Men May Like The Idea Of A Smart Woman, But They Don't Want To Date One

In a study conducted by the Huffington Post, an age-old hypothesis was tested; in an age where women are closer to gender equality than they’ve ever been, do men still prefer dating women that they deem to be less intelligent than themselves?

Of course, the concept of “dating out of your league” is a good thing, but through this study, it shows that concept is only half true. While analytical ability is an attribute stereotypically ascribed to men, studies have shown that men do value intelligence in their partner, but only to a point. “A 2006 study found that men in a speed-dating environment found intelligence appealing unless they perceived their female date to be smarter than themselves.”

Contrasting this, a more recent study conducted by the University of Texas at Austin concluded that 86% of men claimed they would feel comfortable dating someone smarter than them. In a series of followup experiments, this claim was tested.

The findings were telling: on average, men tended to like the idea of a woman who is hypothetically smarter than them, and thought of these women as more desirable and dateable. However, when physically confronted with these women, men felt the need to physically and psychologically distance themselves, and felt defensive of their masculinity.

This study shows that it’s brutally true that, “we don’t always know what we want, even if we think we do” when it comes to dating. Even if men claim that they’d like a smart women, when those claims are tested and they’re physically faced with a woman perceived as more intelligent, men become defensive of their egos and show significantly less interest.

1. What other characteristic imbalances are thought of social taboos when it comes to dating?
2. Do you think that stigmas like these will ever fully dissipate? Or at the very least, what will it take to weaken them?
3. How does this stigma of men being threatened by the perception of a woman being smarter than them extend past just dating?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/men-like-the-idea-of-a-smart-woman-but-they-may-not-be-interested-in-dating-one_5627a564e4b02f6a900ed2aa

Cat Calling in Today's Society

Street harassment, or as it’s more popularly known, “cat calling” is an obstacle many women face on a daily basis. Oxford Dictionary defines the term as “A loud whistle or a comment of a sexual nature made by a man to a passing woman.” Catcalls come in the forms of words, whistles, car honks, and any other gesture that could be considered sexually offensive to women. These gestures and comments are often made by men as they stand on sidewalks or drive by in cars. Catcalling is a form of harassment that is very common, yet often ignored.  

While it is often looked over, catcalling is most definitely a serious issue. The Harvard Crimson writer Lily K. Calcagnini makes many compelling arguments against catcalling in her article “Comments Unwelcome: The Insidious Problem of Catcalling.” Calcagnini focuses on the fact that a catcall is not a compliment. She states that a catcaller’s words would be appreciated when being given by a loved one, but not by a complete stranger with rather indecent intentions. She writes, “…a catcall is vapid. It reduces my worth to that of my appearance. In the public context of the street, coming from the mouth of a stranger, a catcall exploits the verbiage of intimacy and makes me feel both objectified and powerless to rebuke my objectification.”

Just as Calcagnini states, the issue of catcalling reinforces the idea that women are worth nothing more than their physical appearance. Men who catcall point out a woman’s features, hoping for some sort of sexual favor in return. They seek women with low self-esteem, hoping to find someone desperate enough to fulfill their wishes. Catcalling also dehumanizes women, making them appear to be only useful for sexual needs. A Dublin woman, Jenny Stanley, wrote about her experience of being catcalled to the Irish Times. A group of men had harassed her while walking home from work late at night. She heard a man talk about her to one of the other men, saying “’I fancy that one,’” as if she were nothing but a car in a dealership, rather than a human being. Stanley thinks about this comment, writing, “If I can be seen in this way, I must not be perceived as an equal member of society by these people.” She also questions her own lack of response to these men, asking herself, “’Why don't we say something back? Why don't we tell them that we deserve more than to be objectified in this way? Why don't we explain why we respond to their compliments of how attractive we are with a stare of distaste rather than the gratitude they so clearly feel entitled to?’"

New Orleans artist Ursa Eyer has created a string of comics that illustrate the nature of the catcall from the very beginning of a woman’s life. One of her comics portrays a young version of herself, each frame displaying a different age, and the comments she received. From looking at the comic, one can see that as she grows older, the comments become more suggestive, vulgar, and common. Eyer told the Huffington Post about her experiences, saying “We deal with it so often that it just becomes a part of our daily lives. We don’t even mention it, because it’s the norm.”

