http://sgba-resource.ca/en/concepts/equity/distinguish-between-equity-and-equality/>.

"Gender Equality Is a Myth!." The Shriver Report Gender Equality Is a Myth Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. <http://shriverreport.org/gender-equality-is-a-myth-beyonce/>.

"Ma'am, did he hurt you?"

Domestic Violence/abuse is the patterned behavior in which an individual inflicts harm-physical, sexual, emotional and verbal harm-on their spouse. In today’s society, domestic violence continues to grow and spread slowly like a dangerous bacteria. However many people believe that domestic violence comes from one “form”; large, burly or male. Weird as it may sound: There is a stereotype surrounding domestic abuse. Majority of us believe that in an abusive relationship, the larger, more masculine counterpart is the cause of this violence.

Let’s pause for a moment and think. When you first read “Domestic Abuse”, what was the first mental image that you got? Was it a man abusing a woman? I’ll be honest and say that I too received a similar mental image. The below picture is a screenshot I took of Google images when I searched “domestic abuse”. 90% of the pictures were either of bruised women or of a man about to hurt a woman.

Yes it’s true that in domestic violence, women are mostly the ones that are being hurt. However, men can also be abused. There have been countless cases of men being abused by their female spouse, yet people would be more concerned about the wife compared to the husband. This is due to the way our society has portrayed domestic violence. Society makes it appear as though men are the ones causing pain onto their spouses. Even leaving the boundary of domestic violence, abusive sexual behavior is almost always linked towards a male perpetrator. Below is a gif of actual video evidence that shows how a woman can abuse a man for sexual desires.

 Even if we focus on same-sex couples, the spouse that appears larger and more masculine will be questioned/interrogated. We need to understand that gender and size do not contribute to abuse. Behavior and actions are the reasons why so many individuals have felt threatened by their intimate partners. 

Now I will share the story that had originally inspired me and helped me escape my ignorance in domestic violence. A man shared a post on the famous social media site tumblr on how he was being abused and threatened by his wife. He took pictures and posted them as proof to show what she did to him. He talks about how size and gender do not matter when in a case of domestic violence. He said in his post "

Abusers come in all sizes and genders.
She and I went to a half dozen therapists over the years. At each initial session, every therapist took a look at me, then at her (5’4” 150 lbs.). Then he or she would gravely ask my wife, “Do you feel safe?”
None ever thought to ask me."
(You can find the full post here  http://an0m0ly.tumblr.com/post/8309236833, read under the subheading Damage)

We as the more educated and active generation need to spread the fact that both men and women are victims of domestic violence. We need to terminate the stereotypes revolving around domestic violence. My two questions for you are;

1. Why do we, as a society, always presume that the men (or masculine figures in a relationship) are the ones responsible for the abuse?
2. What can we do to stop stereotypes in domestic violence?

Thanks for Reading!~ ^_^

Work Cited:

Gif taken from http://sonotaghostkid.tumblr.com/post/43615939108/letitfuckingsnow-spazztastikim

Picture of man and quote taken from http://an0m0ly.tumblr.com/post/8309236833

"So..is he good looking ?"

We have heard all about gay men being discriminated, women being targeted in media, male dominance and so on. But when it comes to talking about how males are also targeted by media, the society seems to back off. Men are equally targeted in the media and are stereotyped like women. From movies, TV shows, commercials to magazines, men are being told to have more power and to be "like a man". What does it really mean to be "like a man"? The media portrays male figures as strong, aggressive, dominating and powerful. This is the definition of "to be like a man" for the media. And society easily takes in all the information from media and thinks that this is actually the social norm. It seems like people specially of the present generation look at the physical features of a person more than their inner self.   

Like how teenage girls and women have insecurities and go through eating disorders, men are also insecure and statistics show that an estimated of   10-15% of people with anorexia and bulimia are male. Men are expected to have strength and be masculine but at the same time are criticised if they show any signs of them dominating a women. Teenage girls and even younger girls watch movies and read books where the male figure has strength and is clearly more dominant. Men feel the need to confirm to the society's normal male features and cross many limits to get to that point. They put emotions out of their lives scared that someone in society might point it out and call them less of a man. 

How many of us girls have asked the question "is he good looking?" when the topic of a guy comes up, whether or not they are in movies or in reality. Men's cosmetic products, as well as the number of plastic surgeries on men is increasing rapidly. The media has engraved such a false idea of the importance of physical appearance in our minds that its almost impossible for us to not judge person by their appearance. 

