Sexism in Politics
Kunali Shah, Ashli Malone, Angelica Lobiondo, Marefia Yisak, Aquiel Reinhardt (MAAAK 5)
Scandal Clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1oyIEgDWAQ Background On Clip/Show
This excerpt of a clip is from a show called Scandal.
Scandal is a show that started in the year 2012 and it is currently on its third season.
The creator of the show is Shonda Rhimes, which in turn has also created Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice.
Background on Clip/Show (cont’d)
It is about a woman, Olivia Pope, who has a team that is supposed to protect the highest people in office from as the show suggest scandal, and from it leaking to the public.
This clip shows a theme that is shown throughout the show on several occasions, that theme is sexism in politics.
Background on Sexism
Sexist attitudes stem from traditional stereotypes of gender roles, which believes that a person of one sex is intrinsically superior to a person of the other.
Gender inequalities have been dated back as far as the Hammurabi code in ancient civilization and various religious documents and laws.
Early cultures tied a woman to either a patriarchal figure, because they were thought incapable of life without a man.
Women today have learned to deal with sexism in their own ways whether it is to play into the stereotypes, fight against it or just live platonically with them.
History of Sexism
Women have been viewed as the weaker sex. They were the care takers of the home, expected to watch and raise the children, and make sure their husband’s were presentable for a productive day at work.
Women had earned the right to vote in 1928, but had little say in personal lives.
It wasn’t until the 40s and 50s that women began to take part in the workforce by necessity...
... middle of paper ...
...lationship.
Sports is another place where men are portrayed as unfaithful or players for instance Tiger Woods scandal.
Another example are the television advertisements reflecting images of men being incapable of critical thinking. Advertisements like Old Spice, and Axe exhibit this notion that to be a “real man” males need that product being sold.
Conclusion
While sexism isn’t as prevalent as it once was, there is still a fissure between the sexes. There are images in commercials, movies and video games that are blatant examples of sexism, yet it is being ignored for the most part. Sexism affects not one but both sexes and should be eradicated as a whole. There are songs, television shows, and many other popular forms of mass media that flagrantly promote misogyny and misandry even today. Until this nation deals with sexism, equality will never be achieved.
The most accepted definition of sexism is a gender based bigotry; women earning only seventy percent the amount of men for the same job, or men serving sixty-three percent longer
This rule over women started to trend in early civilizations. In the early civilizations like Mesopotamian, Greek, Roman, Chinese and Islamic cultures, the societies are said to be patriarchal and women would report to men. In the Babylonian empire, the ruler Hammurabi created something no civilization had ever seen before: a law code citizens were to abide to. This law code was one of the most famous ancient law codes because of the harshness and the women's rights. In the Hammurabi code the social order was really important and exceeded importance of individual right. Hammurabi also emphasized the sacrifice of women’s sexuality just to assure legitimacy. Women were seen as property of men and that obviously isn’t
Women were granted the right to work in labor industries, as all the men joined in the World Wars. Even though women were still discriminated in the workforce by receiving lower pay than men, the number of women working increased around the United States. After women began changing the labor industries, their voting rights were granted, changing the political views of the United States. Even though women were discriminated against throughout society in the 1920’s, they still fought for their rights as women that deserved an important role within our society. This change in women’s attitude has influenced women across the world to value themselves and their importance.
Sexism is much like racism in a sense that it is the unequal treatment of individuals based on an ascribed characteristic; in this case, their gender. Sexism is directly related to patriarchy, the system in which males dominate females in most spheres of life (Thompson 300-301.)
The basic definition of sexism is when a person of either sex is discriminated against in any way based on their gender. But history has recorded that men, usual in every society in this world, have always been the dominant sex and women have taken a lower role. This has been especially true in the United States throughout its history. Women always seemed to be the one who took care of the children and home as the men went to work and earned a living. Women do not have the choice to give birth to children, but they should have a choice in whether they are the primary care givers to that child. Betty Friedan, a well-known feminist, writes, “We are still very mother-centered. It’s still ‘mother, mother, mother,’ when it really should be ‘mother, father, society.’”1 What she means by this is that society still has not overcome the discriminatory thought that the mother should not work and stay home with the kids.
While I researched my project I learned that everyone everyone contributes to sexism in one way or another, and we all need to band together to stop it. Women are discriminative against other women, as well as men. Men are discriminative against other men, and obviously women. In the future I hope to see a world where a women makes the same amount as a man, for the same amount of work. I hope to see every girl all over the world getting an education. I thirst for the day when a women comes out to her family and she is taken seriously. I can’t wait to see the day when a woman is president. And most of all I hope I see the end of sexism.
During the 1960’s there was a lot of major events that happened in the United States. The 1960’s was known as a decade of “culture and change”, there were lots of political and cultural changes. (Anastakis, 22) One particular movement that was important to society and the country was the Women’s Movement also called the “Feminism Movement”. The first women movement which happened a few decades before focused on gender equality and overcoming different legal problems. The 1960’s women’s movement focused more on different issues such as family, sexuality, workplace issues, and also rights of reproductively. (MacLean, 45) I chose to cover this topic because women have always been influential throughout history, and I being a woman it is important to know about our rights and who paved the way for us.