While the majority of people see catcalling as an issue, there are a few who think it’s perfectly fine. New York Post writer Doree Lewak wrote an article titled, “Hey, ladies- catcalls are flattering! Deal with it.” She describes her experiences of being catcalled, writing, “I can be that objectified sex thing for [men]!” Lewak sees catcalling as being a boost to her self-esteem, saying that “…my ego and I can’t fit through the door!” She claims the complete opposite of most people, saying that these crude comments are in fact compliments, and that women should feel empowered, rather than offended by them.

QUESTIONS

1.      Do you see catcalling as being an issue in today’s society?

2.      Have you witnessed or experienced catcalling? If so, how did it affect you?

3.      People often claim that catcalling is brought on by the female, because of the way she dresses or acts. Do you think this is the case? Why or why not? 

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/catcall  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/29/catcalling-comic-ursa-eyer_n_5735808.html

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2015/10/6/comments-unwelcoming-catcalling-problems/

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/news/a48066/woman-pens-gut-wrenching-letter-about-the-terrifying-realities-of-catcalling/

http://nypost.com/2014/08/18/enough-sanctimony-ladies-catcalls-are-flattering/

https://s.yimg.com/cd/resizer/2.0/FIT_TO_WIDTH-w500/523e828453df363c5ea90265953464767314362c.jpg

http://www.someecards.com/usercards/unsubmitted/MjAxMi03MWRlZGY2NDI1Y2RjNGEw

Misogyny In Social Media - Why is the Internet so Unsafe for Women?

One of the most popular pastimes in the modern age is social media. According to an eMarketer report, "nearly one in four people worldwide will use social networks in2013. The number of social network users around the world will rise from 1.47billion in 2012 to 1.73 billion, an 18% increase" . While social media can be entertaining for all, a major problem has soured the experience for women everywhere. According to bustle.com, "being a woman on the internet can be especially rough. Whether you're trying to find a date or just, you know, minding your own business, unwarranted sexist abuse is such a common phenomenon that some women are making it their mission to turn the tables". Women are being harassed online at an alarming rate. 'Trolls' on social media sites such as Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Reddit, and 4chan are taking it upon themselves to seek out women's accounts and send them mean, unnecessary, and just plain threatening comments. As a matter of fact, this happens so often that people have coined the term "cyber-misogyny". While many different people face harassment online (a different issue in itself), the harassment women face has been found to be more gender-based. It has been pointed out that while men are also harassed online, they are never harassed because they are men, whereas that is the most common 'reason' for harassing women. Evidence of this is abundant in the recent Gamergate scandal - a group of male gamers identifying themselves as 'Gamergate' began attacking several prominent feminists in the gaming community, such as game developers Zoe Quinn and Brianna Wu, and cultural critic Anita Sarkeesian. Gamergate's harassment included 'doxxing' the targeted women (doxxing is a term popularized on the internet meaning to share personal, identifiable information about an individual), rape and death threats, as well as a mass shooting threat in protest of an invited speech featuring Sarkeesian. Many of the complaints from those claiming to represent Gamergate had to do with the individuals distaste for women in games. Brianna Wu tweeted about speaking to other women about Gamergate, saying "one of the most disheartening things about #GHC15 (a conference meant to celebrate women in tech) was hearing firsthand from about 30 women keeping a low profile career to avoid #gamergate" and "This is a field where your reputation and fame are so critical to success. But #gamergate has created an atmosphere of terror for women". Sadly, this kind of harassment is found all over internet communities. One particular example is the attacks on what appears to be an eighth grade girl on twitter. She posted pictures of herself at a school dance, saying "letstalk about how i was slaying". 

 https://twitter.com/tessaavee

 She received several nasty replies on Twitter, all of them from adult men. These replies were riddled with foul language and crudely photoshopped images of her, clearly meant to offend.

