The hot beams of summer struck my face as I happily strolled to the train that sunny Thursday morning, wearing my new baby blue skirt with little yellow flowers to cool down from the oppressive heat. However, my glowing smile quickly faded as I caught an old man staring at my thighs. My stomach suddenly rumbled with a discomfort so sickening I wanted to throw up. My sweaty hands pulled down my skirt hastily, trying to cover up as much skin as possible. I shifted my eyes, hoping to ignore him, even as his low voice grumbled, calling my young body sexy. I was 13. When I was 14, a speeding car rolled down its window so a man inside could call me a skank. When I was 15, tears rolled down my face after a sweaty, glittery hand reached up my skirt at a music festival.
Read MoreThe soccer field was in a criss-cross solemn, watching the five-star flag rose slowly to the sky. Arrays of white, a patchwork of discipline and silence. One thousand faces in one direction, a uniform focus.
Read MoreWelcome to the rebirth of 20th century gender norms, where women belong in the kitchen yet both men and women bring home the bread. Picture this: A woman. She has two children at home learning virtually who consume a large portion of her time. She has a state job, and her income is vital. Not only does she have to work more than before, but the domestic work falls on her shoulders. Her husband has a very time consuming job and is responsible for the majority of the family’s income. He doesn’t have many household responsibilities, largely because he has too much on his plate. His children rarely see him. This scene can undoubtedly be observed in households across the nation. The COVID-19 pandemic is not only a threat to our health, but, perhaps even more importantly, to the progress made for and by feminism, specifically the expectations of women in the home. As stated in an article in the Atlantic titled The Coronavirus is a Disaster for Feminism, “Across the world, women’s independence will be a silent victim of the pandemic.” (Lewis)
Read MoreIn Afghanistan, like most Middle Eastern countries, women are often under-estimated and approached with condescending comments and jokes. Fear from men has been injected into their veins from childhood. Most importantly the sense of communication, empathy, action, helping and uplifting of each other has been stripped away from them by stoning them to death, killing them, sometimes even burying them alive. The thought of helping out each other has not dared enter their minds due to the toxic atmosphere in the society.
Read MoreIt was the summer of 2013 and I was 10 years old.
The season was a golden time filled with the sticky sweet syrup of childhood idealism. These days were a peculiar transition, the times before I was thrust into womanhood and the brutal expectations that came along with it. The days of childhood were gone, and the welcoming world as I knew it began to change. Unfortunately, my naivety did not change along with it.
Read MoreWoman. When I hear this word, the first thing that comes to my mind is a female silhouette walking down the street, upright and confident, ready to face any situation in a world where she is valued and appreciated by who she is beyond her gender. However, this is not the case for the vast majority of women in Guatemala, a country where the customs and traditions passed from generation to generation, as well as their gender inequality.
Read MoreIt’s my turn,
Turn to speak,
Turn to educate,
Turn to share,
I hope they listen.
It’s my time,
Time to engage,
Read MoreWhen Elizabeth Warren says: “I’m just really tired of this world,” I understand her frustration because I too am fed up and angry that in today’s world, in the country where I live that has a rich history of standing up for social injustices, women continue to be belittled, discriminated against in the workplace, denied equal pay, and dismissed when they speak up about sexual harassment and assault. The #MeToo movement has fortunately made some serious strides in correcting the latter especially in the US where the fallen producer, Harvey Weinstein, was convicted this year of rape. But somehow that momentum hasn’t ignited in France, the country I’ve called home for the last ten years.
Read MoreThere are numerous challenges facing women and girls in Kenya and talking about them can take eons but one of the major challenges facing women and girls is teen pregnancy and throughout my essay I will address the causes effects and measures taken to control teen pregnancy.
Read MoreThe idea of marriage has always made my stomach flutter, made my skin feel a little tighter and my breathing just a little heavier. Every time I walk down the streets or find myself alone past dark, I feel the exact same way. This is fear. This is a cold-blooded fear that runs down my spine at the very thought of becoming one of the many statistics on abused women.
