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Declaration of the Rights of Women and of the Female Citizen
Effects of gender roles
Sexism In Politics
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Historically, male dominated structures have had a hand in shaping the societies in which we live. These societies have fostered an environment that can be perceived as unfavorable towards women. As the "subordinate" gender, women have constantly had their rights impeded by men, governments, religions, etc. From lacking the right to vote to a lack of equal educational opportunities, women have been subjected to a system that perpetuates these injustices. Naturally, in the male driven political sphere, women 's issues have long been neglected. Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status." If "everyone" is entitled to the standards set forth by the declaration, how can a group that constitutes 50 percent of the world 's …show more content…
The role of the state must not be undervalued, as the state has profound impact on the prevalence of female genital mutilation. One must first consider the state’s influence on gender equality. The structures that influence a nation’s government proceed to influence the surrounding infrastructure, societal systems, etc. If the state is built on a foundation that neglects the needs of women, these same misogynistic views will be expressed throughout society. Without proper representation above, the voices of women will not only be ignored, they will be silenced. Leading to deep rooted inequality, rampant denial of rights, lack of educational opportunities, etc. Conversely, if the state encourages gender equality throughout, women will be able to enjoy the benefits of a more evolved society. They will be able to educate themselves of the harms these traditions can generate, and their fight against these harmful norms will be given a
It examines questions about cultural practices and why some/all people accept them and whom that might be benefitting or harming (ibid). In other words, it examines the behaviors, consequences, social factors, and above all the power structures in play. In Althaus’ article, she postulates that one reason that female circumcision is used is to increase the sexual pleasure of men (Althaus, 131). Here we can see the strong presence of a patriarchal society. Recall the purpose here is not to actually criticize this practice but rather seek the underlying interests or motivations of implementing it. The strong presence of a patriarchy indicates that women in a way are indeed used as means to serve the interests of men both sexually and also by providing a child. This brings about the winners (men) and the oppressed
Many ancient laws and beliefs show that women from all around the world have always been considered inferior to men. However, as time went on, ideas of equality circulated around and women started to demand equality. Many women fought for equality and succeeded in bringing some rights. However, full equality for women has yet to be fulfilled. This issue is important because many women believe that the rights of a person should not be infringed no matter what their gender is, and by not giving them equality, their rights are being limited. During the periods 1840 to 1968, total equality for women did not become a reality due to inadequate political representation, economic discrepancy, and commercial objectification.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is an ancient traditional non-therapeutic surgical procedure that involves total or partial removal of the external parts of female genitalia. This paper aimed to define and classify FGM, identifies the prevalence, describes reasons for performing the practice, and concentrates on the problems associated to this practice with regard to women’s health, religious beliefs, and socio-cultural, behavioral and moral consequences. Researches and survey reports that the global actions have been taken to reduce or abolish the prevalence of the practice will be assessed.
They are more than just household workers, caretakers of children and materials of pleasure. Women are underestimated because they show off a gentle and very caring side making others think that they can be easily fooled and that they cannot progress. The greatest challenge of women empowerment is changing the stereotypes that have existed in many cultures. For example, female genital cutting shows the discrimination of women. This practice is offensive to human rights and should be eradicated. Although it is difficult to break out of tradition, it has to be broken because it shows a wrong use of religion and tradition. The society has tolerated it for so long; it takes a special person to say that it’s wrong, someone who has great power over the people such as the leaders or other people who see the bigger picture. The female who was an expert in doing female circumcision mentioned that cutting itself is a source of income for her and she would abandon the practice if given another kind of source of income. This shows a capitalist structure in their
Being a feminist today has altered from a political position to a more general position. Contemporary feminist is shaped by the past, but now is integrated in popular culture by popular figures. The definition of feminism is the belief of social, political, and economic rights, especially with regards of equality of the sexes. There are many dimensions to being a feminist and we have a tremendous number of people supporting the feminist movement. The need for feminist movements is because gender inequality still exist. Gender inequality is very broad and complex topic. Both men and women are unequal in various ways. However, the big question is why? The purpose of this paper is to understand gender inequality in the sociological framework of
Imagine living in a society where an individual’s future and way of life is solely based on their gender. Does that sound preposterous? The United States is one of many nations to possess a Constitution incorporating rights awarded to every citizen; however, several rights are violated daily. The Fourteenth Amendment holds the most commonly used phrase, “equal protection of the laws,” allowing equal rights for every citizen of the United States. One of the most violated rights, under the Fourteenth Amendment, is gender discrimination. Many factors contribute to inequality between men and women in our everyday lives. Some factors include the early history of internal war conflicts, leadership roles, along with the physical build of men and women.