 https://twitter.com/_JSG93

https://twitter.com/MeatyNextDoor

Several women came to the girl's defense and tweeted at the men attacking her. However, the body positivity movement was created specifically for this purpose. It has become the norm for people to post pictures of themselves on social media praising their hair, or makeup, or outfit. Body positivity is about loving yourself no matter what you look like and regardless of what people say about you. Popular alternative singer Halsey is a huge supporter of body positivity and has tweeted in favor of it numerous times. Most notably, she often takes it upon herself to tell people off when they harass someone for their appearance or how they choose to present themselves, as seen when she tweeted at fellow musician Jack Johnson when he criticized the movement. He claimed that many girls had been "using the excuse of body positivity to post slutty pictures". He has since deleted those tweets,  but Halsey's replies remain.

 https://twitter.com/halsey/status/592914624690847745

https://twitter.com/halsey

Another example of women being harassed on social media has come with the Twitter and Instagram hashtag "#ShoutYourAbortion". The hashtag is meant to help people who have had abortions normalize their experience and to explain that abortion is a valid decision no matter the circumstances. Many people who have participated in this hashtag have been under attack by so-called "pro-lifers". This example especially can be linked to The Handmaid's Tale, with how abortions are criminalized in Gilead. However, the entire problem of misogyny in social media can be linked to Gilead. Women are being attacked on the internet simply for being women. This is incredibly similar to women's plight in The Handmaid's Tale, where women must make up for being women by having children. As this poignant #ShoutYourAbortion tweet states, "#HandmaidsTale is not an instruction manual".

https://twitter.com/UnveilMyHeart

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think can be done to stop harassment and misogyny online?

2. Why is online harassment considered "less serious" than if someone were attacked in person?

3. Do you think gendered harassment will ever fully go away? How could we achieve that?

Links:

http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Social-Networking-Reaches-Nearly-One-Four-Around-World/1009976

http://www.bustle.com/articles/80766-6-social-media-accounts-that-are-fighting-misogyny-and-online-harassment

http://time.com/3305466/male-female-harassment-online/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamergate_controversy 

https://twitter.com/Spacekatgal?lang=en 

https://twitter.com/tessaavee/status/653606263729844224?lang=en 

https://twitter.com/halsey/status/592914624690847745

https://twitter.com/halsey

https://twitter.com/UnveilMyHeart

The 2016 Presidential Election: A Woman in the White House?

In the upcoming 2016 presidential election, America faces a rarity: there are two substantial female contenders, one in each major political party. More importantly, both candidates Carly Fiorina and Hillary Clinton pose a sizeable threat to their male counterparts in the current race. Huffpost Pollster indicates that Clinton holds a solid 47.6% of Democratic voters and Fiorina commands 5.2% of Republican voters, despite being a part of the enormous Republican candidate pool. In debates, both Clinton and Fiorina have been named as standouts by the New York Times, who praised Clinton for "her experience, command of the issues and strength in communicating ideas" and called Fiorina an "especially tenacious combatant". If ever there was a presidential election swinging in female favor, 2016 seems to be it. However, when put in historical context, Clinton and Fiorina's presidential bids seem prolonged as opposed to progressive. It is incredibly troubling to think that not even one of our nation's 44 presidents has been a woman, and sheds an unflattering light on America as one of the world's leading powers. 

For being one of the largest, most influential and progressive countries in the world, the United States is failing to represent its female population in government. To date, a female has never won either a Republican or Democratic primary election, let alone a presidential election. Likewise, the Congress has and continues to be comprised of an overwhelming majority of white males. The Washington Post reported in January that , “the 114th Congress…is one of the most diverse in American history, comprised of nearly 20 percent women and just over 17 percent of which is non-white. Which means, of course, that four out of five members of Congress are white and four out of five are men.” These statistics show an incredible gender and racial imbalance within our political system that oftentimes leaves huge portions of the population underrepresented. Despite the current disparities, the 114th Congress is the most diverse in history in terms of both race and gender. Indeed, diversity within American government has been on an upward trend for the past several years, but not rising quickly enough to fairly represent the American population. 

 "More than half of the population is female; white non-Hispanics are about 63 percent of the population. Congress is starting to look more like the rest of the country, in other words -- but the 114th Congress won't look much like it at all."

