Blog 13: The rubber gloves are on: marchers to fight for women's rights amid cuts

A protest occurred last Saturday in response to the UK government cuts that will directly effect women's equality. The Fawcett Society, an organization that campaigns women's rights encouraged women to dress in 1950's attire for the protest. The organization and other protestors marched down where the Prime Minister David Cameron's office is with the slogan of not letting austerity “turn back time” for women's rights. The Fawcett Society active chief executive Anna Bird believes that the progress was being made for women's rights, but now there is potential for those rights to be non existent. With specific cuts being made to programs such as Surestart and other benefits, it is expected that women will be most effected. Women are predicted to lose their jobs disproportionately to males, saying that "350,000 of the 500,000 people who will lose their jobs as a result of public sector cuts will be women". Many women who participated were affected by the budget cuts and lost their jobs. Bird says that now is the time to make this issue a priority to resolve for the sake of women's equality.

It is important to bring this issue into government because of the drastic number of women it will affect. The cuts are infringing on women's right because it s not allowing women the fair opportunity for economic stability. Women are already dealing with glass ceiling and the pay gap, and these cuts would increase the struggle for women to attain equality and independence. Dave Prentice, the general secretary of unison said, "This is a tripple whammy for women who are being hit hard by unemployment, the rising cost of living as well as cuts to benefits and services to young people. The concern is that these cuts that are directed towards women will cease the progression and set women back to earlier times when there were more restraints on what was socially acceptable for women. Like the movement in the 60s, there are many women and others who believe that there needs to be more opportunities for women in society, and many are willing to stand up for the justice that is deserved.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/nov/18/fawcett-march-womens-rights-amid-cuts

Blog 12: Turkish Television Takes on Topic of Child Brides

A new television series is in the process of being produced about child brides in Istanbul. The main character in this soap opera will be a 15 year old girl named Hayat, who is married to a 70 year old man. This series will be focused on the life Hayat is living in Anatolia and attempting to escape poverty while enduring the life of being married off. This storyline is very common for girls who live in Turkey, “with one out of every two women being married off as teenagers”. Child brides are a religious marriages that very acceptable in the Turkish society, for this is used to continue the practice of polygamy. Another reason many girls are married off at such a young age by the family to reduce the economic burden of the child's family. One of the most important aspects in child marriages are preserving the family honor by reducing sex before marriage or marrying the girls who have been raped to the rapist or other men. Though this practice has become controversial as it is seen on infringing on child rights, women's rights, and human rights. This series has hopes of giving a positive effect, raising awareness to the persisting issue of child brides.

It is necessary to address the issue of child brides for the rights of these young girls who are not given the opportunity to express given rights. The Commission on Equality of Opportunity for women and Men have stated because this practice restricts these girls rights, they suffer from domestic violence, infant mortality and gender inequality. Even though it has been discussed that arranging children to be brides when they are still minors is immoral, action has not taken place to prevent child brides. Every living being is protected by the Universal Declaration of Human Right, yet so many are still being denied those rights. It is crucial to demand that these rights are being fully expressed for every individual in order to obtain equality and the right for these child brides to chose the life they want to live.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/world/europe/turkish-television-takes-on-topic-of-child-brides.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=women

blog 11 The 'personhood' amendment and misogyny in Mississippi

The state constitutional amendment proposed in Mississippi called initiative 26, or the “personhood amendment” has been rejected. With 58 percent of participants who voted against it and 42 percent of voters who were for it. Initiative 26 was set out to be an anti-abortion which deemed that a fertilized egg would be considered a person with full rights. This law would put a ban on birth control and other contraceptives as well as well as in vitro fertilization.Another outcome of this law being passed would have defunded planned parenthood. This type of education teaches women not just about being abstinent, but knowledge about birth controls and contraceptions that would prevent pregnancy. Even though it has been outlawed, the push for states to overturn Roe v Wade is steadily increasing. This amendment has been criticized because it has high potential of putting women in danger. This law would not allow doctors to save women's lives if this meant having to rid of the the fertilized egg. Also abortion would still be illegal for victims of rape and incest. The main concern with this proposition was putting restrictions on women's choices.

