Foundations of Multicultural Education- Winter 2017
Saturday, February 18, 2017
Portfolio Assignment #4: Investigating Oppression
Group: Gender (Specifically Women)
Although women make up approximately half of the population in the United States, the history and current status of women in America is fraught with institutional, interpersonal, ideological, and internalized oppression.
Historically, women were not guaranteed any freedoms within the Constitution of the United States due to influential beliefs regarding coverture (once a woman was married, she lost her individual identity and became the property of her husband). Additionally, women did not gain the right to vote until 1919, did not gain the right to serve on juries until 1957 (it wasn't until 1973 that women in all 50 states had the right to do so), did not gain the right to control their reproductive health until 1973, did not gain equal protection under the law until the 1970's (ERA), did not serve on the Supreme Court until 1981 (Sandra Day O'Connor), and did not have the right to serve in all areas of the military until 2015.
Alongside legislation, women have historically been underrepresented in positions of power and in various career categories; subjected to sexual abuse and assault disproportionately to men; placed in strict gender categories (especially those of homemaker and mother); paid less than male counterparts; and objectified by the media.
Currently in America, the average white american woman makes 79 cents for every dollar a white male makes in the same job position (studies show that women in Utah--for example, aren't expected to match men's wages in the next century); the number of women does not represent the number of women in the country proportionately; and the percentage of women in poverty has risen over the past decade. Through hegemonic practices--regarding white men as the "norm" or the group in power, women have been continually oppressed. While advances have been made for increased women's rights, the male-centered culture of power has made progress difficult and slow.
The media has had a massive influence in promoting male power in America. Advertisements in the 1950s explicitly promoted male and female roles--with women blatantly portrayed as submissive, unintelligent, and incapable.
Advertisements today still play a role in the domination of women by promoting the objectification of female bodies for male interests (demeaning them to objects, rather than individuals), traditional gender roles, and ideas that go against the reality of female intelligence.
Comics and memes have also played a role in further promoting female discrimination by making light of serious topics such as abuse, women's rights, and female capabilities. This can also be seen in "dumb blonde" jokes and "make me a sandwich" jokes as well. Movies and television promote female discrimination by under-representing women in productions or attributing female roles to gender stereotypes.
Methods of gender domination have had significant negative consequences upon women in America. Due to the objectification of women's bodies, many women turn to dieting and eating disorders in order to make themselves more "attractive" according to societal expectations and due to increased body image insecurities. Gender dominance and sexism also result in higher rates of anxiety, depression, and hostility towards the opposite gender. Women also perceive themselves differently and internalize stereotyped/sexist ideas such as women having lower intelligence or lower leadership capabilities in comparison to men. Additionally, as seen with comments made by President Trump regarding women, the oppression of women in American society results in increased sexism, normalized sexism, and the pardoning of derogatory comments as "locker room talk"(not something to discredit a presidential candidate who will serve both genders) as well.
Although there are negative consequences that result from the oppression of women, many women are fighting to end this by promoting the need for increased gender equality in all aspects of society. The most recent example of this can be seen with the Women's March on Washington (and the sister marches across the country). Additionally, celebrities and feminists have also made attempts to educate the public and make the public aware of the condition of women in America.
As a future teacher, I think it is incredibly important that I'm aware of this issue so that I can combat it in my classroom. The students who come to my class are going to come with internalized ideas about who they are and who their classmates are in terms of their gender and what they can or can't do. Additionally, the education system itself is heavily entrenched in the oppression of women too and often promotes male hegemonic structures. We typically teach from male-favoring viewpoints and rarely emphasize the accomplishments of women (for example, we hear a lot about Albert Einstein, but hardly anything about Marie Curie). Girls are also discouraged from pursuing excellence in mathematics and science due to gender expectations. With this awareness of oppression, I can modify my classroom curriculum to involve male and female narratives; I can push my students to be successful in any academic category, regardless of their gender; and I can hopefully help them rise above the sexism that they consume on a daily basis.
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