Quote of the Day
“The feminine mystique has succeeded in burying millions of American women alive.”
~Betty Friedan (American actor, writer, and feminist)
Sexism
Sexism is a big issue when it comes to women and the work force, but it is important to know that there are two types of sexism to be aware of:
Benevolent Sexism: This is a type of sexism that is not easily detected all the time. Hilary Lips defines it as a type of sexism that includes protective paternalism, idealization of women, and desire for intimate relations, in her book “A New Psychology of Women: Gender, Culture and Ethnicity”. An example of this would be referring to a truck as ‘her’ or saying ‘she’s a beauty’. Although this type of sexism is not always detected it is still prevalent in society and is and issue that must be addressed if gender inequality is to be eliminated.
Hostile Sexism: This type of sexism is very easy to detect but as severe implications. As Lips defines; a type of sexism that includes dominance-oriented paternalism, derogatory beliefs about women, and heterosexuality hostility. An example of this would be derogatory comments about a woman by a man due to the belief that she is trying to usurp his power.
It is this type of entitlement which men belief they have over women that must eliminated. A work-force where men and women can work together without the struggle for power, the removing of ego’s, and stereotypes that women can not perform in top positions within a company. Today 70% of women works outside of the home, 42% in the West, yet only 5.1% of those hold top executive positions. Why the low numbers? Well consider this, 30% of female executives left their position due to harassment or discrimination such as sexism.
Do not be fooled however, the West has it good when compared to areas such as Afghanistan. In 1996 the Taliban removed women from the Public Sphere, and relegated them strictly to the Private Sphere. This had major problems for the health care and education system, but more importantly it proved the oppression of women in that they cannot assume that their rights are eternal.
So how can we eliminate sexism, I would have to be naïve if I told you it was simple. Sexism has been around forever and may never go away but there are steps to help minimize it. First of all every company has a sexual harassment policy, you should become familiar with it. Secondly be vocal, do not shy away from Sexism, and if you feel violated bring it to your employer’s attention, they will know how to handle it. If you are the employer than it is your responsibility to take appropriate action, do not just hope it will go away!
Source: Lips, H. M. (2006). A new psychology of women: Gender, culture, and ethnicity (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.
Our Top 10 Most Influential Women in History
All of the women mentioned below have influenced where women stand today. From Sojourner Truth’s famous “Ain’t I a Women” speech to Hillary Clinton’s campaign to be president of the USA, each of these women have changed the way women are viewed across the world. Honorable mentions: Joan of Arc, Oprah Winfrey, Helen Keller and Anne Frank. So here it is, our top 10 influential women in history:
10. Hillary Clinton
- Is the 67th Unites States Secretary of State
- Served as the First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001
- Became first legal of the Legal Service Corporation
- Listed twice on the list of top 100 influential lawyers
- Selected as US senator for the state of New York in 2000, marking the first time and American First Lady has run for public office.
- In the 2008 presidential race, she won more primaries and delegates than any other women in American history
9. Princess Diana
- Known well for her contributions to charities
- Establish Diana Memorial Award
- In 2002, she was ranked third in the top 100 greatest Britain poll
- Was described as the world’s most photographed women
- Was a pre-eminent celebrity of her generation
8. Harriet Tubman
- Escaped from slavery
- Made 13 missions to rescue over 70 slaves by use of the Underground Railroad
- First women to lead an armed expenditure in the American Civil War
- Active in women suffrage movement
7. Sojourner Truth
- Women’s rights activist
- Famous for “Ain’t I a Women” Speech
- Abolitionist
6. Ellen DeGeneres
- In 1997, she came out publicly as a lesbian
- One of the first women to play a lesbian character on television
- Has won 12 Emmys and numerous awards for her charity work
5. Amelia Earhart
- First woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross
- Was the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean
- Wrote bestselling books
- Joined Purdue University in 1935 and counseled women on their careers
- Member of National Women’s Party
- Supported the Equal Rights Amendment
4. Margaret Thatcher
- First and only woman to hold the position of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- Was reelected for three terms
- First and only woman to hold the position of Leader of the Conservative Party
3. Eleanor Roosevelt
- Was the First Lady of the United States from 1933-1945
- Advocate for civil rights
- Prominent author, speaker, activist and politician for the New Deal coalition
- Worked to enhance the status of working women
- Help start the second-waved feminism
2. Rosa Parks
- African American civil rights activist
- Refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger
- Sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott
- Become international icon of resistance to racial segregation
- Collaborated with Martin Luther King, Jr. to push civil rights movement
1. Mother Teresa
- Founded Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, currently in 123 countries now
- Took care of the poor, sick, orphaned and dying in India and other countries
- Given the title of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta by Pope John Paul II
- Famed humanitarian
- Won Nobel Prize in 1979
- Honorary Citizen of the United States
Honor Killings: A Thing of the Past?