Many found Initiative 26 to infringe on women's right because it is not allowing women to choose what they want to do with their bodies. This amendment has been criticized to be like the Jim Crow laws of today making it seems as if it is for the moral good of the people, when really it is restricting the freedom of choice. Having a chid completely changes the lives for women socially and more drastically economically. “The wage gap between working mothers and women without children is greater.” This amendment has an underling message of respectable women not having a sexual life without being free of reproduction. That is she has a child, then she must be willing to give up her education and a well paying career to take care of the child. That even women who have unintentional miscarries would could be criminally investigated. This law would cause restrictions for women to not express what they choose to do with their own bodies. That this law would be protecting the child, but at the same time could cause complications for the women which in turn could cause problems for the children later in life. Many people who have children young drop out of school, are unable to get a job, and end up living in poverty with the child. Abortion is a tricky subject, but I think it should be a choice of what women want to do with their bodies. It is their body so it is their right.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/nov/08/personhood-amendment-misogyny-mississippi?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

blog 10: Malaysia bans Obedient Wives Club sex manual

Recently the Malaysian government has put forth a ban on a book written by the Obedient Wives Club, that instructs women to “be submissive and keep their spouses happy in the bedroom”. This sex manual was said to be a guide for women about sex in order to maintain harmony within the home, and to avoid other social ills women endure. The OWC's international vice-president Rohaya Mohamad explained that “men have [sexual] needs which they can't control. If the needs are not fulfilled, men will find another women”. A chapter in the book states that women must serve as a “good sex worker” and a “whore” to ensure their husbands, many who are involved in polygamous marriages, won't commit adultery. A co-founder of the group says that if a husband wants sex, a women must comply. If not, then an angle will curse her; which is not ideal for the family. The book does not have explicit photos, but is said to be used as a spiritual guide by the members to help better understand sex. Even though the organization has 800 members, many Malaysians oppose the book declaring that it mocks women's roles within society.

The Obedient Wives Club is not putting an emphasis on advancing women's roles within society, but rather how to fulfill the position of meeting the husbands needs. Local rights organizations have said that “what this club signifies is a regression, a moving backwards, in [what] women and other progressive men are trying to do for gender equality”. The argument that the OWC makes on how this will ensure a happy household has been controversial. The members believe that the reason for divorce and other issues in the home are related to how obedient the wife is; when research has shown that it is actually linked to economic factors. This means that the focus should be on progressing women forward in society instead of maintaing the pressure to be the perfect housewife. It is important to stress that in order to attain having equal rights, that women are not being forced or constrained to roles that does not empower or allow them to express the rights they deserve. That to extinguish the social issues such as domestic violence, human trafficking, and abandoned babies, the effort should be in how to promote women within the society, rather then how they can improve in bed.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/03/malaysia-obedient-wives-sex-manual

Blog 9: In Norway, Gender Equality Does Not Extend to the Bedroom

Even though Norway has been recognized as being one of the most gender-egalitarian countries in the world, that title doesn't persist in the bedroom. Norway, along with 127 other countries do not consider rape to be in crime within marriages. According to the Secretariat of one of the largest shelter organizations, “one in 10 Norwegian women over the age of 15 have been raped, but 80 percent of these cases are never brought to official attention, and only 10 percent end up being convicted.” It has seemed that domestic violence and sexual assault have become less of a concern when dealing with gender equality. The situation becomes harder to deal with at home when there are children involved. A women who was raped said, “ Yes, you are beaten up;yes you are raped. But you can also manage the situation and keep him away from the child.” It has been studied of how this sexual violence can occur so often in a country that gender equality is on the rise. It has been thought that as women are gaining social status within society, this leads mean to feel emasculated and react with physical violence. It is important to raise awareness of this degrading crime so it does not remain a private matter in the bedroom.

