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Well I’m a guy, and I truly believe that society and the media have affected the way I think about the word feminism. It’s true that the word feminism makes me think of only women who hate men and the world that it’s being ruled by men.
I always thought that there was inequality between men and women most likely on how they are treated. Like when you think of a doctor, someone would usually think of a male doctor and not a female, or when you see a female leader you think of how hard it must have been for her to reach that status. But something that truly shocked me was that women sometimes get paid less than men. I just couldn’t believe that. I knew that women were not treated equal in the workplace because the chiefs or the CEO of the company were most likely men, but getting paid less for just being a woman is outrageous. Then it made me think of all the “special treatment” that women get, such as being asked if you plan to get pregnant in the near future or the higher chance of sexual harassment that could happen to them in the workforce.
I agree that the word feminism means equality for male and female alike, but the media has been trying to opaque feminism. The truth is the most people now, even though they don’t know it, are feminist. They believe that we should all have equal rights. That it’s wrong to oppress any gender even though society is still creating myths about it. Now I can say that I m pro-equal rights for women; I am a feminist.
I liked how you commented on the workplace because that is a really interesting part of the whole equal rights campaign. It still doesn't make sense to me that women get paid less and sometimes they even get paid less when they have a higher ranking position then a male. I think also that women don't always get the equal opportunity for promotions and such as males do, that was a definitely an issue thats being addressed now a days but I think it was a big problem in past decades.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be a neat concept if we could just say all people should be free of opression have equal opportunity to obtain material goods...equal rights for all without attaching a racial, gender, sexual orientation or other social characteristic. Did you know that you could be fired from private sector employment just by telling your boss you are gay? I always assumed that was illegal until i took an employment law class last semester and lerned that discrimination on the basis of sexual preference is not protected. There are state laws ans some local ordinances but no federal laws. Amazing that in this day in age there are still not equal rights for all.
ReplyDeleteI think you made an excellent point in regards to CEO's being men. I recently had the opportunity to review the guest list for my CEO's going away party. Every CEO in the greater Plhiladdelphia area was on tht list and they were ALL men.
I don't think i ever considered that factoid before taking this class.
Part of the struggle with employment is centered around child care. While women have made enormous gains in the workplace, there is still so much pressure on women to be the primary caregivers to children in heterosexual relationships. Men still are often not doing 50% of the childcare and housework, leaving the burden to their female partner. This gives women a "second shift" that means advancing at work is more difficult. Women may be on the "Mommy Track" which means long absences at work due to pregnancy, birth and child care--which mean they are as less likely to be promoted or climb the corporate ladder. The fact that our country does not have paid maternity and paternity leave is part of the problem, as well as the fact that men need to see childcare and housework as at least 50% of their responsibility, and women and society as a whole need to hold them accountable.
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