Sadly, international statistics don't seem to be much better than those of the United States. According to a the United Nations Women in Politics 2015 Map, “there are currently 18 female world leaders, including 12 female heads of government and 11 elected female heads of state (some leaders are both, and figurehead monarchs are not included)”. Although this number may seem considerable, when compared with the 177 other countries run primarily by men it becomes less significant. The lack of female political leadership both domestically and internationally leaves us to question why women aren't being elected to office. 

The answer to this question is not simple. The popular belief of anti-woman-president voters seems to be categorized based upon the following reasons: women are too emotional, women only care about women's issues, and simply that women can't--and shouldn't be--leaders. Of course, there are several studies disproving the foundation of these claims, but they still seem to have an effect on voters when election season rolls around. 

Recently, on "The Whoolywood Shuffle" radio show, American rapper T.I. said, "Not to be sexist, I can't vote for the leader of the free world to be a woman. Just because every other position that exists, I think a woman could do well. But the president, it's kind of like, I just know that women make rash decisions emotionally -- they make very permanent, cemented decisions -- and then later, it's kind of like it didn't happen or they didn't mean for it to happen." His comments were not taken lightly, drawing harsh criticism from women such as Oprah Winfrey. While undoubtedly extreme, T.I.'s sentiments must not be entirely the minority among American voters if a woman has yet to be elected as president. While research shows that females are equally as competent and efficient leaders as men, it's not always evident that people--American or otherwise--believe it; only time will tell if Clinton or Fiorina can make them. 

Discussion Questions:

1. Why do you think there has been no female president of the United States up to this point?

2. Do you think the higher polling rates of Clinton and Fiorina are due to a more open America or stronger female candidates? 

3. Do you think we can altogether fix the gender gap in politics? If so, how? 

4. How do you think having a female president would be different than having a male president, if at all?

Links:

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/09/10/donald-trumps-uncomplimentary-comments-about-carly-fiorina/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/01/05/the-new-congress-is-80-percent-white-80-percent-male-and-92-percent-christian/

https://www.thenation.com/article/why-does-us-still-have-so-few-women-office/

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/30/about-one-in-ten-of-todays-world-leaders-are-women/

http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/pollster/2016-national-democratic-primary

http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/pollster/2016-national-gop-primary

http://justwhookid.com/2015/10/12/tip-says-travis-scott-is-iggy-azalea-in-a-black-mans-body-in-recent-dj-whoo-kid-interview-video/

http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/13/politics/t-i-woman-president-2016/

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/01/12/114th-congress-is-most-diverse-ever/
https://www.thenation.com/article/would-be-hillary-carly-cat-fight-men-media-and-fiorina-want/
http://mic.com/articles/115298/9-reasons-we-should-never-ever-ever-have-a-female-president

Discrepancies in Fields of Creativity and Innovation

Women are not as creative as men. They are not as artistic, not as original, and not as innovative. At least, not according to public perception — an idea that was developed and abstracted by students from Duke University.

Recent research shows that people tend to associate “stereotypically masculine traits (such as decisiveness, competitiveness, risk-taking, ambition and daring) as being more important to creativity than stereotypically feminine qualities (such as cooperation, understanding and support of others).” This has been confirmed by both real-world experimental and observational studies. A fictional male architect’s work is described as more creative and avant-garde by some people, while the same structure is described as being less so when presented as a fictional female architect’s work. Male managers, when presented identically to female managers (aside from gender), are rated “not only as being more creative, but as having more agency and being more deserving of rewards.”

