Repost of Title IX Event

Hey - I reposted this so that you could find it easier! thanks!


I attended the luncheon on Title IX. The speaker was Kelly Belanger, a member of the English Department here at Virginia Tech and a former basketball player at Michigan State University. Kelly informed us about the components of Title IX such as employment, career education, sexual harassment, and technology. However, she decided to focus on sports represented by the Michigan State Basketball program. The idea before title IX was that women should not overexert themselves. They were not physically capable of such strenuous exercise such as sports. Title IX was a fight to change this social norm of women by creating equal participation and equal scholarship money for female athletes. Women were allowed to participate in sports; however, they had seasons which conflicted with other major sports. This caused a decreased audience level. They also did not get equal treatment in the form of what kind of monetary budget they had for uniforms, travel, food, etc. For this reason, in 1972, the fight for equal representation in sports began.The women who decided to lead the fight for Title IX decided to stay away from association with “radical feminist.” I found this interesting. They seemed to have the same stereotypically views as the rest of society about these feminists although they too were feminists. However, I believe by not associating themselves with the radicals, they were able to gain better support from the rest of the community. Kelly described the fight for the women’s basketball team, the same team that was there during the era of Magic Johnson. The Title IX director, Mary Pollock, was a hard advocate who actually lost her job by doing her job. The team members were happy with everything and anything they received, however, others still wanted better benefits for the team. Eventually, Federal Judge Noel Fox put immediate orders on the university to give the girls team equal food and lodge. Michigan State rejected the order stating they were already planning on doing that.The fight for equal representation in sports of women was a long lawsuit that was not settled until 1986. There are still arguments about it today. These include those that men are now being discriminated against in sports. Also, the idea that women simply aren’t interested in sports is common. However, this idea could easily be proved or disproved by the third check of Title IX, a survey. I found this talk very interesting. As a participator in sports during high school, I could easily relate to the facts that were presented. My team defiantly did not receive as good of treatment as the football team or boys soccer team. I also believe that it is important to continue to discuss the long struggle of Title IX because now we take such advantage of it. I did not even think about the fact that thirty years ago, girls might not have even been able to be on a sports team. I also enjoyed the speech because it was a small group of women and we got to have a group discussion at then end.

CRJ 11 (the real last one)

Feminism has many stereotypes such as being lesbians, man haters, rebellious, and against family. However, none of these are true. Feminists are women who want success for their sex, who want equality between men and women, and who are not afraid of challenging the norms of society to get what they want. Some feminists are activists, protesting against inequality and fighting for more women’s rights. However, many women are feminists and don’t even realize it. My classmates, who are competing with males in the classroom for positions in the workforce, graduate schools, law schools, medical schools, etc., are feminists who want equality. They want an equal opportunity to get the position they want, they want to prove they are just as good as a man. I believe I am a feminist because I want to change the distribution of doctors, I want to be a female surgeon, and I will work hard to get there.
I think the experience in the feminist classroom as been a good one. I also think it is good for me that it was an online class. I will be honest, if I had come to the first day of class and was surrounded by hard core activist feminists I would probably not come back. But because we got to read what other people thought instead of sitting in a class and discussing (which I am sure would turn into an argument at some point), I was more likely to listen to what people thought. I enjoyed this class because it made me realize that women are not necessarily equal, we still need to fight for what is ours. We still need to try to make a difference in the lives of women all over the world.
Being a doctor is something that I see in my future. One of my major options is OB/GYN; therefore, this class has a lot to do with my career. I understand that there are women who are victims of abuse, sexual and physical, and often the doctor is the first one to find out. I understand the importance of helping my patients, getting them out of their bad situation into a better one. I also would like to travel abroad and practice medicine for sometime in my career. It is important to me that all women have equal rights. While traveling abroad I hope to educate women about their rights and possibly set up clinics for them to be helped.

LAST CRJ!

