In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declared all acts of discrimination on the basis of sex unlawful. 31 years later, the Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was adopted by the General Assembly. The CEDAW prompted an international document of the same name that advocates for the full incorporation of women in decision making capacities. It also “emphasis the civil rights, legal rights of women, reproductive roles and rights, impact of cultural factors on gender relations and barriers on advancement of women (World Bank, 2012). Moreover, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) outlined the most pervasive threats to global peace and security and set eight goals on how to eradicate them. These goals are referred to as Millennium Development Goals (MDG). 189 member states in 2000 vowed to “Promote gender equality and empower women” when they endorsed the UNDP’S MDG.
In 1963, thousands of women find voice and courage after reading Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique and the second wave hit. The description of educated housewives imprisoned by the monotony of domestic servitude hit home for many. A woman was quoted as saying “"The female doesn't really expect a lot from life. She's here as someone's keeper — her husband's or her children's"(Coontz, Stephanie). Friedan’s work was founded on liberal feminism, the theory that attributes gender differences and inequality to the practice of socialization. During the same year, the Equal Pay Act was passed and mandated that men and women should receive the same wages for the same job.
Before the Equal Pay Act, men and women were confined to vocational roles based on gendered norms. Women often stayed at home with the c...
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...me a Long Way, Baby? Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Sexism in 2008 Campaign Coverage.” Communication Studies. 2009. 60(4): 326-343.
Carroll, Susan J. “Reflections on Gender and Hillary Clinton’s Presidential Campaign: The Good, the Bad, and the Misogynic.” Politics & Gender. 2009. 5(1): 1-20.
Lawless, Jennifer L. and Fox, Richard L. ”Men Rule: The Continued Under-Representation of Women in U.S. Politics. Women and Politics Institute. 2012 Washington, D.C.
Okimoto, Tyler G. and Brescoll, Victoria L. “The Price of Power: Power Seeking and Backlash Against Female Politicians.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 2010. 36(7): 923-936.
Heflick, N. A., & Goldenberg, J. L. (2009). Objectifying Sarah Palin: Evidence that objectification causes women to be perceived as less competent and less fully human. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45, 598-601.
In 2008 the first woman was awarded the position of Speaker of the House, and Hillary Clinton ran for president. While Hillary had widespread support leading people to believe that the two different genders had reached equality, there were several that doubted whether or not a woman has what it takes to be a president. The women that came into power that was generally held by men, needed to perform a balancing act. This balancing act was between the characteristics of women and projecting the masculine strength and leadership needed to hold their position (Jenen 14). This problem in society has been continuing on for a long time. In the 1970’s women had no standing in academia. That women were no use to the department they were studying and
On May 2, 2016 Jill Filipovic wrote an article in the New York Times that addresses the topic of women in power and how women can be at a disadvantage due to the fact that they just simply are not a man. Filipovic started her article by addressing the topic of race and how Representative Donna Edwards was accused of playing the race card during her election. In todays society many women have a hard time getting hired, trusted to execute a role, or even getting paid less by companies. Due to these issues many women such as Hillary Clinton is now being accused of “playing the women card” in her debates for presidency. The purpose of this piece of rhetoric is to argue that women are not just “playing the woman card” but that discrimination
For several decades, most American women occupied a supportive, home oriented role within society, outside of the workplace. However, as the mid-twentieth century approached a gender role paradigm occurred. The sequence of the departure of men for war, the need to fill employment for a growing economy, a handful of critical legal cases, the Black Civil Rights movement seen and heard around the nation, all greatly influenced and demanded social change for human and women’s rights. This momentous period began a social movement known as feminism and introduced a coin phrase known in and outside of the workplace as the “wage-gap.”
When questioned about her political career, Clinton quipped, “‘I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas…but what I decided to do was fulfill my profession’” by running for office (237). Clinton continues to further the legacy of Chisholm and other trailblazing women by demonstrating her bravery in running for office. Still, as one Republican official described her, Clinton is often viewed as “‘grating, abrasive and boastful’” (236). Generally, female candidates are expected to be “more caring, compassionate, and emotional than their male counterparts, who tend to be seen as tough, assertive, and decisive” (Bauer). This issue is common among female candidates, and this expectation has certainly impacted Clinton’s campaign. Despite her background as Secretary of State, Clinton is continually questioned by her opponent about her strength. This constant doubt over fortitude is almost exclusively an issue for female candidates – and is one that has plagued Clinton’s political career, especially in this election
The American Government was designed to represent the people who are voting members of society. When analyzing the makeup of government, one could find that women have become an integral part to American politics. With the rise of female politicians, minority female political leaders still tend to come in low numbers. One could argue that the inclusion of minority females in politics is solely up to women. The responsibility of representing the American population as a whole should not be solely placed on one designated person or group but rather a collective effort of all. Minority females are typically seen at the negative end of statistics rather it is in education, health care, employment and the economy.