This article proves that even in countries that are becoming more gender-egalitarian, there are still many issues that need to be acknowledged and resolved. To enhance women's status within society the subject of rape needs to be addressed more openly, more efforts need to made in order to expose the injustices that women endure in the privacy of their home. Society must become more aware of rape to start to find effective ways to fight against this crime. It has been said that sexual violence occurs because of the independence that women are beginning to attain in society; which often leads the men to find means of maintaing control from physical assault. This attitude must cease because women should not accept this abuse because of their rising status. Women should not have to believe that they are incompetent in being independent which restricts them from forsaking their husbands. Women are just as capable in become educated to support themselves, and this is the mindset should be encouraged throughout every country.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/world/europe/in-norway-gender-equality-does-not-extend-to-the-bedroom.html?pagewanted=3&ref=women

blog 8 Feminism in the global south hasn't come from the north

Feminism is a movement that has not just made an impact in the westernized parts of the world. The global South is doing their part to contribute in fighting for women's rights just as vigorously as the North has. The organizations in the North, such as Women in law are partnering with other feminist organizations in the Southern developing countries to combine it's efforts in attaining women's rights globally. These groups from the North are paying extra attention in supporting the movements in the developing countries to help recognize their accomplishments. Organizations in the global south, such as the Gender Centre in Ghana are making dramatic changes in countries in helping to secure the human rights of women against discrimination laws, and domestic violence. The feminist groups in the North are acknowledging the efforts being made, and sending in financial aid to help maintain the the women's movement in the developing countries.

It is important to recognize the efforts being made globally for women's rights in order to build a stronger force. With more countries fighting for these issues, it is more likely to create a widespread effort in assuring that women are getting the justice they deserve as humans. The more support behind a country, the more likely the are in being able to advocate the freedoms that women should have against things such as FGM that physically change them for life. It is vital in being able to attain women's rights in one country as it is in any other country.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/oct/20/feminism-south-women-development-response

blog 7: The rape of Somalia's women is being ignored

The on going famine throughout Africa has begun to create more issues for women. Nadifa is a mother who lives in Somalia, stays in an internally displaced persons camp run by a militant terrorist group with her four children. One day she left her children in her hut to travel to find some food at a nearby camp. She waited for hours in hopes to get food, but came back with nothing. When she returned to the hut, a gunman was raping her 11 year old daughter. Despite her efforts to get the man off of her child whilst guarding the other children, no one came to her rescue. The militia came in and dragged Nadifa away to an abandoned building to beat and scorch her with burning plastic. There are many other stories like Nadifa's for single mothers throughout Africa. “For sexual predictors, famine and the resulting vulnerability equals opportunity, even in refugee camps with the heavy presence of international aid organizations and the United Nations”. This leads to women not wanting to leave their home in fear of the sexual predators, which limits the opportunity for women to go find resources for themselves and their families. The issue of sexual violence is being largely ignored in comparison to the famine.

The issue of famine is one concern that countries face, but there needs to be more awareness raised to the matter besides the need for food. The need for security for these women is essential for their human rights, but their lack of security is also interconnected with the famine. It is vital to raise awareness about the lack of security in order to help overcome the status of women. The fact that they feel unsafe going to get food or aid creates a crisis not only for the women, but also the children and other family members. In order to reverse this, there should be more of an urgency to solve the lack of security for women as well as the famine.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/11/rape-somalia-women-famine

Blog 6: Racism and skin colour: the many shades of prejudice

Next week during the International Black Film Festival the documentary Dark Girls will be premiered. This film is focused on divulging the discrimination that dark-skinned black women experience within society. The women who are featured in this film discuss incidences of how being dark-skinned have affected their life's being adolescents, having relationships, and just being a part of the community. One woman who was interviewed said that when she was younger, she asked her mother to pour bleach into her bath so she “could escape the feelings that [she] had about not being as beautiful, and loveable”. The prejudice that these women have faced within society show that not only is racism a progressing issue, but also the shade of the race within a culture creates segregation. Another scene showed in the preview of the documentary was a little girl who was part of an experiment showing that young children are aware of racial differences. The clip showed a researcher with pictures of dolls who had skin tones ranging from light to dark asking a little black girl a series of questions. When the researcher asked the black girl who the pretty and smart doll was, the girl would point to the doll with the fairest skin. The researcher asked why, and the girl responded because she is white. When the researcher asked who the ugly and dumb doll was, the girl pointed to the doll with the darkest tone saying it was because she is black. The documentary is raising awareness how racism is not only still prevalent, but also has developed into discriminating against the ethnic group within the race.