Women have always been struggling with the ideas the constitution portrays. They fought for their right to vote, set up the Equal Rights Amendment, and are still fighting for positions in political office. Opponents argue with them that the ERA is anti-family, and it took almost fifty years to convince the state that women should have the right to vote. However, in other countries women have fewer rights and must fight harder to keep them. In Mali, Sudan, and Yemen women are not allowed to marry, divorce, or remarry, it is up to their husband who controls them (638). Women in Kuwait are not allowed to vote and in Saudi Arabia women are not allowed to drive (639). Just recently in Nepal, daughters were given the same family property as sons, but they must return it when they are married (639). In Pakistan, four Muslim adult males must testify that a woman was raped and female witnesses serve no purpose. Marital rape is also not defined as rape in countries such as India, Malaysia, and Tonga. Laws in these countries are changing and women’s rights are become more frequent. However, the rate at which this change is coming is slow. The women in the world who do have rights need to stand up for those who don’t so that women all over the world can become truly equal to men.
Susan B. Anthony, an activist for women’s rights, was one of the most influential women of her time. She was fined for voting and refused to pay (617). In her speech she argues that the constitution refers to people as white males and does not represent the entire population of the United States. She states that our government is “based on the idea of the natural right of every individual member” (637) which would stand for men and women both. Both men and women formed the union of the United States and therefore both should be represented in our government. Women were tried with a jury containing no women and custody was usually always given to the men. Women now have the right to vote, however, their voice is still not totally represented. Women are underrepresented in the national government; therefore the ideas of men are overpowering those of women (622).
Women in prison are mostly black women, a percentage that is an overrepresentation. This might be due to the fact that blacks and males are considered to be more violent. Many women may get out of going to prison because women are perceived as harmless and innocent. The number of crimes committed by women has been increasing in recent years mostly due to drug crimes. Many of these crimes were committed before the age of 18 (631). This could be due to the insecurity young women feel caused by society’s expectations. Most homicide committed by women is done in self defense. Although women are more likely now than they were in previous years to commit a crime, the number of women who are victims is also a problem. Women must learn to educate themselves and defend themselves in the case of an attack.

the gender gap

I believe that the wage gap exists in modern day society. Women are still underpaid and underrepresented in many fields. Although there may be data that suggests the gender gap is closing, much of this information is skewed. First, it is hard to say the gender gap has closed in recent years because there is little information for gender separation in the workforce prior to the women’s movements. The data collected was usually based on race due to the fact that the data was studying segregation and civil rights.
Secondly, the wage gap data is based on hourly pay. Hourly pay constitutes for most of the wages people receive however there are other aspects to a person’s income such as overtime pay, bonuses, commission, etc. The opportunity to obtain these types of pay might not be available equally to men and women. Because of society’s view of what women should act like, women must watch and care for the children, clean the house, etc. This takes away time when they could be working overtime to make more money.
Another problem with the data obtained for wage gap studies is that it does not include part time workers. The majority of part time workers are women. Therefore, a large amount of women are not included in the study.
Although there seems to be a higher number of women who are engineers, doctors, business professionals, etc., these occupations are still largely dominated by men. As shown by a study in our text, most women are secretaries, nurses, or teachers (444). Some women may choose this profession because it is their ideal job. However, I believe that many women are forced into these professions by the norms of society. There is a 70-30 split of housework done, 70 percent by females and 30 percent by males (Women’s Voices 431). Women are more likely to take care of the children at home. This time spent by women inside the home is not only done for free but it takes up valuable time that a woman could be spending on her career. Society puts a burden on women that stops them from moving up the career ladder. This idea of the glass ceiling is visible to the women who suffer from the restrictions put on them, but to others these burdens are just part of everyday life (448). Unless society changes or women “disobey” the norms, the glass ceiling will continue to prevent women from dominating certain career paths.
The wage gap is an important problem that should be fixed because it forces many into poverty. There are more women who deal with poverty every day than men in the United States (449). Women who are single handedly raising children work as many hours as they can but because of the difference in wages of the sexes, they still have trouble making ends meet. Data studies that show the wage gap is decreasing in size need to be reevaluated taking into account all women, part time and full time, the minority and the majority, single and married, with or without children. These studies are the first step in a series of events towards a smaller wage gap. We must improve the conditions of part time workers because most of these workers are women. We must allow equal opportunity for overtime work and bonuses. We must improve the conditions of maternity leave so that women are not at a disadvantage when they return to work. Lastly, we must educate women on the issues behind the wage gap. Women must realize the disadvantage they are in so that they do not give up when they are treated wrong or find out their salary is much less than a man they work with.