Catherine Rampell, a respected journalist for The Washington Post, wrote an article titled, “Be Pretty, But Not Too Pretty: Why Women Can’t Just Win.” This article talks about how women in the work place are ridiculed for how they look and how they act in corporate and political America. Women are struck with different stereotypes in the work place on a daily basis. Rampell gives examples of real life experiences with people in politics such as Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin. Both of them have been mocked for how they express their feelings too much or if they do not express much at all. Rampell also talks about an experience that she had where a man came up
Marshall, Susan E. "Who Speaks for American Women? The Future of Antifeminism." The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 515 (1991): 60.
Glavinic, Tonei. “Exclusion, Misrepresentation and Discrimination: Still Prevalent for Women in American Media and Politics.” Student Pulse. 2010. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.
Regardless of if the ability to withstand criticism or the ability to tolerate the practice of politics, women are more likely than men to conclude that they do not have the right personalities for political office. Disdain for the process of running for political office is another psychological challenge that handicaps women when considering making a political bid. Women reported being less willing than men to tolerate mechanics of a political campaign such such as soliciting campaign contributions, dealing with party officials, going door-to-door to meet constituents, dealing with members of the press, and potentially having to engage in a negative campaign. Women also reported being less willing than men to tolerate personal aspects of the campaign such as potentially hindering professional goals, spending less time with family, and loss of privacy. Significantly more women said that they viewed the mechanics of a political campaign and the personal aspects of a political campaign as “so negative it would deter me from running for office” (Lawless and Fox
Schnall states her book “What will it take to make a women president? Conversations about women, leadership and power.” Declaring that Schnall has a book is a way of self-promotion which can come across as arrogant, but also knowledgeable. Schnall continues to inform that she has interviewed nearly 50 influential men and women about what factors keep women achieving fairness in leadership positions. Schnall starts her article with confidence and devotion for her argument. Schnall’s introduction paragraph starts with slight interest in the first sentence and ends with a powerful statement on injustice for women who desire success in society. Schnall’s conclusion of the article uses a call to action both for the pedestrian and the media. Schnall advocates that the “press cover a woman’s campaign the same way as a man’s.” Schnall also declares that “the media must become more self-aware.” Both statements desire equality for gender and cautiousness for the media. Schnall’s call to action is plausible and effective because she highlights ways in which if the double standard for the portrayal of men and women is not upheld then the audience can decide to not read the paper, or not visit the website or not listen to the radio as a sign of feasible
However, Angelia Wagner found that “not all types of women politicians get the same media reception when campaigning for office” depending on where the elections take place (2010:44). By studying the case of the 2007 civic election in Alberta, Wagner noticed that journalists made more reference to a male candidate’s gender, age, appearance, family background and emotions than it did to women (2010:44). Indeed, journalists would comment on a man’s appearance in 5% of the articles compared to only in 1.1% of cases when it came to women (Wagner, 2010:44). In comparison, it has been found that, in the federal elections that have taken place since 1975, female candidates’ gender, sexuality, and age, amongst other categories, were more often talked about in the Globe and Mail (Trimble et al., 2013: 467-9). In fact, references to a female politician’s appearance were present in 8.8% of articles compared to 4.3% for male candidates (Trimble et al., 2013: 469). In brief, Wagner believes that women are more likely to face a media bias at the municipal or provincial level than in national politics
Fox, R. L., & Lawless, J. L. (2014). Reconciling Family Roles with Political Ambition: The New Normal for Women in Twenty-First Century U.S. Politics. Journal Of Politics, 76(2), 398-414.
According to “The National Organization for Women’s 1966 Statement of Purpose” by Betty Friedan, women were still tied with societal maternal stereotype as “child-rearing”, which was the “most important part of most women’s life .” Society still used this traditional assumption to justify women from “equal professional and economic participation4.” Women were limited access to career and working compensation compared to men3. The huge gender disparities in pay had been influenced by the idea of “feminist” assumption. Majority of women were still restricted in some particular low paid occupations. Especially African American women were at the “bottom of the job ladder4.” Women also earned less than men did, and the gap in paying between men
Gender roles are not neutral ways of meeting society’s needs but are part of the larger system of power and domination. The division of labor and power between women and men brought about by the industrial revolution caused division of labor that spilled over into politics bringing an aspect of functionalism where women are considered to have great influence in roles played. Many women have successful careers in politics because they strongly overcome these barriers and must get beyond discrimination in order to succeed. Gender inequality become inbuilt into the very fabric of our society and the mindset has to change before the situation will. There have been steps in the right direction but more has to be done to convince the power elite that a woman can be an effective President of the United
The United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women defines gender-based violence (GBV) as, “Any act…that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.” It is also broadly defined as any harm to a person due to the power disparities caused by gender inequality. Gender based violence includes childhood sexual abuse, “prenatal sex selection in favor of boys, female infanticide, dowry deaths, honors killings ,female genital mutilation, trafficking and forced prostitution, forced early marriage, sexual assault and intimate partner violence”