Blog Ten- New Clause for Bangledesh

Blog 10

Summary/Analysis

In past weeks, there has been a lot in international news about increasing the minimum age in which girls are legally able to marry. This has given such hope for upcoming years and future generations. Hopes in that less abuse will occur within the home, that young girls would be able to do more for themselves, and that traditional beliefs would be revisited. While hope still remains intact, an article by Nandini Chowdhury from Devex.com has pointed out that certain countries have instated a clause for the minimum age of marriage.

This clause states that the “Child Marriage Restraint Act will keep the minimum age at 18, but still allow natives to marry at 16, if the woman is pregnant, or with parental approval” (Chowdhurry, 2015). This means that the main issue of “forced” marriage for children is still present. It means that young girls can be manipulated by their culture and society to get married and pursue what others believe best.

Young girls can still be made to marry by way of parental encouragement. Though merely a draft, this act, says Nandina Chowdhury mentions that “instating can easily make the situation of child brides worse than it is and was” (Chowdhurry, 2015).  

Work Cited

Chowdhurry, N. S. (2015, April 22). A dangerous clause to "legally" decrease child marraige in Bangledesh. In Devex. Retrieved from https://www.devex.com/news/a-dangerous-clause-to-legally-decrease-child-marriage-in-bangladesh-85966

Time Stamp: 4/24/2015 9:08pm

Blog 7- Raising Beti

Raising Beti

Previously, my blogs have discussed what organizations and companies alike are doing to prevent child marriages and bring children some semblance of a childhood. Such blogs have covered news laws, legislation, and bringing education about such topics. This week, I chose to go more into empowerment of young girls and found an article on an Indian woman raising her daughter in America.

The mother, Tina Karkera, states in the article that she loves her culture and desires her child to know and understand her culture. She states it is great to know where one came from, but she mentions that she wants to teach her child to rise up against the old, traditional views her culture has. Karkera states that being female in Indian culture is seen both as wonderful, but still lower on the gender scale. She makes mention that in Indian culture, a woman’s voice should not be heard and that women are to grow up to become married. Karkera wants her child to rise against this traditional belief system stating she wants her to know how to speak her voice, to show her emotions whether good or bad, to be present and to make her own decisions for herself and not anybody else.

This article speaks a great deal on what women should be able to do and encourages girls to grow and be who they want to be. Karkera is one woman who is going to make a difference in generations of young girls raised in harsh, male dominated worlds. This is one huge step in changing mindsets of the world and I hope more parents and people become this way.

Work Cited

Karkera, T. (2015, April 3). Raising My Beti. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tina-karkera/raising-my-beti_b_6856628.html

Time Stamp: 4/3/15 8:50pm

BLOG # 1: A University Recognizes a Third Gender: Neutral

Gender is not looked at in the same context and light that it used to be. Beforehand, gender was identified with your anatomy. We are now just understanding that there is a difference and there is more than just two types of gender. Gieselman, was born a female and to the naked eye appears to be feminine according to the view of society in regards to what femininity is. This means she dresses like a woman and for the most part looks like one. The thing about gender identity is that it does not have to match what your anatomy is. You can be a woman and Identify as a man regardless of how you dress or you can be a man and identify as being a woman. For the most part universities and other places of establishments does not give you that freedom to decide what you identify with, but instead you are put in your category based off anatomy. But Gieselman self-identifies not as a gay woman but as transgender. Unlike men and women who experience a mismatch between their bodies and their gender identities and take steps to align them, Gieselman accepts having a womanly body, and uses the term — along with “genderqueer” — to mean something else: a distinct third gender. Transgender is denoting or relating to a person whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender. What I have noticed is that school is one of the first and the most important places that we attend that affects the you and shapes you into the person you are today, but it is also conventional and expects you to play by certain rules and conform. It does not really allow children to really be who they are or even figure that out freely for that matter. She begin spending time a youth center for Trans and gender people. According to the article colleges across the country have been grappling with concerns related to students transitioning from one gender to another, but Vermont is at the forefront in recognizing the next step in identity politics: the validation of a third gender. The university allows students like Gieselman to select their own identity. This included a new first name to go by. It does not have to be legally changed and you also get to choose a pronoun and the teachers are aware so that they can use the correct terminology when referring to the students. I understand that this will not make up for the horrible things that trans and gender people may go through , but this definitely a start int he right dirrection.

By: Tabitha McLaughlin
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/education/edlife/a-university-recognizes-a-third-gender-neutral.html?_r=0