Born into Brothels

Born into brothels is a documentary film about children growing up in India’s “red light” district. They are surrounded by poverty and illegal acts. Many are sold, married off at an early age, or forced into prostitution. Their families are part of the “line” and some even encourage the children to follow in their footsteps. The documentary is produced by a British photographer who decides to actually live in the same conditions as the children. She teaches them everything she knows about photography, equips them with cameras and film, and hopes to change their lives as they presently know them. She succeeds in many cases to change their lives for the better. Many are sent to boarding schools or film conventions. Some of the children’s parents are scared of the changes that are happening in their lives, while others are excited for the future’s their children could have. Some of the children become successful in escaping from the brothels, some are forced to stay, and others return on their own wishes.
This movie assesses the idea of prostitution, an idea that we have discussed in class. Prostitution in our country I believe is a way that men show power over women. Although there may be some of the same connotations in other countries of prostitution, most of the women and children in this movie felt they had no other choice but become a sex slave. They did not see opportunities to earn money any other way. It is the only way they know how to earn money because their families have been in the “business” for generation after generation. The idea of prostitution in India is much like the idea of the glass ceiling of early and present day America. Women have been held down by society’s restrictions placed on them. In the same way, these women are held down by poverty and government rules. As shown in the movie, it was very difficult to obtain a passport, medical records, etc., for these children to go to school. Furthermore, because these children were those of criminals, they were not allowed into many boarding schools. This creates a chain of prostitution and crime because the children have such a hard time escaping the lifestyle of the brothels.
I really enjoyed this film. It reminded me a lot of my trip to Guatemala this past summer. We stayed at a children’s’ home while we were there. The home was mostly for children who suffered sexual abuse. These children were given education in hopes that they could go to college in the United States. They are very lucky compared to other children who lived in the remote villages or on the streets. We were told that some of the children as young as ten were victims of prostitution in one village. Many women were scared to come to the clinics we set up in the villages for fear that they would be abused or harassed by men of the villages. Prostitution and crime are a huge problem in third world countries. These problems are often overlooked because people do not realize that these children are not choosing these lifestyles. Although in the United States, prostitution is a problem, many may choose this lifestyle. It may be difficult for some citizens to find other jobs, but there are many jobs available to them. They have a much larger opportunity to be schooled in a public school, hold a decent job in the community, and find help from an organization in the United States. Other countries make it hard for people to escape these type of conditions because the government rules and regulations are not in their favor. We must realize these problems around the world and try our hardest to put a stop to them, whether they be by the government, organization, or even an individual. Education and awareness are the most important way for us to stop these problems in other countries.

Midterm #2

Heternormativity is the idea that the norm of society is for people to be with those of the opposite sex. Because it is the norm for men to like women, men often view homosexual men as not masculine. It also makes it harder for non-heterosexual couples to adopt children or raise their biological ones (172). They are discriminated against because they are not part of the social norm. Because their choice is ‘abnormal’ they have a hard time winning custody of their children (172). People believe that if their children are raised in this kind of environment, they too will partake in homosexuality. There is also the idea that homosexuals are more abusive towards their children (173). These prejudices are all results of the idea of heternormativity. There are other results of heternormativity such as the fact that gay marriage is banned. So many people follow heternormativity they view any skew away from it as a threat to their ‘normal’ lives.
Heteronormativity also deals with two distinct categories of gender, men and women. It assigns specific roles to each category such as women should be the homemakers while men should be the bread winners. This plays an important role in masculinity because it gives men automatic power over women. They believe they have more authority because their jobs outside of the home are ‘more important.’ This also creates a division of labor in gender because it separates careers based on the characteristics of gender. Women are usually pushed into “pink-collar jobs” such as teaching, secretarial work, or nursing (444). Women are supposed to be dependent, caring, and submissive. These jobs are expected to entail some of these characteristics. Men are supposed to be authoritive and good at manual labor, for this reason only 2 percent of men are employed in production and repair (444). The separation of gender is a major part of heteronormativity. Not only does heteronormativity discriminated between sexes but against the social ‘outcasts’ of society such as homosexuals. We as a society must learn to accept everyone, regarless if they fit the social heternormativity.