Each year, around 5000 females are killed worldwide, in what are known as honor killings. It is defined as, acts of murder, typically aimed towards women, where the woman is killed for her perceived or actual immoral behaviors towards a man. These behaviors could possibly consist of refusal to go forth with an arranged marriage, asking for a divorce, flirting with other men, receiving phone calls from other men, not dressing appropriately or even not serving dinner on time.
Could you imagine being murdered if dinner was not ready when your husband wanted it?
Typically, these acts transpire in Muslim countries, by people of Muslim decent, for example Jordan, Pakistan, Israel, etc. Interestingly, these killings are not supported by the Islam religion. It is not limited however to Muslim countries. There have been reported acts of honor killings in other places such as Turkey, Brazil, Italy, Sweden, USA and even Canada.
Here are a few reported cases of honor killings is Canada:
- In 2003, in Kitimat, B.C., a father stabbed his daughter to death because she was secretly seeing a boyfriend.
- In 2007, in Brampton, Ont., a 16 year old girl was reportedly strangled by her father and brother for not wearing her hijab. They are currently awaiting trial.
- In 2009, in Ottawa, Ont., a man was sentence to life in prison for killing his sister and her fiancé.
- In 2009, in Kingston, Ont., police charged a mother, father and brother with first degree murder of three sisters and an older female relative who were discovered in a car submerged in a river.
These acts of murder are carried out because it is thought that the woman has brought shame to the husband, father or brother of the family. This sacrifice is thought to eliminate this shame. Sometimes, the men will give the duty of the killing to a young boy because of his youth. This boy would receive a lighter prison sentence compared to if it was carried out by a man. However, in some countries, for example Turkey and Jordan, shorter prison sentences are handed out if the murder was deemed an honor killing, no matter what the age of the convicted killer was.
How is it possible to reward criminals of this type with shorter prison terms, compared to other criminals who committed crimes of the same severity? Isn’t murder, murder? What does this say about the legislation of these countries? Are they communicating to the public that honor killings are acceptable?
Source: Lips, H. M. (2006). A new psychology of women: Gender, culture, and ethnicity (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.
Source: Proudfoot, S. (2009). Rise in Canadian ‘honor killings’ should not be ignored. National Post. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=1821919.
Quote of the Day
“Men define intelligence, men define usefulness, men tell us what is beautiful, men even tell us what is womanly.”
~Sally Kempton (American Publicist)
Seeing Is Not Always Believing
I’m sure lots of you have heard about appearances being digitally enhanced on and in magazines. Notice how much work is put into this picture before it can be placed on the cover of a magazine. The implications of these changes to the faces and bodies of women are far-reaching:
- Women have to look a certain way, meaning small hips, large rounded breasts, smooth complexion, stunning features, etc., if they are to be viewed with any regard in society.
- Even worse, how can we expect women determined to find a career in modelling to maintain a healthy lifestyle, when the standards for such work necessitate behaviors such as bulimia, anorexia, and other types of unhealthy dieting.
- Models are typically Caucasian, with blonde hair and blue eyes. What does this say about the beauty ideal? Do you think women of other races have a more difficult time feeling beautiful?