This obviously becomes a problem for women, as even our government agrees that “the jobs and industries of the future ... [invest] inthe creativity and imagination of our people." And what can be taken from that, in conjunction with the associative biases surrounding creative norms, is that this trend has the potential to limit working opportunities for women even further — despite seemingly enriching opportunities for inspired minds as a whole. After all, if the best creative thinkers are all male, what place is there for women in industries of innovation at all?

https://i2.wp.com/www.brainpickings.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/darrowboygirl10.jpg?w=500

Margaret Mead (1901-1978) — cultural anthropologist, unapologetic feminist, and radical thinker extraordinaire (at least for her time) — had a more deliberate response to this. She argued that women working in creative fields were fundamentally disadvantaged due to contextual social constructs. And this was an argument that she made over 50 years ago (or 52, to be exact). Women were actively constrained by working with “forms that were created by men, or else struggle against special odds to develop new forms.” She develops her argument by pointing a finger towards educational systems and their inherently gender-biased curriculums, stating the following:

                “Until we have an educational system that permits enough women to work within any field — music, mathematics, painting, literature, biology and so on — so that forms which are equally congenial to both sexes are developed, we shall not have a fair test of this third possibility.” 

https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/08/06/margaret-mead-female-male/

That said, Mead came from a time when ideas similar to the picture above were considered to be fact, and not just the satirical attitude it was actually designed to show.

http://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/posts/2014/04/0514_WEL_Kay_Confidence_Intro/b40de77fa.jpg

Interestingly enough, her point is countermanded by modern-day reality: today, “girls outnumber boys at arts schools by [a great] margin.” The actual numbers show that “Schools that specialize in the arts ... are now 64 percent female and 36 percent male, a disparity that has grown slightly larger over the last five years [emphasis added].” And yet, despite this, women are still considered to be less creative than men, while men continue to rise above women doing equal-or-greater work than men.

Ultimately, the Coca-Cola Company has what seems to be the most reasonable point of view. Through their analysis, they show that “Men andwomen are equally talented when it comes to creativity.” They actually present a slightly different approach, saying that it is critical to continued innovation to actually have men and women work cooperatively together (gasp — such a novel concept!). The two different approaches with which men and women approach creativity help balance and complement one another, and overall produce better results as a whole.

This ties back to our class through a comparison of the struggles which women face today expressing their creativity and having it be viewed equally to men’s, and the struggle that women face in The Handmaid’s Tale with expressing themselves in any way at all — not being allowed to read, write, or (presumably) create anything. Tasks like that are, after all, best left to the “more creative, innovate, out-of-the-box-thinking" men, right?

Questions for Discussion:

1. What sort of long-term consequences do you think might occur as a result of these gender biases in fields of design and innovation?
2. Why do you think that females are perceived as less creative in a post-school setting, despite having more opportunities for creativity in school environments?
3. What do you think can be done to balance out and correct these misperceptions?

Links:

https://agenda.weforum.org/2015/10/why-are-men-perceived-to-be-more-creative/

http://www.creativityland.ca/male-and-female-creativity-is-there-a-difference/

https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/08/06/margaret-mead-female-male/

http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/do-men-and-women-innovate-differently/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/creativity-gender-bias_560a93fae4b0768126ff1599

http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/09/17/0956797615598739.abstract

http://school-stories.org/2015/06/gender-disparities-found-in-many-of-new-york-citys-science-math-schools-and-arts-communication-schools/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/innovation/strategy

https://i2.wp.com/www.brainpickings.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/darrowboygirl10.jpg?w=500

http://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/posts/2014/04/0514_WEL_Kay_Confidence_Intro/b40de77fa.jpg

Japanese Women Choosing Careers over Children

In recent years, select Asian nations have been working to close the gender gap that has been separating men and women from attaining equal opportunities socially, politically, and economically. Thanks to the Basic Act for Gender-Equal Society an equality-based government, Japan, in particular, has stepped to the forefront of the issue, finding a place above almost all other countries for female education, health, and survival. For many years now, the Japanese government has created a society where men and women can be treated equally and given similar hopes for their futures. Japanese women were even counted for over 40% of the nation’s corporate employees in 2014, an impressive statistic considering the part of the world that they are in. However, this notable accomplishment brings a serious issue to light: Japan’s population is dropping, and at quite a fast rate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Japan#/media/File:Population_of_Japan_since_1872.svg

