Ladies and Gentlemen

Men and women, boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen – we have an issue, and that issue is the difference between how males and females are treated. People are separated based on their gender, both socially and economically, with women generally left with the short end of the stick. In the workplace and in the hands of the media, women are often oppressed with societal limitations in what they can or cannot do. Women are also demeaned in many different ways; while the cause of these diminutions is rather ambiguous, the effect is crystal clear.

I have often wondered why many people consider women inferior to men. Is it because of the physical differences? Is there some long lost piece of evidence that states ‘women are less than men’? Or is it simply the accumulation of years of discrimination against the female figure? If the answer to this perplexing question is the physical differences, then the fact that all humans are genetically 99.9% similar must be brought up. The greatest physical discrepancy between the two genders is their reproductive organs. While males have the ability to fertilize, females must carry the future of the Homo sapiens race. Perhaps it is this ability, or hindrance, that could make a woman a liability in a company or business. I recently had a conversation with a doubter and a critic of equal rights for women, and it transpired like this.
Critic: “So you want equality for men and women?”
Me: “Well, yes.”
Critic: “Women should have the same expectations in physical tests in school and other?”
Me: “Well, no.”
Critic: “So women should not be allowed maternity leave?”
Me: “Er, no.”
Critic: “So women should not be excused from physically exerting tasks during pregnancy?”
Me: “Uh, no?”
At the time, I did not have an answer for these deductively formed and opinionated questions. Now I realize that only under the assumption that men and women are physically equal can the ‘baby’ question come into effect. There is no denying the fact that there are physical discrepancies between men and women; men are bigger and stronger than women due to their levels of testosterone, men usually do not have a distinct possibility of getting pregnant, and therefore will require more health benefits and time off for maternity leave. Consequently, it is unfair and unsuitable to compare men and women based on their physical capabilities. Also, men have a chance of getting prostate or testicular cancer health concerns that usually do not affect the opposite sex, so should this decrease his salary, or his potential to be hired? No.
Moving on, if the underlying cause is not the physical differences, then might it be because of some historical trigger? Most people who are religious place a certain amount of reverence on a respective holy book. Christianity, for example, is one of the worst perpetrators of sexism. We are all, if not vaguely, familiar with the story of Adam and Eve, the very first man and woman created by God. It is stated that God first created Adam, then Eve, and they were forced to live in the Garden of Eden. In that garden, there was a magical fruit tree, the fruit of which God had forbidden them to eat. However, Satan tempts the duo to eat the fruit, and in the end, Eve is the one who gives in to temptation from Satan. Speaking of temptation, this is quite ironic in modern day because the number of men engaged in extramarital sexual activities is around 60%, while the percentage for women is about 40%, according to therapist, Peggy Vaugn.
This obnoxious male chauvinism does not only exist in America; many other societies degrade women, too. China, for example, was the origin of a practice called foot binding; young girls had their feet tightly tied with cloths that prohibited any growth. This caused tremendous pain for women, yet it was a symbol of wealth and power because it created an image of constant quiescence. In addition, England created a contraption in the 1600’s known as a corset. This was designed to slenderize a female’s waist and to highlight her upper assets, often hampering the woman’s ability to breath. Perhaps the most disturbing of all female belittlement is something known to most human activist groups is FGM, or female genital mutilation. Implemented in many African and Middle Eastern countries, this is the removal of all external genitalia. Without getting into all of the gory details, this is a way for the virginity of a girl to be proven before marriage.