- The ways in which young girls interpret these fake images of women cannot be healthy for their self-esteem, nor their self-confidence. It simply isn’t fair to bombarde young girls with such unrealistic standings of beauty and sexuality.
The makers of this magazine are not trying to objectify women, they just know sex sells. As Freud would put it, ‘human instincts are driven by aggression, and especially sex.’ It is clear that this woman is ‘sexy’, but that does not mean that ‘sexy’ has to be limited to one category of women. However, would you still purchase the magazine if your stereotypical model was not on the cover?
Update: You may also find ABC News’ writeup on doctored magazine covers interesting. Click here.
Update: Here is a link outlining the history of photo tampering, dating as far back as 1860. Click here.
Thin = Beautiful = Love
Most people know that anorexia and bulimia are eating disorders, which are more prevalent in women. What people still ponder over is how they develop. Is it the desire to be beautiful (an ideology instilled by society)? Is it a cry for attention? Or is it a psychological disorder during which a person cannot control their eating habits? Yet with famous stars such as Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen succumbing to this illness, as well as other stars that have previously admitted to eating disorders such as Kate Beckinsale and Ashley Simpson, people must begin to wonder, why? These women are very successful and, in some respects, cultural icons. Why then do they develop such an illness?
The fact of the matter is that the entertainment industry is dominated by a male hierarchy; often agents hold the rights to these actresses. Songs, scripts, movies, anything in which they appear can be sold by the agent for a price and these women have no control over that.
It has also be suggested that eating disorders are a way for women to gain a sense of power; a last effort at reclaiming control over their lives. Although many people will try to convince them they are sick and weak, these affected women interpret this artificial control over their bodies as a strength and claim they do not need men, or anybody else, to assist them. Their body then becomes a text, a medium through which they write a story of struggle, discipline, torture, and empowerment.
Women of high social status, such as business executives, will work around the clock, skipping lunch and supper, out of fear that they will lose their power; lose the opportunity and status they’ve worked so diligently for. Young girls will obsess with diets and exercise in hopes of avoiding the teasing and harassment the less-than-perfect girls receive. Even worse, from such a young age, these girls are left with the impression love is only for those of a certain build and of a certain status.
Do you feel anorexia or bulimia are still just attempts to be beautiful? Are they cries for attention? Are they the result of such enormous pressures put on women to look ‘beautiful’? Perhaps they surface from a desire to fast track feelings of lust and love?
Source: Bordo, Susan E. The Body and Reproduction of Femininity, a Feminist Appropriation of Foucault.
Source: http://hubpages.com/hub/Celebrities_with_Eating_Disorders_-_List_and_Pics
Quote of the Day
“The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, ‘It’s a girl.'”
~Shirley Chisholm (American politician, education, and author)
Girl & Boy
While watching this video, consider the following:
- The Glass Ceiling, as it is used within women’s studies and women’s psychology, refers to the institutional and societal barriers to women’s success. It is referred to as a glass ceiling because it is invisible until one reaches its border. These barriers include:
- Men’s unwillingness to give up and provide power & control to women.
- Women’s “double-duty’ – having the primary role in raising their children while trying to pursue a career. This relates to their accessibility, or lack of it, to childcare.
- Graduate education: women only possess 27% of Ph.D.’s.
- The line (and hand drawing it) separating the boy and the girl in this video represents so much in terms of the development and result of gender inequality:
- Society as an influence on gender appropriateness and gender roles.
- Because we’re born so immature, and learn primarily through social learning during our younger years, our parents and the world in which we live determine the norm that we adhere to.
- Stereotype threat and the exaggeration of differences between men and women.
Do you think this glass ceiling still exists today? Considering women make approximately 70% of what men do for equal work, it must. Even more surprising is the fact that women only make 90.7% of male nurse’s salaries in the U.S. This is an occupation in which over 90% of the employees are women.
Quote of the Day
“The things that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.”
~Anna Quindlen (American bestselling author and journalist)
Women vs. The World 