Despite the drastic changes made toward the improvement of equal rights there a still many problems that have been overlooked, or simply ignored. According to Mario Osave, (2010) “Thirty years after the adoption of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), many girls and women still do not have equal opportunities to realize rights recognized by law. In many countries, women are not entitled to own property or inherit land. Social exclusion, “honor” killings, female genital mutilation, trafficking, restricted mobility and early marriage among others, deny the right to health to women and girls and increase illness and death throughout the life-course.” (Shah 1)
Clare Booth Luce, a woman who broke the gender barrier herself as the first abroad female ambassador, once said “Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, "She doesn 't have what it takes." They will say, "Women don 't have what it takes"”. As a country, the United States of America has come leaps and bounds from where it began with women’s rights. Women were not allowed to vote, and now we have women running for president. But, women are still not always treated as equally as men. Women still cannot hold certain positions in the military, or even wear what they want without being told it is too risqué. Gender inequality is still astronomically prevalent in today 's society and can be seen throughout mass media, career opportunities, and in
In the class Psychology of Women, the film Makers Project: Women Who Make America was shown. The film supplied background information about the treatment of women before, during, and after the Women’s Movement. As a result of the Women’s Movement, there has been a vast amount of changes impacting society.
The one question people ask themselves when thinking of female circumcision is, “is this a human rights issue?” and “how do we end this practice?”. The debate of whether female circumcision is mutilation and therefore abuse comes up right along with the topic of female circumcision. The fact that this act is
This endeavor is necessary to protect women’s rights in the labor force in matters such as sexual harassment, salary, work opportunities, etc. Currently, there are several trade unions in Malaysia namely Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) and Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (CUEPACS). However, specific trade unions that fight for women and their equal rights does not exist. At the most, women are only a small part of the committee in general trade unions due to a low number of female workers in the labor force. Therefore, the formation of FTAs can reap benefits in terms of gender inequality and female labor participation which eventually leads to an increase in income per capita and economy
Women Deserve the Same Rights as Men From the beginning of time, women have played a powerful role in the shaping of this world. They have stood by idly and watched as this country moved on without them, and yet they have demanded equal rights as the nation rolls along. Through the years, the common belief has been that women could not perform as well as men in anything, but over the years that belief has been proven wrong time and time again. So as time marches on, women have clawed and fought their way up the ladder to gain much needed equal respect from the opposite sex. However, after many years of pain and suffering, the battle for equal rights has not yet been won.
Since the beginning of time, women have always been seen as things purely for the pleasure and benefit of men. Women have always been objectified. Objectification is seeing and treating a person as if they did not have thoughts and feelings, as if they had the status of an object.{1} Only in recent years have they begun to be seen as individuals of equal intelligence and ability. You may think, ”Women have had equal rights for a while. I do not see how this is a problem.” It may not seem like women were given their rights recently, but in our history, women have been treated objectively for thousands of years, even dating back to biblical times. Still, even when women have the same rights, opportunities, and responsibility as men, women can be found almost everywhere being treated as though they were incompetent and lesser human beings.{4}
The role women play in today’s society is a drastic change from the previous role. Women used to be confined to the superiority of the man. Physically, mentally, and emotionally abused, belittled, embarrassed, and silenced. These are just a few examples of the emotion from the isolated treatment of the past. A woman’s role in today’s society is more valued than ever before.
Throughout history, there have been constant power struggles between men and women, placing the male population at a higher position than the female. Therefore, in this patriarchal system women have always been discriminated against simply due to the fact that they are women. Their rights to vote, to be educated and essentially being treated equally with men was taken away from them and they were viewed as weak members of society whose successes depend on men. However, this has not prevented them from fighting for what they believe in and the rights they are entitled to. On the contrary, it has motivated them to try even harder and gain these basic societal rights through determination and unity.