From watching the 9 minute preview of the documentary, I thought it showed how extensive racism is within society. It is important to address and stand up against these issues if the world wants to gradually alleviate the racial tension among and within different races. The issue of shadism has been spreading throughout other countries such as India were skin lightening products are very popular. One way India promotes these skin creams is by having a Facebook app that allows the user to whiten their skin for their profile picture. I find these products to be a disgrace because this is giving the message that it is only acceptable to light skinned within society. It is vital to recognize this discrimination because there should be no race or skin color that is better than any other. Our society needs to be accepting of the different cultures if this type of racism will ever cease.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/04/racism-skin-colour-shades-prejudice

Blog 5: Australian military lets women into frontline roles

A monumental change for women serving in the Australian military occurred this week. All of the ranks in the armed forces have opened up to women, allowing them to fight on the frontline beside male recruits. Over the next five years the Australian army plans to cease the gender impediments that restricted women from being in positions that were thought of as of being too dangerous. Australian defense minister has described this shift to be,” a significant and major culture change.” He also stated that the people who are put on the frontlines will be the soldiers that are the most competent having, “the right physical, psychological and mental attributes to be able to do the job”,as oppose to just being based off of sex. Even though this is a monumental event for women, The Australian Defense Association are concerned about having disproportionate female casualties to men. Another concern is the difficulty of women achieving higher statuses in the armed forces due to the demands of having a family. Even though there is some debate about women going on the frontline, this movement is providing more job opportunities for females and encouraging more women to join the military.

I believe that this is a step towards women gaining more equal opportunity to men. Women were only allowed to partake in 93% of roles in Australia's armed forces, excluding the 7% of jobs just because of sex. As these jobs have opened up for women, this is an encouraging movement for more women to be a part of all positions within the armed forces. As the gender barriers are starting to breakdown in some of the armed forces, this could become a global contingency with other jobs that are prevented for women to uphold based on their sex. In Japan many women are able to maintain jobs that their male counterparts have. This leads to the women there being economically stable and independent. Enabling women the same job opportunities as males could also help in closing the gap of glass ceiling. Allowing women to achieve higher statuses in the workplace will ultimately endorse women to not be restrained from holding certain positions because of their sex, and helping women attain the equal rights they deserve.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/27/australian-military-women-frontline-roles

Blog 4: Staying With Children, and Out of Prison

Times are changing as there is now an alternative for convicted women who have children to live in Drew Houses instead of going to prison. Instead of women going to prison and having their children sent to live in foster homes, the Drew House enables the women to live with their children whilst they complete the program for their charges to be dropped. The program is designed for women who have been, “charged with felonies, some battling substance abuse and some who are victims of domestic violence, can live with their school-aged children”. To complete the program, women must oblige to the house rules including: paying for rent, doing chores, keeping curfew, and make frequent visits to treatment monitors. If the women are able to execute the task successfully, then the charges against them are dropped. This program is ultimately better for the women because living in the house costs $34,000 annually, oppose to spending $129,000 for their child being in foster care. Not only does the home provide better finances for the women, Ms. Castro, a women living in a Drew House says, “it taught me responsibility, how to pay my rent, and it gave me structure”. Not only is it helping out the women, but Mary W. Byrne, an author of an independent study of Drew houses stated, “It's not the perfect answer, but it's an excellent alternative, on that has no shown any adverse effect on public safety.” These houses are creating new opportunities for women, and could be the start of helping reduce the number of poverty among single mothers.

These Drew Houses could have a global effect on the feminization of poverty. These houses provide the opportunity for women with felonies to have an alternative place to live with their children, which also gives theses women a higher chance of being able support their child. These women with dependent children are not just being abandoned with having to find means of support. The Drew House helps these women to learn how to have some financial security and become mentally stability for when they are released from the program. This program is not only helpful for mothers, but it also benefits the children. If the single mother were to be sent to prison, then the children would be forced to move into foster home. By allowing the children to stay with their mothers, it not only is less economically stressful for the mothers, but the mothers are able to stay with their children making sure that they find stability which might not happen if the children are in foster care. These houses are only in the U.S, but I believe they could be revolutionary on changing the statistics on the feminization of poverty.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/22/nyregion/for-mothers-facing-prison-drew-house-in-brooklyn-offers-alternative.html?scp=3&sq=women&st=cse

