What makes these dates important is the length of time it took to reach those landmarks. Men were given the right to vote in 1868, fifty-two years before women ("Timeline of Voting Rights..."). Men were launched into space in 1961, 2 years before women ("First man in space"). The first NBA game was in 1946, 51 years before the first WNBA game (Goldaper). The U.S. Army was established in 1775, and it wasn't until 142 years after it was established that women were allowed to enlist ("The Army's Birthday). And the first election in the United States was held in 1788, it wasn't until 228 years later that a woman was a major party's candidate for presidency ("First U.S. Presidential Election"). The macro-factor of these situations is that they are all women, and because of that they were immediately put at disadvantage. They have no control over what gender they are, yet they are discriminated for it.
These years are striking to me, as I realize how far we've come for women's rights across the globe. But the farther we come, the more we realize how much work we still need to do. Women continue to be oppressed and be treated unequally in work environments and various other social engagements. Women continually have strong culture identity, and take pride in being a woman. It is becoming more and more common for women to come together as a culture to support each other as they continue to be treated unfairly by others. Take a look at the video below of Quarterback for the Panthers, Cam Newton who made an extremely sexist comment a few weeks ago to a female reporter after a game.
For some reason Cam Newton found it hilarious that a woman could talk about routes during a football game. Cam Newton had the idea that sports were only for men to talk about, and that women weren't quite fit to talk about sports in that much detail. This is just one small example of the sexism that faces women to this day.
One issue that has been discussed greatly in the past few years is equal pay for men and women in the workplace. Pay is not equal between men and women, even if they're accomplishing the same job. Society often refers to this as the wage gap. There is no reason for a woman to be paid less than a man with her same job title, yet it is happening throughout the nation. Equality means everybody gets the same exact thing. Why is it that women can't have equality and get the exact same pay as men who are doing the exact same job that they are and are getting paid more? This is one of the biggest issues regarding gender in today's society.
Traditionally, women have been treated like objectified goddesses. Movies, shows, plays and music all glorify women and in particular, their bodies. This results in many women feeling ashamed of their bodies as they get cat-called and groped, or it can make them feel ashamed if they don't look identical to the glorified woman on their screen with the tiny, photoshopped bodies. There are stereotypes that go along with being a woman. Many stereotypes that include being dumb, being required to do whatever our male superiors want, being good in the kitchen, being girly, being bad at sports and I could go on and on. These issues regarding the objectification and stereotypes of women are real, and they are dangerous to the mental health and sexual development of teenage girls world wide. By objectifying women through social media, society is sending messages to young girls that they need to look perfect in order to be good enough for a man. And then, movies and shows suggest that once you look perfect, you are then expected to give you bodies freely to the men around you. Although this may be a slight dramatization, this is a concerning issue in society that is often not talked about. Women are viewed as objects by many, which is why it is so difficult for women like the reporter talking to Cam Newton to try and be anything but an object. Women are objectified on magazine covers, fashion shows and much more.
As this discussion of equal rights for women and the oppression women face, women across the globe are standing up for each other and supporting one another. Women are coming together as one force to make their voices be heard, and to bring realization to the many issues women face because of societal standards. A few years ago, the USA Women's soccer team came together to spread awareness of the fact that they got paid less than the USA Men's soccer team. Why? Because they were women. This started a very important conversation, and made the nation aware of the realness and severity of the oppression of women. They were not given equal rights or equal pay, and stood up for themselves to get equality for women globally. By coming together as a community and culture of women, we are able to support each other and make our voices and opinions even louder. Together, women can accomplish amazing things and can change the world. We can make it a world of true equality and equity, where women are given the same opportunities and pay as men and where society freely accepts and welcomes women into any position of power she may desire.
As a teacher, I think it is so important to promote equality in the classroom. Children are often quick to recognize and judge based on gender. However, I think it is necessary for teachers to show the students that both genders can contribute to the classroom in whatever subject it may be. It is all too common for our culture here in the United States, and globally, to place a deficit theory on women and girls throughout their lives. Many treat girls differently, as if they were less capable of success than their male peers. It is so important that we do not treat girls as if they are able to accomplish less just because they are female. It's important to teach that girls can be just as interested in an athletic activity as boys, and boys can be just as interested in a cooking activity as girls. Sexism should find no place in a classroom, and teachers should work hard to not stereotype students based on gender.
Works Cited
“The Army's Birthday.” June 14th: The Birthday of the U.S. Army - U.S. Army Center of Military History -, history.army.mil/html/faq/birth.html.
“First Man in Space.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-man-in-space.
“First U.S. Presidential Election.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-u-s-presidential-election.
Goldaper, Sam. “The First Game.” NBA.com: The First Game, www.nba.com/history/firstgame_feature.html.
Green, Emma. “'We Are Preparing to Shatter the Highest Glass Ceiling in Our Country'.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 26 July 2016, www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/07/hillary-clinton-first-female-presidential-nominee/493163/.
“History.” WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA, www.wnba.com/history/.
Pinsker, Matthew. “19th Amendment.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2010, www.history.com/topics/womens-history/19th-amendment.
Purpose, Task &. “TIMELINE: A History Of Women In The US Military.” Task & Purpose, 8 Mar. 2017, taskandpurpose.com/timeline-history-women-us-military/.
Sharp, Tim. “Valentina Tereshkova: First Woman in Space.” Space.com, www.space.com/21571-valentina-tereshkova.html.
Sharp, Tim. “Valentina Tereshkova: First Woman in Space.” Space.com, www.space.com/21571-valentina-tereshkova.html.
“Timeline of Voting Rights in the United States.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Oct. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_voting_rights_in_the_United_States.
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