Hall of Fame - Isabel Allende

Much of the posts on this blog have focused more on women in the United States, but it is also important to discuss the disempowered state of women worldwide.  While I wish that things were more equal and women in the US more empowered, the fact remains that women living in other countries have it worse.  In the below video, Isabel Allende speaks about women throughout the world and the need for women to be more empowered.

Allende makes some amazing points about how our world could be if women were more empowered and viewed as equals. 

• Women do two-thirds of the world’s labor but own less than 1% of the world’s assets.  Paid less then men, if they are paid at all.  They remain vulnerable because they have no economic independence and they are constantly threatened by coercion, violence, and abuse.
• If a woman is empowered her children and family will be better off.  If families prosper, the village prospers and eventually the whole society.
• Women are 51% of human kind, empowering them will change everything.
• Men run the world and look at the mess we have.  We want a world where life is preserved and the quality of life is enriched for everybody, not only the privileged.

The statistics that she shared that she me the most was that for every $1 given to a women's program, $20 are given to men's programs.  Allende calls attention to a pressing need for change in our society and our world.  

For real change, we need feminine energy.

Hall of Fame - Obama Administration

About a week ago, there was a victory for women's health.  Obama and Health and Human Services required that the majority of health insurances provide birth control free of cost to women.  While there are a few exemptions for religious organizations, as of August 1 women will be able to get birth control free of deductible or co-pay.  This huge advance for women sends the message that the government cares about and will support a women's reproductive health.  It will also save money because it will help prevent unintended pregnancies for women that are unable to afford birth control.  This is a short post but I think it is important to recognize.  Especially since this decision has received so little attention.

For more information

Hall of Shame - Alcatraz (Fox TV Show)

When I was flying home in December, I saw a preview of Alcatraz - a new show that was coming to Fox in January.  I liked it and decided to watch the full 2-hour premiere that was on last week.  For those of you that don't know it is a show from the creators of Lost and is based around the premise that all the prisoners from Alcatraz disappeared and are beginning to return - one-by-one - and kill again.

One of the main characters in the show is Rebecca Madsen and strong, self-assured female detective that begins investigating these returns.  When I watched it on the plane, I was so happy to see them presenting a very well-rounded female role model.  She was successful in a career that she enjoyed and had a meaningful boyfriend that supported her - even though she was technically his superior at work.  I loved that she had so many dimensions and positively reflected life for many women and showed that you could have a career and a personal life.

Many of you may be reading this and wondering why this post is Hall of Shame. Well... when I watched the episode this past week, all scenes with her and her boyfriend had been cut out.  So instead of presenting a well-rounded female role model, they feel into a stereotype of the heartless woman who has sacrificed her personal life for her career.  This continues to send girls and women the message that you can choose to have a partner/family or a career - but not both.  So much for a positive female role model on TV...

Hall of Fame - Riley on Marketing

As an eternal optimist, I wanted to start off the new year with a Hall of Fame post.  And what better way to start then recognizing this amazing young lady - Riley.

I don't have much to say because she is able to articulate my thoughts on the matter.  Her insightful words show us - again - that even kids recognize the gender stereotypes that our society puts out there.  To me this is further evidence that as adults we need to continuously challenge gender stereotypes that tell girls to like pink and princesses even if we think they are too young to understand.  But even Riley recognizes that some girls really do like pink and princesses.  And we need to be okay with that.

Hall of Fame

Anyone that knows me knows that I am very passionate about changing gender stereotypes.  I have even joked with my family that if I have a daughter one of her first sentences will be “stop trying to make me conform to gender stereotypes.”  So when I read an amazing blog post about a teacher in Wisconsin that is addressing gender stereotypes in her classroom, I knew that I had to share it. 

Fighting Gender Stereotypes

In this post, the writer initially becomes aware of gender stereotypes – and how extreme they can be – when she is having a daughter.  I loved when she said “I refused to make my baby daughter fit in the box that society had created for her.”  That is exactly how I feel. 

But she even took this a step further.  Instead of just raising children that are aware of – and do not need to conform to – gender stereotypes, she began addressing the issue in her classroom.  The lessons that she did with her 1^st grade students are simple and do not take much time.  They do, however, begin to challenging the ideas that her students have about gender.  Some may feel that 1^st grade is too young to start talking about gender stereotypes and gender nonconformity, but I would argue that it is the perfect age.  As is evident in this post, and by watching any kids playing, they already have very specific ideas about what is acceptable for boys and for girls.  These ideas, however, have not been solidified in their minds and these lessons will help them be more aware and think about the truth and validity behind the messages they receive. 

I can only imagine and dream for a world in which all of our children are taught these lessons at an early age.  I honestly feel that these would lead to gender equality and minimize the impact of so many gender-based issues.

Hall of Shame - PA Liquor Board

The Pennsylvania Liquor Board has received a lot of criticism for one of their recent advertisement.

The intention of the ad was to raise awareness of the link between alcohol and sexual assault.  Except what they actually did was place blame on the victims and their friends for the assaults that happen.  While victim-blaming happens all the time in our society, this ad and the message it sends is unacceptable.  Erin Gloria Ryan, a blogger from Jezebel, wrote "rape is not just a bad thing that happens to someone after drinking too much.  It is a deliberate act on the part of the rapist, a violation of another person committed solely because the rapist wanted to rape.  The sooner we acknowledge this, the sooner we'll be rid of stupid, finger wagging ads like these."

Maybe instead of spending time and money on victim-blaming ads like this, we should change the way our society responds to women that are victims of sexual assault after having been drinking.  So often a woman who has been drinking is not believed or is told that she probably just regrets the hook-up.  I know many women that I went to college with that were sexually assaulted when they were drunk and never reported it because they believed no one would believe them.  That is the real atrocity.

Hall of Shame - Women and HIV

While men still represent the majority of HIV and AIDS cases in the United States, women are accounting for an increasing share. 

·      In 1985, women represented 8% of AIDS diagnoses; by 2005 they accounted for 27%. 

·      Even more concerning is that HIV is the 5^th leading cause of death in women in the United States between the ages of 25-44.  It is likely that the majority of these women contracted HIV as an adolescent or young adult. 

Among certain female populations the statistics are even more concerning. 

·      Girls between the ages of 13-19, represented 43% of AIDS cases reported, while women ages 25+ represented 26% of AIDS cases. 

·      For African-American women ages 25-34, HIV is the leading cause of death.

·      In 2009, black/African American females made up 14% of the female population but accounted for an estimated 66% of diagnoses of HIV infection among females.

It is important to consider the ways that HIV/AIDS impact different populations and not rely on a one-size-fits-all prevention program.  Often for women, asking their partner to use protection is not an easy task because many relationships have a power imbalance.  If prevention programs only address the facts about HIV and encourage safe sex, then it will be useless for these women.  Prevention programs needed to be gender-specific and consider the ways in which gender roles and power impact relationships. 

Treatment for women living with HIV/AIDS also needs to be gender-specific because their demographics look different than those for men.

·      Nearly two-thirds (64%) had annual incomes below $10,000 compared to 41% of men

·      Research suggests that women with HIV face limited access to care and experience disparities in access, relative to men

·      Also many of these women have familial responsibilities that complicate the management of their illness, which results in poorer health.

All statistics are from: Kaiser Family Foundation