This rapid decrease in population is due to a lack of immigration and, more importantly, falling birth rates. While women are developing powerful, independent images for themselves all throughout society, they are also making decisions of staying single. For many female workers nowadays, there is the impression that “marriage is a grave”for their hard-earned careers. When a woman marries, her boss assumes that she will get pregnant, which causes a myriad of issues for her job. Once she has a child, her hours become inflexible and it becomes virtually impossible for her to balance her children and her profession. All chances for promotion stop, forcing women to make decide between raising a family and keeping her career. However, as the world economy and success pose growing challenges, women are beginning to give up more in order to survive in this competitive culture. Essentially, more women are making the decision to keep their professional life, stay single, leave behind a life as a mother. This has caused Japan’s national population to begin a downward trend. In 2014, the nation’s population dropped by its largest amount, and this decline is only expected to worsen. Currently, the population is projected to drop to 86.7 million people by the year 2060, a vast concern to people all around the world.

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/10/22/japans-sexual-apathy-is-endangering-the-global-economy/

In attempt to fix this issue, Japanese businesses are working to find ways for their female employees to simultaneously care for their children and keep their jobs. They are attempting to create environments where women can work and watch their children. In addition, various universities around the nation are working to create programs that support women in making a return to work after childbirth. Despite all of these efforts, Japan knows that there is still much for them to do in order to save their decreasing population. Yoshihide Suga, Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, recognizes that “It's obvious that getting married and having children is a matter of personal freedom. To create a society that is supportive of child-rearing parents is a role of government, and we are also working to realize a society where women can shine." It is clear that Japan has made great strides in what it has done for its people in recent years. But to make this nation the best that it can be is going to take a great deal more of effort than anyone anticipated.

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-08-18/job-is-half-done-for-japan-s-working-women

The concept of women’s roles in society as the ones who must reproduce connects to the way that women are seen in the dystopian world of The Handmaid’s Tale. While women are now approaching the role of men’s equals in the professional world, they remain the only ones who can give birth and help to continue a healthy growth of population. Our world is still dependent on this function of females' bodies, similar to the way that the Commanders and Aunts force the women to get pregnant and have children in the novel.  

Discussion Questions:

1. If there were a current main focus for the Japanese government, do you believe that it should be continuing to close the gender gap or working to increase the population? Why?
2. What are more ways to allow women to marry and have children, as well as have a successful career?
3. Why do you think profession has become a higher priority than reproduction?

Links:

• http://www.japantimes.co.jp/tag/yoshihide-suga/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshihide_Suga
• http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/10/08/national/social-issues/womens-group-pressures-suga-retract-offensive-remark/#.Vh3QoPlViko
• https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ja.html
• http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/20/young-people-japan-stopped-having-sex
• http://www.humantrafficking.org/government_law/21)
• https://agenda.weforum.org/2013/03/closing-the-gender-gap-in-japan/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/09/26/business/corporate-business/companies-working-boost-womens-role-workplace/#.Vh73dflViko

Planned Parenthood's Fight against House Republicans

          Going into this upcoming election season, packed with debates and interviews, it is obvious that the GOP and the Democratic Party are split on the intensely debated topic of Planned Parenthood and abortion. Planned Parenthood is non-profit organization that, “delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of women, men, and young people worldwide.”  Cecile Richards, the President of Planned Parenthood, has been fighting off critics of their mission for the nine years she has held her position as President. Richards was recently drilled by House Republicans in regards to “the organization’s use of federal funds.”

          This issue was brought to light following the release of a series of videos made by Center of Medical Progress, an anti- abortion group. The series of videos aimed to convince people that Planned Parenthood was selling the tissues and organs of aborted fetuses. The videos skewed the truth which is that women who choose to, can donate the fetus’s tissues for medical research. Additionally, the Center of Medical Progress accused Planned Parenthood executives of using federal fund for lavish parties. Following these mischaracterizations, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform called for a congressional hearing. They did so as these videos sparked them to threaten to shut down the government over the federal funding of Planned Parenthood. The sad fact of all of this, is that abortion only makes up for 3% of all the services provided by Planned Parenthood and an abortion cannot be federally funded. The threat posed by House Republicans ultimately threatened to take healthcare away from millions of woman who otherwise could not afford it. The GOP threatened to shut down an organization that provides so much healthcare and health education to their target demographic, low-income and financially disadvantaged women. Richards said, “We provide really, really good health care for Medicaid patients, and we’re proud of that…”

