The Glass Ceiling

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Of all the calendar days, not much has occurred on February 4th; however, in 1921 this day gave birth to a movement which ignited a fire that still hasn’t stopped its burning. More specifically, it gave birth to Bettye Naomi Goldstein, who would go on in life to attend Smith College, marry Carl Friedan, and author The Feminine Mystique (Biography.com). By writing this novel, she was able to bring the idea of power back through the minds of women in the second wave of feminism. Many argue against feminism, describing the cultural phenomenon as hypocritical and misandrous Merriam-Webster defines ‘feminism’ as, “The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.”
Throughout time, there have been certain influential individuals that have dominated their age and have forever marked that era with their name. Among them are Cleopatra, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth, and Nefertiti, with many others. One thing these leaders have in common is their gender: they are all females. In this day and age, it’s a rarity to come across strong, powerful women who have been allowed the opportunity to be powerful. It begs the question, if these women were alive today, would they have the same chance to change the world as they did? However, it’s not only the powerful who feel the sting of sexism, because the misogyny in today’s society affects each and every woman, of every color, age, and shape. The most important lesson to learn for the cultural and societal growth of people is to understand the causes and affects behind anti-feminism. Sexism takes many forms, yet it can be broken down into three main parts: the portrayal of women in media, the oppression of women in society, and the boundaries of women through laws.
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...legalized oppression of women can be found in the Shiite countries. Matthias Gebauer writes that these women must ask permission before leaving the household and they must please their husbands.
Moreover, several court cases and laws are made to oppress women. In Afghanistan, women must please their husbands (Graham-Harrison). Forced marriages have been used to secure political relations and use women as pawns. Court cases passed to favor the rapist in rape crimes spreads rape culture. Laws are being made to prevent abortions even in the cases of rape and incest. “It is a travesty that this is happening” (Graham-Harrison). Women haven’t been president yet. One third of pregnant women are killed by their husband (Valenti). Shiite laws oppress women. They must have sex with their husbands (Gebauer). But no one talks about this because its not men they are affecting.

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