IR: Feminism
The case of gender equality is a very prevalent problem in the world since not one country has fully achieved gender equality. When there is equal access to education, equal pay, better working conditions, along with other gender equality arguments, that is when the international community can rest on gender issues. Until then, gender equality is a massive issue and the entire international community plays a role.
The case of gender equality is a very prevalent problem in the world since not one country has fully achieved gender equality. When there is equal access to education, equal pay, better working conditions, along with other gender equality arguments, that is when the international community can rest on gender issues. Until then, gender equality is a massive issue and the entire international community plays a role.
It is disconcerting
that there are people who do not realize how important an issue gender equality
is, and how key it is to moving forward as a society. Without gender equality,
we are remaining in the past and not giving way to the future. If there is no
plan to fix the problems the world already face, then how are we to move forward.
Gender equality is not only about women, it is about men too and having equal
rights in the world.
Gender equality has
been stealing headlines lately. Ranging from the NFL to the United Nations
conference, people all around the world have been taking a stance. This is not
the first time that women rights and gender equality have come into the news,
but lately it has been a hot topic to argue.
The NFL was pushed
to address the problems of violence against women only very recently. Up until
now, the NFL has stayed silent on issues regarding violence against women and
how players would be punished or held accountable for their actions. Some argue
that the NFL should stay out of these issues because they are not affecting the
player’s ability to play or the team itself, but this argument has very little
weight in the global community. When we are dealing with people who are in the
public eye, every issue in their lives are relevant to the rest of the world,
including how football players treat women, and what the NFL plans to do about
it. Others argue that the connection between football and rape culture was not
created in the NFL, but it should end there. People are looking to the NFL to
take a stance, and it seems that it takes multiple incidents of violence
against women in the news for them to finally do something. Ray Rice along with
other players accused and convicted of violence against women have been removed
from the teams or restricted to play.
People all around
the world looks to the NFL. If they had started saying that the rape culture
and violence against women is okay, that sends a strong message. The NFL has a
loud voice and can do more to combat violence against women among players, and
in society. With pushes from all sides, the NFL finally had a voice and made
some hard decisions I imagine for football fans, but very necessary ones. This
is important in the history of gender equality, because men should not be able
to get off “free,” or suspended for only 2 games, while women are suffering just
because they are professional athletes and celebrities.
Even more recently,
Emma Watson, a celebrity and a role model for many, has stood up about gender
equality before the United Nations. She introduced a new campaign called
“HeforShe” where the goal is get men involved in stopping violence against
women. She urges, when will this become an important issue for men, and not
just women? It involved men more than anything as Watson brings up a few good
points in her speech. She says that society often doesn’t bring up “men being
imprisoned by gender stereotypes.” It is true, that men do not have the
benefits of equality either; men are made to look less “macho” if they ask for
help, and it is this “distorted sense of what constitutes male success” that
gender equality is not something the world can brush off their shoulders as
“solved” (Washingtonpost).
I don’t necessarily think of myself as an outspoken feminist, but I do
believe that there is much to be done for gender equality. I think when we live
in a world where every girl from anywhere in the world has the same
opportunities for job, school, and pay, then people can sleep easier at night.
But until then, there is so much to be done, and Emma Watson’s campaign is one
of hundreds advocating for gender equality. People need to start learning the
facts and start believing in something, because if the world is not on board to
solve this huge “elephant in the room” then nothing will be solved and it will
take hundreds of years before any real progress can be seen.
References:
Natalia Rojas: Lauren, I think you have made some great points. I think that it is very important to acknowledge that the NFL not only represents football, but American culture. I agree that more needs to be done to further gender equality! I liked that you addressed that both sexes can suffer from the gender stereotype, I believe when addressing the situation from this perspective it makes it easier for dialogue to come naturally without placing the blame on any group. Do you think we should have dialogue domestically about gender equality before bringing it to discussion world wide or vice versa?
ReplyDeleteTo give my opinion on the above question, I think it would make more sense to start at the domestic level and strengthen the argument enough to take to the worldwide level. Just to add an interesting fact, its known that in early societies there existed a significant less amount of inequality of all types, including gender inequality. Women were valued for their abilities to nurture and also do "men's" work, but now a days I wonder why it is that women aren't seen as able to do such.
ReplyDelete-Karla Perez ^
ReplyDeleteEllie Silverman: I disagree with the belief that we should focus on gender inequality domestically before bringing it worldwide. The problems facing America are far less sever, but no less important, than those facing other nations. While American women focus on gaining equal pay, Saudi Arabian women can not even drive a car or ride a bicycle on public roads, Indian baby girls are valued less than male babies and are sometimes killed at birth and Chilean women lack the right to own land. While American women have the right to marry who they choose, according to UNICEF more than one-third of women aged 20-24 were married before they turned 18 and in countries like Egypt women don't even have access to a court. So although there are still gender stereotypes in the United States, the problems facing the rest of the world stretch to basic human rights that need to be addressed alongside or before our domestic battles.
ReplyDeleteSource: http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/examples-gender-inequality-around-world.htm
Amar Parikh: I liked that you bring the HeforShe point up because everybody will tend to focus on gender equality for females but when the tables are turned and it effects a male then nothing is done about it. The whole situation with the nfl was forced in my personal opinion due to the Ray rice incident. Before they did not seem to care and would slap players with a small fine for any domestic issues. I think this issue will not gain any traction unless major changes come in place in terms of both regulations and mindset.
ReplyDelete