Women are influenced everyday by pictures, video, and other forms of media portraying slim, beautiful, large breasted, women. These images create an ideal body type that women try to obtain. Women view their bodies as a “sourc[e] of despair rather than joy and celebration” (229). There is so much pressure by society to fit the norm it can have adverse affects on a woman’s health. The idea of objectification states that we view our bodies as objects (230). This idea is dangerous to women because it is a major view that men have. When they view a woman as a body and not a person, they are more likely to abuse that woman. Women reinforce the idea that a woman is an object when they obsess over their appearance. When women have lower self-esteems because they do not fit into the ‘norm’ set by the media, they are more vulnerable to attention that could result in violent actions. They also are less likely to report violent actions. Physical appearance is also directly related to the way that women are treated. For example the way women struggle to look young as they age (232).
Standards set by society are set by people of power, not the standard women. The Body project states that garment industries developed the bra and at the same time sexualized the woman’s breasts. The clothing industry sets standards they we are not forced to choose but society influences us to choose them (237). These standards may sexualize women and in return cause objectivity. When men see women that are wearing sexualized clothing they take it as a form of consent. This idea could also lead to a higher risk of victimization.
Women’s bodies play an important role in capitalism and consumerism. There are huge profits from women’s clothing, beauty products, entertainment, etc. Women must remember that although they may like a product that is being sold, they are subject to the ideal woman idea. The products are portrayed on the beautiful ideal woman. If a woman does not meet these standards she may have feels of self doubt and low self esteem (241). Women are at great risks from the ideas that society places upon them. We must learn to create our own ideas and not follow the social norm if we want to leave healthy independent lives.

Rape on College Campuses Event

I attended Neal King’s talk on Rape on College Campuses. The event was Wednesday November 7th at 7:15 in 223 Engel Hall. The talk was about how women follow the regulations that men set. Men give themselves power by setting up inequalities such as creating a big group of peole, turning down the lights, dancing, loud music, etc. Throughout the United States, crime rate has dropped but on college campuses it has remained the same. This is due to the high rate of rape on college campuses. Alcohol is a major factor in rape cases. In inhibits the ability to make decisions the way one normally would. Men look to women to reinforce their masculinity, for this reason, they view women as objects of sex. Women go to parties trying to be hot but not “slutty” and to be nice. When they aren’t nice, and don’t give in to the men’s wishes, having sex, the men view this as leading a guy on. They are persistant until they get a yes out of a girl. They view her actions as consent although they clearly aren’t. Some of these actions might be dancing sexy, drugging herself with alcohol, or even just accepting a drink from a guy at the party. The girls that are at most risk are freshman girls until Thanksgiving break and off-campus girls and those at the lowest risk are girlfriends of brothers in the fraternity. These acts of rape continue because guys let them continue. They know that it is wrong but they keep their mouths shut. They want to protect their brothers although they may question their actions. Victims of rape are faced with stress, illness, academic disability, and distrust. They are less “competitive” in the real world and because most rape victims are women, this puts men at yet another advantage. Dry campuses, education, women in control of partying, and self defense classes are a few actions that are being done to lower the amount of rape cases on college campuses.
The idea of social gender construction plays an important part in rape cases. Men are viewed in society as more powerful and dominant while women are supposed to be submissive. This idea can be misinterpreted by many men and when women do not act the “way they should” they could become victims of violence and rape. Men show their authority by controlling women. This also deals with the interviews we did on violence towards women. My stepfather suggested self defense classes for women, a idea that is being practiced now, and most everyone said education was key. Education for women is the best way to stop rape because men will continue to be influenced by society.
I was very impressed by the presentation. Although I was not shocked completely by the quotes from some of the fraternity brothers, it upsets me that so may guys think this way. The world is really a much more dangerous place than we think it is. Our naivity could cause us great turmoil if we do not open our eyes to the reality of the world. I also believe that education is an excellent way to stop rape on college campuses, and this talk served as a great educational tool. I agree with the idea that men use fraternities for networking but I never considered the idea that they did so and pushed women out at the same time. After the idea was presented, it makes sense. I would like to think that this does not include most guys in our fraternities here on our campus, however, I have had a couple of friends who experienced attemped rape in fraternity houses.