To Gain Equality In A Man's World Is A Battle

Written By: Elizabeth Nesbitt
Until taking this class I never thought about all the battles women have had to fight for equal rights. I forget sometimes about what is going on in the world, because I tend to focus on my problems and don’t look at the bigger picture. I was shocked when I read chapter seven. The informed consent law (also called Woman’s Right to Know” laws.) is in thirty three states in one form or another. (pg.132) This law is a joke in my opinion. To believe they write a law to tell women when they go to get an abortion that they must be reminded and talked to like a child. I find it unbelievable that people actually link abortion with breast cancer. (pg134) The virginity movement really stretches their cause to use breast cancer as a scare tactic shame on them.

I am showing my age now, but I do not remember attending abstinence-only classes. I do think sex-education is imperative and should be mandatory in middle school. I believe we should teach in sex education classes about all types of protection. This enables teenagers to make informed decisions. I think if parents had open communication with their children they might be surprised at the choices their children make. I think we can get the message out in our communities that abstinence-only education teaches more than “don’t have sex”-but sexist gender roles, by showing families examples of what’s occurring around the nation by people who practice the virginity movement. An example of sexist gender roles on (pg170) when the preschool forced unruly boys to wear dresses. Maybe if we show families what is really occurring we can start to change the purity myth. The purity myth manifests itself in violence against women by dominance and seduction. On (pg174) Michael Kimmel wrote in his book Guyland that “the time-honored way for a guy to prove that he is a real man is to score with a women”. Kimmel goes on to write “that men will do anything to convince women to have sex” even if it means resorting to violence. I think it’s even more horrific that some men do not see it as violent forcing drunk women to have sex, just because they are drunk and wanted sex.

The purity myth looks at women as pure if they are virgins until married. If a woman has had sex outside of marriage she is considered used an impure. Dismantling the purity myth will help people see rape for what it really is against a woman’s right to say no to sex. (pg155) In The Duke University rape case the media almost always referred to the victim as a “stripper” or “exotic dancer,” despite the fact she was a college student, and mother. Then there is the case (pg156) of the police officer who ejaculated on a woman he’d detained. The officer was let off without punishment because the victim was a stripper. If the purity myth was dismantled these women would be seen as victims instead of impure women. The purity myth states women should be waiting till marriage for sexual activity. One way to change to the virginity fetish is to elect more liberal women into the House of Representatives and Congress. Another way is as women to make our voices strong and heard at the White House and in more male dominated companies. We must as women unite, be strong and become more powerful and make our voices be heard.