This Is Not A Man's World

Oh My Blog!

When the "blog project" idea was first introduced, I must admit that I was very skeptical. I never spend much time at home, let alone on my computer so I was worried that it would be a task that I couldn't complete. However, after commencing the project, I realized that taking advantage of the available technology  was very convenient. It enabled the students to easily display their research and personal views in a very accessible way. I definitely think that this project has allowed me to explore a new way of sharing and accessing information. I enjoyed that fact that I was able to type, rather than write. It was also neat that we were able to display photos, videos, slides, etc, which we wouldn't be able to do if we were simply writing essays. Lastly, I found  that this particular project gave the students a lot of independence and flexibility in their work. It allowed me to personalize my thoughts and research while also keeping a solid structure in what we needed to incorporate into each post. Ultimately, I think the blog was a success and I really enjoyed being able to post my ideas on the internet for everyone to access. 

Reflection

Considering that my mother is an extremely amazing role model that I've always depended on, her morals and values have been imprinted into my identity. Personally, I love to take charge and accomplish my own goals. Being involved in this social justice class allowed me to explore the idea that women still face many obstacles that hold them back from being successful and reaching their full potential. It became a very personal issue. The thought of someone being told "no" or "you're not good enough" because she is a woman, angered me because I would never want to be held back from my own success, especially because of my gender. 

I've learned that although the world has come so far in things such as racism, homophobia and sexism, these issues are still lingering around us and just because it's not always as obvious as it used to be, doesn't mean it's not a problem that needs to be fixed. I'm very aware that Canadian women are extremely lucky in comparison to other women around the world; however, that's what intrigued me the most. Even women living in developed countries are still faced with extreme discrimination in society and especially in the workplace despite our "free country." Learning more and expanding my knowledge on this subject has only empowered me to exercise my knowledge, pride, beauty, and independence to the fullest of my ability. 

A Day in the Life of Me

From morning to night, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty five days a year, for eighteen years, I have had the privilege of growing up in a home with only one parent. Even though the only parent in my home worked full time, I was fed, bathed, dressed and driven to school every day. If it wasn't school, it was soccer. If it wasn't soccer, it was birthday parties. And on top of meeting all my needs and desires, those needs and desires of my siblings were also beyond satisfied.

 Now, can you believe that this single parent is a woman? My mom has always done the job of two, without complaints. Therefore, it's hard for me to comprehend why women are still seen as inferior to men when they are more than capable to accomplishing the same goals in and out of the workplace. I never recognized it when I was younger, but my mom, a women, is without a doubt the most empowering and independent individual I know.

Today's modern society has come so far in acceptance and equality regarding many worldwide issues, and that's why it's hard for my to understand how women are still being paid less compared to men when working the exact same job. The most disturbing thing that I've realized throughout writing this blog, is that the media tends to portray women in such stereotypical roles. I often see women portraying roles as housewives but never businesswomen, nurses but never doctors. Now this isn't always the case, however the fact that I can still notice it among every day television is striking. The effect that the media has on society today is overpowering. It's almost as if people depend on television, magazines and the internet to establish what they believe, and how they act, so when the media portrays women in such a powerless and demeaning fashion, is becomes normal; therefore this idea of gender inequality normalization, is applied in people's everyday lives. 

google images: powerful_11.jpg

The world has accomplished many things over the past few decades and I can only hope that complete equality between genders will be achieved in Canada. I think they only way to accomplish this is if:

1. Gender inequality/discrimination is first recognized by society as a problem
2. Women are given the same opportunities as men
3. Environments such as the workplace are strictly monitored for gender discrimination

Solutions

The battle against gender inequality continues today, however there are definitely ways in which we can work to put this war to rest. In order for equal treatment to be achieved, there are many areas in our society that must be targeted and tackled individually.

• The workplace

The work place is an area in which gender inequality cannot be ignored. Women everywhere are being denied their right to equal pay and treatment. If these areas practice strict enforcement against this discrimination, with harsh penalties if violated, the workplace can become a safer and more enjoyable environment for women.

• The public

As mentioned in an earlier post, although laws can quickly change, attitudes take longer. The past is unchangeable; however, we can utilize the past as an example of what we don't want. The present, is what needs to be modified and the future is what needs to be gelled. If we can change the way society approaches gender differences, we can change the way females are negatively regarded.  But in order to change the way society views women, the source of origin must be targeted: the media has to change what it puts out for the world to see, and how women are portrayed.

• The Media

In my opinion, the media has an extremely large influence on how today's society thinks and acts. What people view on television, in movies, on the radio, and via magazines influence each person's views. I think it's extremely important to ensure that the media is no longer allowed to have women portray stereotypical roles in which they are degraded. Also, sexist and gender biased comments should be monitored and censored. If these negative attributes are removed from our every day television the idea of gender inequality won't continue to be normalized, if society doesn't see examples of it every day.

All In The Game

There are many different parties in the ongoing issue of gender inequality, some of them include:

Women: There are women who have experienced gender discrimination first hand, there are women who are currently fighting against it, and there are others who have only witnessed or heard about it. Regardless, it affects all women. 

Supporters: Whether it be a woman, or man, there are many people who are in support of equal treatment between genders. These people give hope and determination to the mistreated women that change is possible.

Non-supporters: These people are those who believe that women are truthfully inferior to men, and that they are only good for certain "women's" jobs.

Media/Society: The groups like this that promote or accept the idea of discrimination against women, intentionally or not. 

Government: The Canadian government has laws against gender discrimination; however these laws cannot always be enforced due to the lack of control over comments, actions, etc, that occur behind the scenes. 

Activists: There are many known activists/feminists that have and continue to fight for women's equality rights, such as Gloria Steinem, Audre Lord, Naomi Klein, Betty Friedan and many more.

Questioning Why?

google search: propaganda poster from WW2 

Canadian women have battled hard in the fight against inequality and in 1956, the Canadian government created a policy declaring that women are entitled to the same wages as men when working the same job. The Female Employees Equal Pay Act had made discrimination in wages due to gender, against the law. However, it is easy for laws to change quickly, while attitudes take years to catch up. The 

American Civil Liberties Union reports that in 2010, a woman still earned only seventy-seven cents for every dollar earned by a man.

 Society is stuck in a vision of women playing certain roles that have been passed along through the generations. Although, I've also noticed that the media continues to portray females in roles like "the caretaker," or "housekeeper." What people see on television and hear on the radio steers them into the idea that women should work and are only capable of working very "pink collar" jobs. 

source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJLY9-RCQMU

In today's modern society, the television and internet have enormous amounts of influence on people. Discrimination against women is seen via television, radio, and social networking. It's gotten to a point that the stereotype of a woman being a sexual object, incapable, inferior, uneducated and unworthy has made such a dent in reality, that it's hard for women to be seen as professionals. The normalization of this issue is the main reason of why we still see this discrimination among us and in order to see change, gender discrimination must become an alienation in our society.