Read MoreAs women, are we simply entitled to equality? Or are we supposed to earn it? For me, the answer is obvious: gender equality is, first and foremost, a simple human right.
Unfortunately, in a world full of positive female role models, sexism continues to oppress women around the world, a phenomenon particularly evident in South Korea. Even today, it is the societal norm for women in Korea to serve men or act a certain way for their pleasure. We are expected to save a special seat at the center of the table for the “all-powerful” male; we are
Read MoreSouth Korea is being lauded for its swift measures to contain COVID–19. Global news outlets praise our healthcare system and up-to-date technology that traces patients’ routes. But in April, a shocking bomb implodes within our small peninsula, an even more malignant disease that doesn’t even get half as much attention from foreign media—”Nth Room Case”. Modern slavery. 15,000+ users. When I read these words on the bus, my stomach drops. I look around as nonchalantly as possible and see three other passengers—all men—and the driver. They’re looking at their phones. One smiles a bit, scrolling through his screen. Involuntarily, my mind wonders how many “Nth Room” users could be on the bus with me that day, and I walk a little faster on my way home.
Read MoreOne movement, two realities.
The feminist movement in the US dates back to the 19th century with the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, discussing the lowly social, political, and economic status of women. Simple and passive discussions soon evolved into active confrontations against the government. The bravery, as well as the resilience of women, was what ultimately elevated their status in Western society and normalized feminist movements in the coming centuries.
Read More‘In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders’ - Sheryl Sandberg.
Gender inequality has always been present in society, and nobody knows how far this future is - maybe
even so far it will never happen. The bond of trust between men and women to give one another equal
opportunity defines gender equality. Unfortunately, this bond has been broken, and women are doubted
all over the world. But there is still hope.
Read MoreMy mother graduated from Yonsei University, one that is considered among the most prestigious universities in Korea. Afterwards, she enjoyed a successful career as a public relations director for an international make-up giant, and later as a lecturer at a university in Hong Kong, all the while raising three children. My mother is now a homemaker by choice.
Read MoreFootage of a woman writing "slave" on her body, a video of a teenage girl barking like a dog in front of the camera naked. These are just a few out of thousands of sickening videos exploiting sex commercialized for trade through social media. Various methods were used to steal personal information from women in their teenage or twenties to use as a threat to send sexually provocative videos. After collecting the videos of "the slaves", they then secretly spread the footage to hundreds of thousands of people offering money to gain access to the videos. Young adolescents were sexually abused and ridiculed by more than 260,000 users hiding behind the screen.
Read MoreAbout two months ago, my English teacher asked me why I wanted to leave my country at such a young age for studies. I told him about my future dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon in the USA. About how the society of my own country silently forces women to get married, give birth to children, and be content with their lives at home. I told my teacher how much I hated this implicit coercion towards women. After this conversation, I wondered, what kinds of experiences have I had to make me think women are the weaker sex?
Read More“Mom-Chung,” a cutting remark—Ji-young felt a stroke of severe pain in her heart. The short one-word disparaging mothers made her overwhelmed with emotion, recalling the bitter memories she had experienced as a mother. Mom Chung is a compound word of mom and “Chung,” meaning bug: a child-rearing bug. The word Mom-Chung denigrates ordinary mothers’ love and sacrifice towards their children. Ji-young speaks out of her sore heart, “I overcame all the pain to have a child and gave up my career, my dreams, my life, and all of myself to raise my child. And then I became a bug. What did I live for?” For many Korean women, this heart wrenching scene from the book Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 landed close to their heart. Though many people—including men—have always encountered such pain of women, it has always been considered a matter of course, rather than gender discrimination.
Read More“Because you’re a girl.” Whenever I asked my parents why I couldn’t do what my brother was doing, this is the answer I got. The list of things that girls are apparently not allowed to do grew longer each year and include sleeping at a friend’s house, staying out after the sun goes down, and wearing shorts that are “too short.” When I challenged their response, they reminded me of all the famous incidences of sexual violence against women. They always end the discussion by warning me to behave more carefully as if my sexual violence risk is determined by the length of my shorts.
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