What is the difference between men
and women in office? When women fight for the same idea or ideal and with the
same level of intensity as men, women are perceived as b*tches and men are seen
as powerful. The strong females who are a part of the United States government are
held at much higher standards than the opposite gender. Women are expected to
be perfect and when we make a mistake or anger others by a statement, we are
patronized.
The environment that that government
provides, does not welcome women with open arms. In fact, it is sometimes
dangerous for us to enter the male majority scene. Sexual harassment happens
behind closed doors as well as in the public! Women are condemned for not being
perfect but yet the president can sexually harass women and not be held accountable.
An example of this is during the Clinton and Trump presidential election.
During the last presidential
election, Hilary Clinton was harassed by the public and as well as her opponent,
Donald Trump. People called her names, judged her mannerisms, criticized her
looks, and the way she spoke was “too scripted.” During debates, Trump acted
like a predator towards her by circling her like a shark would its prey. This scenario
is just one of the many that women are held to a much higher standard than men.
My argument here is that U.S.
government needs to be more encouraging and supportive towards females running
for positions in office. This will help balance out the genders within government.
We as women need to be allowed to have voice and be able to gain same levels of
respect and equal representation as men do. It takes one honest person in position
of power to change the kind of negative image that women have gained. My hope
for our future this that we who run in office will gain the same level of
respect as men do.
Hi Danielle,
ReplyDeleteSo I completely agree with your statement about the inequality between women and men. Unfortunately, it still very much lingers to this day. Women still only make 80% of what men do with a full-time job. Even when both partners earn wages, women do twice as much housework and childcare. It is also proven that a man is more likely to get a job over women even with them having the same qualifications because it is believed that men will perform a better job at completing tasks. I really liked how you specifically talked about the opportunities that the government has over this specific topic. It's like we know that this is an overall all problem but we should start trying to make a difference with the people that we have making decisions for us as a country. They are seen as an "Elite group of people" but are they really on our sides? Unfortunately, I believe that a lot of this is rooted in beliefs about gender differences in abilities or skills and also stereotyping and favoritism for one group but if we try to make small changes a little bit at a time can make big changes for women in the future. I liked how you supported what you believed by giving the example of the last election and how you ended your statement by clarifying what your argument was. Hopefully, some changes with this problem can soon be soon!
I completely agree! Women in America are highly criticized due to the societal norms we have in place. It’s deeply rooted in our society due to women being forced to be homemakers throughout history. While other parts of the world have been evolving to combat instilled sexism, America hasn’t necessarily been making leaps and bounds. This is a way bigger problem, but I will keep it limited to women in the workforce. In the workplace women on average earn 79 cents for every dollar a man makes (AmericanProgress), are less likely to be employed because it’s instilled in our brains that men perform better at their jobs (hbswk), and the list goes on a lot longer. These problems for women in the workforce are seen heavily in the American Government as women only make up 19.1% in the House and 21% in the Senate, and this is not at all fair or equal because there are more women than men in the United States. It's ridiculous, but I'm sure with further improvement and encouragement like you said, but I'm sure we'll have equality soon if we keep fighting for it!
ReplyDeleteHi Danielle!
ReplyDeleteI entirely agree with you, there is a large representation gap for females not only in all levels of the government, but the workplace altogether. Ellen Ullmen, a female programmer and author of the New York Times article, “How to Be a Woman Programmer” states, “A sweaty man with pendulous earlobes… stroked my back as I worked to fix his system. At any moment I expected him to snap my bra” This is an example that many men see us females as inferior and sexual objects rather than independently strong. Like many men in society, Ullman’s boss did not take into consideration that she has just as much knowledge as every other man working with her. He was being sexist as well as discriminating. She explained how she expected her boss to snap her bra, which is a cue for sex. A bra is not a sexual toy, but rather a tool to help elevate women’s breasts. Women and men are created equal. Nobody has the right to shame the gifts we were born with. Sexism seems to be a natural part of society. The workplace now is better than in Ullman’s day but sexism still lingers on. We are all the same and nothing can change that. Society needs to see that women have just enough importance to men. We are not a sexual tool but rather a part of
society.
Hillary Clinton is a recent iconic inspiration for female empowerment, but women still have a ways to go when it comes to equal representation. We are all born into a world of stereotypes including women can’t work male-dominated roles such as leadership positions. Women are still fighting for equal representation in all sectors of society including in politics, employment opportunities, equal pay, clothing, violence and sexual harassment, etc. I agree with you when you mentioned that “females who are a part of the United States government are held at much higher standards than the opposite gender.” Hopefully in the near future, there will be more iconic women, similar to Gloria Steinem and Hillary Clinton, to actively follow in their steps. It did not take a single day for women to gain the right to vote. If women keep taking bigger steps for equality, then eventually we will be granted the rights we are entitled to.