          Cecile Richards was grilled for nearly 5 hours during the Congressional hearing, by a predominantly male committee, over the issues of abortion, federal funding, and women’s reproductive rights in general. Steve Russell, a Representative from Oklahoma said, “We’ve heard testimony today that 2.7 million received services in the last reported year…it is actually over three million, when you add the three hundred and twenty-seven thousand aborted children to that figure.” The House seems to be fixated on abortion as they attempted to defund Planned Parenthood altogether. They look past all the other services provided by this organization due to the fact that they can’t look beyond the abortions they provide. The GOP leaders are hoping to scare Americans into defunding this program, but in reality they are fighting against the women’s right to choose.  

          This issue connects to this class as it is probably the most hotly debated women’s rights issue of this decade. Similarly, The Handmaid’s Tale, depicts a dystopian future where women struggle to obtain reproductive rights, or any rights at all. This story shows how women continue to struggle for their rights and how a future, like the one in The Handmaid’s Tale, isn’t that far off from our reality. 

Discussion Questions:

Should the government be involved with women’s healthcare and reproductive rights? Why or why not?

With the House of Representatives being majority Republican and the potential for a Republican President following the 2016 election, what do you think the future holds for Planned Parenthood?

What would be an alternative for Planned Parenthood?  

Links: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/30/us/politics/planned-parenthood-congress-republicans.html?_r=0

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2015/08/12/for-planned-parenthood-abortion-stats-3-percent-and-94-percent-are-both-misleading/

http://www.newyorker.com/news/amy-davidson/cecile-richards-the-target-at-the-planned-parenthood-hearings

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/planned-parenthood-congress-hearing_560af940e4b0dd8503099da7

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/planned-parenthood-cecile-richards_560b37f2e4b0768126ffc92c

https://www.plannedparenthood.org/

FIFA 16's Inclusion of Women's Soccer Teams

The FIFA video games are known for being the best-selling sports video game franchise in the world. The new FIFA 16 game is gaining headlines and publicity for its inclusion of women’s soccer players both on the cover and in the game. Before this point, gamers only had the option to play as men’s soccer teams, and only male soccer players had been featured on the game’s cover. However, the game now offers the opportunity for gamers to play as 12 different women’s national teams from across the world, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, and the US. FIFA 16 is also being recognized for placing women on the covers of the game in versions of FIFA 16 being sold in the United States, Canada, and Australia. To decide who would be on the covers, EA Sports, the makers of the game, placed a poll on the internet so that fans could vote for who they wanted to see on the cover. The winners were each placed alongside Lionel Messi, the face of the franchise since 2013, on the game’s cover in their respective countries.

Highlighted names show the 3 women who have been featured on the cover of FIFA 16. The rest of the names are male.

In a preliminary survey, the “announcement of the inclusion of woman players was met with positive critical response from IGN,” or Imagine Games Network. When asked what he thought about starring alongside Alex Morgan on the United States’ FIFA 16 cover, Messi said, "Having women's national teams in 'FIFA 16' will be great. Alex and her team have accomplished something amazing for their country and the sport in the USA, and to share the cover with her is an honor." Not only is this good publicity for EA Sports and FIFA 16 for including women in their game, but also good publicity for the United States’ Women’s National Soccer Team, especially Alex Morgan, and women’s soccer as a whole. At an EA Sports press release, Morgan said, "It is an incredible honor to be one of the first women featured on the cover of EA SPORTS FIFA. I know people all over the world play this game and I'm really excited that 'FIFA 16' is putting such an important spotlight on women's soccer…”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siVeBCaYeko

There are some limitations to the women’s teams included in the game. Unlike men’s teams, the women’s national teams only have the option to play in friendly games, as well as an offline tournament mode. The game’s most popular mode, Ultimate Team, is unavailable for women’s teams. Also, when compared to the sheer amount of men’s teams and leagues represented in the FIFA 16 game, the women's representation is incomparable. The main reason for the discrepancy may be because this is the first edition of FIFA in which women are included, however, are there hopes for more women’s teams to be represented in the future?

