Katica Roy Analysis

Gender Equality is a big issue throughout the world, but what exactly is it? Well to answer that, it is the view that everyone should receive equal treatment and not be discriminated against based on gender. Today, most women are getting treated differently compared to men. Whether it is based on pay gap, power, or strength the problem comes up. Men think they are stronger and better than women and this upsets women because it makes them feel like they don’t have a place in this world. This is where feminism comes into place. I chose this topic because I can relate to it more than the racial option, although now it could be about the same.

For centuries women had had to bow to men they were taught never to speak unless called upon or spoken to. That their sole purpose in life was to be a homemaker; a servant to the men in their lives fathers, brothers, sons. As time progressed women began to fight for their right to receive equal rights, education and vote. But that wasn’t enough in the year 2013 women still made eighty cents to every man’s dollar but that all changed one day. Women who were sick of being oppressed had risen up against the male chauvinism within society of the united states.The first measure was to take all men out of all positions of decision-making power immediately, and of any kind of social, professional position whatsoever. The men of society were

1955 - Addie Wyatt and her union win “equal pay for equal work” within union contracts

“Imagine you 're a little girl. You 're growing up. You practice as hard as you can, with girls, with boys. You have a dream. You fight, you work, you sacrifice to get to this stage. You work as hard as anyone you know. And then you get to this stage, and you 're told you 're not the same as a boy. Almost as good, but not quite the same. Think how devastating and demoralizing that could be” Venus Williams. For years, women have worked as hard as men to get an education, get their dream job, or even get a promotion in a job they are currently at so they can earn less pay than a man and not even know it. They take on these important roles and titles as a manager or take on more jobs than they can handle to prove they are worthy as the next guy and to receive no raise or still underpaid to the guy who does not work as hard or have the same job title. However, women and men have begun to see this a problem and started to work together to make a change. Women makeup over half the workforce and are seen, if not equal, or are the breadwinner in four out of ten families (About Pay Equity & Discrimination 1). Women in the workforce should earn the same pay as men because they work hard to get an education, their race should not play into an effect, and they support a family.

“We’ve begun to raise daughters more like sons…but few have the courage to raise our sons more like our daughters.” (Gloria Steinem) Gender equality has come a long way, however, this topic is a constant theme many individuals, to this day, seem to dismiss. Women have addressed equality issues around the world to help broaden views on things that should be equal rights and equal opportunities, regardless of gender. In recent years, women specifically have shown the importance of gender equality through Woman’s Equality Day, the push for equal pay for equal work, and most recently, the creation of The United State of Women.

As I listened and re-listen to my interview with Adeena, I was constantly reminded how lucky I was to have the privileges that I do. I am a White woman who grew up in a middle class family with parents who unconditionally love me. However, I am a woman and although I have never been discriminated because of my race, I have been treated differently than my male counterparts. It took a long time for me to become the person I am today, someone who would speak up for herself if she was put in the situations that I went through in High School, but it is hard for me to imagine how much more difficult my life would’ve been if I happen to be born a different color. This sickening reality makes me admire women of color like Adeena who speak out against interlocking systems of oppression.

In 1963, the Equal Pay Act was passed that didn’t allow employers to pay women less money than men for the exact same job. Even after all of the victories for Women’s Rights, women still aren’t being treated equally. They suffer from sexual harassment, a wage gap, and not being able to advance in the workplace. These problems continue to effect the lives of women all around the United States. Organization try to spread the word about the unequal treatment of women to everyone. If more people took a stand against this issue we could make the pay of men and women exactly the same.

Yet the only difference about a movement for gender equality is that it is not only a domestic threat, but a global one. This makes the task at hand much more daunting. It’s easy to write an essay about a book that expressed the injustices done unto women around the world. It’s easy to inspire a teacher with fancy words for a good grade. But to really spark a change, to really affect someone is not as easy.

In contemporary society, there is a movement toward feminism, both in average lives and when it comes to the labor market. Many individuals agree that men and women alike should have equal

Adjacently, Anita Little, an author for an American feminist magazine called Ms, wrote an article titled, “It’s Not a Myth- It’s Math”, explains that the gap is not fictitious and that government involvement and public policies can help close the gap. Anita Little explains that although the Equal Pay Act of 1963 was created, there still is a need for additional support. She specifically mentions the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in that she says that it would require, “employers to prove that wage disparities are tied solely to job and business-related needs and not gender or other factors unrelated to job performance” (7). Little mentions this because she believes that employers are secretly still paying women less than men solely because

Gender inequality plays a critical role when it comes to social progress. As a woman,

In fact, progress for women and minorities in terms of both pay and power has stalled or regressed at many of the nation's biggest companies. This inequality shapes perceptions about who can or should be a leader.” (Hymowitz, 2008) This statement shows applicable reasoning as to why it is necessary to have equal pay between women and men in the workplace. When a company decides they are going to pay someone less money solely based off their gender without regards to their experience, it is discrimination and therefore the company is no longer an equal opportunity employer. Such practices need to be banned so our nation can truly say that we are all equal. Women need to form an alliance to prevent such discrimination from occurring and force our government to prohibit inequality in companies.

“To make the most of these innovations, we need to close the gender gap” (Bill and Melinda 23).

Throughout many decades women have been struggling to be equal to men, both at home and in the work place. Women have come a long way and are certainly fighting to gain that equality, but gender roles are very important in our society. They have become important in life from birth, and society continues to push these gender roles. The treatment of the male gender is very different from that of the female, and this issue has become very important to me, as a woman. As children we learn and adapt to specific gender roles, and as we grow they become more evident and more important to our role in a society. There is a lot of discrimination against the female gender. Carol Gilligan argued that

Women have been fighting for their rights since July 13, 1848. A lot has changed for women since then but in some parts of the world they are still being held lower than men. In some companies women are denied certain jobs due to their gender, and they receive lower pay than a man would in the same job position. Ursula Kroeber Le Guin wanted to highlight that in “A Left-handed commencement Address,” where she points out that the world revolves around men and yet she proves that women are actually equal to men. Le Guin supports this with allusions, rhetorical questions, parallel structure and a hopeless and later hopeful tone. She urges women to stop adjusting themselves for the rule of men and rather follow their own rules and create an environment where they live with men rather than under men. Le Guin addresses both men and women, especially the women who struggle with failure. She makes an optimistic, welcoming environment for them that hopefully motivates them to fight for their freedom and equality.