If you flip through any magazine, you will for sure find buffed men in many pages like the picture above. Men and even young teenage boys look up to these people in the magazines unaware of the fact that the pictures have been touched up digitally. The stress of looking "perfect" like these men through workouts or by the intake of protein shakes, affects their mental and physical health. About 4% of boys in grade 9 and 10 reported anabolic steroid use in a 2002 study. This number has increased a lot since then. 

QUESTIONS:

• What else do you think makes the society believe that a person needs to look perfect in order to be accepted.?
• Do you also at times find yourself judging a person by their appearance?
• What do you think media should focus more about men rather than their physical features? 

Citations:

"Eating Disorders Statistics". ANAD. National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and

          Associated Disorders. Web. 30 April 2014.

          <http://www.anad.org/get-%20information/about-eating-   disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/>

"Statistics". National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC). Web. 30 April 2014. 

         <http://nedic.ca/know-facts/statistics> 

WHY THE VICTIM?

BLAME IT ON THE RAPE VICTIM

I never understood why some people try to accuse/blame the victim in an incident. I often here the rape cases happening all around the world. Shockingly Rapes are happening between father and daughter, mother and son, family relatives or unknown people, so even though you have blood relationship with someone, they could still RAPE them. I wonder how?    

“Victim Blaming: An All-Too-Common Response to Sexual Assault

By now, most of us are familiar with the story of the 11-year-old girl who was raped by 19 young men. The story gets worse: this little girl, who was gang-raped, has become the target of victim blaming. A TV anchor quoted one of the rapists, who defended himself by saying, "She looked older than 11."

Then came a statement from the victim's father, who said, "She may look older than 11, but she still has the mind of a child."

It doesn't really matter what her father said, because he shouldn't have had to be on the defensive. I still cannot fathom how these men could even attempt to blame her, but I know that in reality, victim blaming is an all-too-common reaction in cases of sexual assault.

Victim blaming, however, is a huge part of our culture. I'm sure you've heard these all-too-classic lines, probably more than once:

• "She was dressed provocatively."
• "She had a bad reputation."
• "She should have known better than to put herself in that situation."”

In this article I can’t believe that the father is trying to say that his daughter does look older than 11, and justifies there point that she looked older than her age. Buy my question is that how does it matter what her age is, what does that have to do with raping her. Rape is a rape, no matter what the age is of the person.  I also wonder what clothes have to do with rape, like they just say that her clothes provoked me.           

This video shows how the judge in Manitoba blamed the rape victim due to her clothing style. He said that there was fault in her clothing, which made the guy to rape her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BCj0ujWNqA

There is another article which I read, that the lawyer blames the girl that why she not closed her legs.

“LAWYER STRAIGHT-UP BLAMES VICTIM FOR NOT "CLOSING HER LEGS" IN NEW ZEALAND RAPE CASE

The latest dispatch comes from New Zealand, where a defense attorney wrapped up his closing arguments in a rape case with a definitive statement meant to settle the matter for all time, or at least the jury: if the rape victim hadn’t wanted to be raped, she should have closed her legs.

 All she would have had to do was to close her legs...it's as simple as that. Why didn't she do that? The reason she didn't do that was because the sex was consensual, as easy as that

The case involves a 20 year old woman who encountered a bouncer, George Jason Pule, who promised that he could walk her to the club where she was meeting up with friends. Instead, he raped her, and she in turn filed a complaint against him. In a rare and miraculous alignment of the stars, the case actually went to trial, and he was convicted, even after the defense attorney’s rousing closing statements.”

                                                                                     Questions:

1)      Why does the court ask for, what the girl was wearing before she got raped? What does that have to do with rape? 

2)      In your opinion, why do people blame the victims? Explain.

3)      How is the case of 19 young men raping an 11 year old girl, defensive? In your opinion.  

4)      What do you have to say about the case, where defensive lawyer says “she should have closed her legs”? 

WORK CITED

Horzepa, Hayley Rose. "Victim Blaming: An All-Too-Common Response to Sexual Assault." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 22 Apr. 2011. Web. 31 Mar. 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hayley-rose-horzepa/victim-blaming_b_847310.html

S.E. smith, LAWYER STRAIGHT-UP BLAMES VICTIM FOR NOT "CLOSING HER LEGS" IN NEW ZEALAND RAPE CASE, Nov 20, 2013, XOjane issues, march 31/2014, http://www.xojane.com/issues/attorney-rape-victim-should-have-closed-her-legs