The fight for female rights has been a battle long in the making. To give credit where credit is due, many female participants in the women’s rights campaign include Abigail Adams, Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, Amelia Earhart, Dolly Madison, and countless others. All of their accomplishments are proof that women are absolutely just as capable as their male counterparts. Women’s suffrage is a concern that, frankly, many people do not concern themselves with. Truthfully, most people do not even know what the term ‘suffrage’ represents, confusing it with sufferage, not to say that women have not suffered considerably. After surveying many of my classmates and teachers, it must be known that situations in Uganda, Africa, and the army, have little to do with women’s right to vote. Constitutionally speaking, women have not been equal to men for very long. Only in 1920 was the 19th amendment passed, which effectively allowed women to vote. The Equal Rights Amendment was written to eradicate any kind of discrimination based on gender; it was written by Alice Paul and proposed to congress in 1923. Congress passed the amendment in 1972, but has never been officially ratified by the states. One might think that after nearly a whole century of petitioning, struggling, and fighting for, a single amendment that is irrefutably deserved by women, should be ratified, but it is not. America is seen as a powerhouse in every way, partly because the country has grown so much. We have grown from the first settler in Jamestown, Virginia, to a nation of power and promise; keep in mind though, a promise not to change is a promise not to grow. This emphasizes the question as to why the American woman today still earns only a portion of what a man can earn.
According to Dr. Al Lee (PhD), the average American woman earns 77¢ for every dollar a man in the exact same position would earn. We all have mothers, sisters, girlfriends, wives, and even daughters. Think of all the females in our lives who will either one day, or at this moment in time, earn less than a man because of precisely that, her gender. Is this practice fair? What allows these discriminatory actions to continue? Every person can attain the same achievements as the next person. Every person can accomplish whatever the next person can when it comes down to simple intelligence and hard work. Every person can achieve the same education and perform the same tasks as well as the next. In fact, the National Center for Education Statistics states that women earn most, or about 65% of all college degrees. Of a group of college graduates, about a year after they have finished schooling, only 45% of the said group who have steady paying jobs are women. According to Casey B. Mulligan, an economics professor at the University of Chicago, the percentage of women in the American workforce hovers right around 50%, while the number of women on the Forbes top 67 most powerful people list is a mere three: the chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkal, Hillary Clinton, and Oprah Winfrey. When several of my classmates were interviewed and asked about the word ‘power,’ it is rather interestingly received. Many associated the word power with Hitler, Obama, themselves, or something regarding physics in the light of an upcoming physics test. This just reinstates the suggestion that our world is still a male-dominated society.
The demands of society and that of the media vary invariably between men and women. A perfect example is the recent controversy surrounding Miley Cyrus’ partially nude photographs. She partook in a photo shoot for Vanity Fair, in which she was not fully dressed and was meant to be ‘artistic’. Much of the debate about whether or not the photographs were inappropriate for a fifteen year old girl was spurred by media coverage. Now, at the age of seventeen, some say she routinely performs, scantily dressed in short shorts and low cut blouses. The media say that it is not acceptable for a girl to act and dress in this way. However, let us look at another famed American idol: Taylor Lautner. He is often shirtless (perhaps even more than the average French woman), and he receives half of the criticism Miley has. In fact, tween and teen fans have practically coveted him. The media and many people, in fact, benefit positively from the absence of a shirt on Taylor Lautner, at least. While on the topic of celebrities and stardom, no one can deny that America’s movie industry is chock full of talented men and women. These people work hard to bring entertainment to the dinner table as well has bread and water to their own families. When several of my classmates were approached with the term ‘movie star’ and asked to respond with the first subject in mind, several answers included Jessica Alba (twice), Will Smith, Hannah Montana, Selena Gomez, and Britney Spears. Five out of these six answers were women, showing that both men and women are competing equally in terms of their popularity levels. However, the gap in their pay states otherwise. Male actors earned a total of 487 million dollars in 2009, while comparatively; females earned 244.5 million, about half of what males earn. Does this make sense? Is Julia Roberts, the highest paid female actress, only worth half of what her male counterpart, Will Smith, is worth? Is she only half as talented or half as powerful?
Anyway, we all have many hopes for the future, and my hope is that perhaps the scales will tip one day, and we will all see that as Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “A woman is like a teabag- only in hot water do you realize how strong she is.”