Blog 3: As the Topman T-shirts show, misogyny is now so commonplace it's mundane

“Nice new girlfriend, what breed is she?”,was one of the t-shirt slogans that British clothing company Topman added to their clothing collection. Topman is known for having the latest fashion for men,as well as having ironic slogans printed on their t-shirts. Though recently, the slogans have seemed to come off less sarcastic and instead display expressions slandering women. Not only is Topman showing little regard for women, but also saying that sexist jokes are just a humdrum part of society and are prevalent enough to be printed on shirts. Topman made the statement to the disapproving crowd that, the shirts were suppose to be, “light-hearted and carried no serious meaning.” The production of these shirts exemplifies how popular culture views women within society. A study conducted by Princeton University, “found that male brains respond to women in bikinis as though they are objects, not people”. This study and the shirts comparing women to dogs manifest the idea of dehumanizing women withing society. Selling these shirts are showing how society is making it seem that misogyny is not harmful or offensive, and that it is fine to make these statements without having any regards to who it may offend.

When reading this article, it made me very upset to see how people in today's society are not taking sexism as an enduring issue. To have such casual statements that are degrading towards women show how inconsequential society views this problem. Having this type of attitude of accepting women as being seen as objects gives me doubt of women being seen as equal within any society becoming a reality. If society becomes accepting of this issue, will it ever be resolved? I believe if society continues to make mockery of this issue; then people will not take the initiative to fight against the objectification that society is passing off as being acceptable. It is unsure to tell when this discrimination will come to an end, but it will surly persist if the issue becomes an accepted joke.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/15/topman-tshirts-misogyny-commonplace-mundane

blog 2 FGM: Kenya acts against unkindest cut

A breakthrough was made in Kenya by making the practice of female genital mutilation illegal. Not only does this law make the procedure of FGM against the law, but it also protects women by fining or jailing people who make degrading statements to women who have not undergone the procedure. Zeinab Ahmed, Unicef's child protection specialist in Kenya said, “ FGM is a serious violation of the rights of the child and of women. This bill gives an indication from government that it is not just a cultural practice that can go on.” Even though FGM has been made illegal in Kenya, there are still countries that practice the procedure. In countries where FGM is legal, about 85% of women subject to FGM. It is important to try and make FGM illegal worldwide because it is inhumane and violates the freedoms that women should have.

In many countries female genital mutilation is a common practice among the culture. FGM presents an issue to women because it conflicts with the basic rights such as “health, security and physical integrity, right to be free from degrading treatment, and right to life when the procedure results in death” (WHO). FGM is a continuing practice because many culture believe that it is the right of passage of becoming a women but also to refrain women in engaging in pre-martial sex. This presents the issue of discrimination among the women in these countries because it puts limitations on how they express their rights as humans. When women undergo FGM, there are being controlled by having to oblige to what role that culture wants women to play in society, impeding on their rights to choose for themselves.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/sarah-boseley-global-health/2011/sep/08/women-africa

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/

Blog 1 : Women executives could wait 98 years for equal pay

Charted Management Institution is an organization that is based in the UK that focuses on management within businesses.This organization conducted research on the difference in pay between men and women in executive positions. CMI discovered that there is about a 10,895 pound difference in women's salary who have the same position as men. Even though the salary for women have started to increase, it will take until 2109 for women to earn the same amount of pay as men. The head of the public affairs in CMI, Mike Petrook stated, “Our reaction to it taking almost 100 years to get any form of parity is an incredible alarm.” He also claims how this now presents the issue of women being discriminated against which will lead more women wanting to quite their jobs. Research also showed that last February redundancy was equal between men and women, but the inequality still remains in the high end positions,”where almost five times as many female directors as male directors lost their jobs.” Women's salaries are slowly increasing, but it is still evident that there is a glass ceiling.

Women not getting equal pay is a significant problem because this is gender discrimination. This article shows how even though women have been able to vote since 1928, they are still not viewed as equal citizens in society. This limits opportunities for women and presses the expectations of what women should be doing oppose to what they want to do. This inequality is an issue in many countries where women are not free to choose what they want to do, restricting the freedoms that women deserve.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/aug/31/cmi-equal-pay-report