Throughout history, women have been mistreated as the weaker gender. It has been evident throughout the epic of Sunjata, the history of Greek society as well as Indian society. It is evident today with the social classes we have formed that there are predominant gender roles in our society; history as we know tends to repeat itself.
Women are usually targeted because they are seen as the inferior gender in society. They are often displayed as sexual objects in the media, such as in porn and video games. Because of the way women are portrayed in society, they do not have the same opportunities as men. Many people may think that sexism is not an important issue anymore because women are making their way to the top. For instance, Mary Berara, the CEO of General Motors says “There are more women in more senior roles than in 1980 when I started. But from my career perspective, I don 't go into a room and take count. I want to be recognized for my contribution and for what I do” (nymag). Women are pushing themselves to work in higher positions, to prove that they have the same ability as men. Although women are becoming more and more powerful, sexism is still a huge issue today. Women may have higher positions, but they are paid less than men. According to a news article, “In 2012, the median earnings of American women working full time year-round were $37,791. American men earned a median income of $49,398. The gender wage gap has hovered at about 77 cents on the dollar since 2007” (huffington). This proves that sexism is present today since women working in the same jobs as men are paid a lower
Women have been discriminated against since the beginning of time, as early as the first people, Adam and Eve. Eve was called the evil one, who ate fruit from the tree of knowledge. Once she had the knowledge to know right from wrong, she chose to do wrong and give the fruit to Adam. Examples like these can be shown all over history books, in stories, tales and legends across the entire world. Women have been subordinate to men in virtually all societies throughout history.
One thousand years go by and an abundant amount of people still view women in a stereotypical type of way. On the opposing view, if women did not overstretch the slightest of things, this wouldn’t be such an enormous issue. Women may be overreacting to what the media has to say about them. It is not affecting everybody but a vast majority of successful women from continuing to moving forward said Marianne Schnall. Important to realize, women are capable of doing jobs men can do. Such jobs as being an engineer, physician, mechanic, lawyer and even top notch business women! Up to the present time there is an ongoing public debate on women suffering from double standards. If it makes a female feel threatened or belittled than it may be sexist. A very interesting article this came to be because the writer had numerous accountants to keep her argument steady. A worthy writer brings up present time activities, statistics, and people being affected by the scenario and provides the reader some closure. With a devastatingly crucial issue such as women being shunned by the media, it’s not okay to have the ideas of other people in your work. In the article, “Controversial Hillary Cover of Time Illuminates Sexism in the Media” by Marianne Schnall, implies that the media is negatively affecting the chances of women becoming successful with all the sexism it is portraying. Marianne Schnall is a published writer and professional interviewer with many influential credentials that she in not afraid to use.
In the 1960’s women were still seen as trophies and were beginning to be accepted into the work industry. They were still homemakers, raised the family, and made sure their husbands were happy. That was the social norms for women during that time period. They were not held to high work expectations like men were. But something amazing happened that would change women 's lives for centuries; it was the 1970’s. The 60’s put the equality movement in motion but 70’s was a time of reform where women were finally able to control their own paths. Not only was the 70’s a historical marker for the fiftieth anniversary for women suffrage, it was also a marker for the drastic change of different social norms, the changes of the American Dream, and the
Before the 1920s men and women were thought to have two separate roles in life. People believed women should be concerned with their children, home, and religion, while men took care of business and politics. In 1920 there were significant changes for women in politics, the home, and the workplace. When the 19th amendment passed it gave women the right to vote. “Though slowly to use their newly won voting rights, by the end of the decade women were represented local, state, and national political committees and were influencing the political agenda of the federal government.” Now a days it’s normal for women to be involved in politics and it’s normal for women to vote. Another drastic change
Men were taught to be superior to women since the dawn of time, whereas females were looked down upon. Ruled by patriarchy, it was hard for most of these women to do more than just be a stay at home wife. In some of the stories we have read, the women were portrayed as submissive, obedient, with no voice. Women have struggled to break out of this mold and find a voice for themselves. However, some managed to break out of these expectations and standards. Women and men have had to fulfill different set standards before anyone had stepped foot outside the womb. For both genders those standards came with different expectations.
Women – beautiful, strong matriarchal forces that drive and define a portion of the society in which we live – are poised and confident individuals who embody the essence of determination, ambition, beauty, and character. Incomprehensible and extraordinary, women are persons who possess an immense amount of depth, culture, and sophistication. Society’s incapability of understanding the frame of mind and diversity that exists within the female population has created a need to condemn the method in which women think and feel, therefore causing the rise of “male-over-female” domination – sexism. Sexism is society’s most common form of discrimination; the need to have gender based separation reveals our culture’s reluctance to embrace new ideas, people, and concepts. This is common in various aspects of human life – jobs, households, sports, and the most widespread – the media. In the media, sexism is revealed through the various submissive, sometimes foolish, and powerless roles played by female models; because of these roles women have become overlooked, ignored, disregarded – easy to look at, but so hard to see.