Shown here are the covers of the FIFA 16 game in Canada and the United States, respectively.

Also, there may be an ulterior motive to the franchise’s inclusion of women in the game. Some people have argued that FIFA only included women in the game for a predicted sales boost. A main point of an argument presented by a London blogger Amanda Connelly is that “…women have played FIFA and participated in equally exciting high level sports forever…  it highlights the fact that FIFA ignored the already undervalued successes of women in sports and the women playing its game for so long.” It could be argued that FIFA only included women in fear of losing consumers, as they had been receiving requests for years to include women in the game, but in the realization that women are just now being recognized for their accomplishments in soccer, in the form of finally being given representation in FIFA 16, is a bit concerning.

Advertisement for FIFA 16's most emphasized new feature: inclusion of Women's National Teams.

The idea of there being gender inequality connects to Alex’s current event presentation, on the grounds of trying to create equality within sports. Also, the idea of one woman representing an entire group relates to when Alexa mentioned how Hayley Williams is the most well-known woman in punk rock; as Alex Morgan is essentially the face of women’s soccer in the United States, as demonstrated with her being on the FIFA 16 cover.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why do you think EA Sports waited until now to include women in their FIFA video games?

2. Only 3 out of 15 countries voted to put a female soccer player on the cover of their FIFA 16 game. What do you think could’ve caused this discrepancy?

3.  Do gender roles play a part in women being “accepted” into the sports world, as represented by their inclusion in the FIFA 16 video game?

Sources:

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/may/28/fifa-16-to-include-womens-football-for-the-first-time

http://espn.go.com/espnw/athletes-life/the-buzz/article/13288807/alex-morgan-represents-us-women-historic-fifa-16-cover

http://www.i4u.com/2015/07/93427/alex-morgan-appears-alongside-lionel-messi-ea-sports-fifa-16-cover

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_16

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_(video_game_series)

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/fifa-16-puts-woman-on-cover-for-first-time-ever-in/1100-6429028/

http://www.i4u.com/2015/07/93427/alex-morgan-appears-alongside-lionel-messi-ea-sports-fifa-16-cover

http://thenextweb.com/opinion/2015/07/21/fifa-16-acknowledging-women-exist-isnt-something-to-applaud/

http://www.fifa.com/media/news/y=2015/m=5/news=twelve-women-s-national-teams-to-feature-in-ea-sports-fifa-16-2609581.html

China Striving For Gender Equality in The Near Future

China has not always been seen as the most gender equal country, whether because of societal customs or implementing rules such as the One Child Policy and the Iron Fist Campaign, but world leaders from the Chinese UN have created a pledge of money to try to create gender equality in China by 2030. According to Women UN, with the lack of ideas that China has and the rate that they are going at currently, it will take them over 80 years to finish their plan. The issues of gender inequality in China are very different than those in the US, and many of the issues are regarding prostitution. When the Communist Party of China took power in the 1940’s, they had a plan to completely get rid of prostitution, but over time the government stopped being as strict, and by the 1980’s, prostitution had become a form of industry. Also because of the gender imbalance issues and following the One Child Policy, some men have taken prostitutes as wives.

(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/world-leaders-equality-for-women_5609b175e4b0af3706dd7c3f)

China's president, Xi Jinping who has been known to be against women's rights activists, co-chaired the meeting with the UN when they made the decision to pledge the money, which created lots of controversy, and even sparked presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to tweet and call him "Shameless". While in the UN meeting, Jinping failed to mention the five women that he imprisoned this year for trying to speak out against sexual harassment on a public bus, but did get the attention of everyone attending the meeting by announcing his ten million dollar donation to UN Women, meant to finance poverty stricken children, and train women from third world countries. When someone finally made a comment about the women, Li Junhua, the Chinese foreign minister, commented saying that they were not being detained for being woman’s activists, but for breaking basic Chinese laws. The laws that these women were breaking were unidentified, making the story seem like a cover up. Switzerland pledged to take Jinxing's donation up to fifty million dollars, and 45 other countries have promised to take action, rather than giving money to support.

(https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/648099640714391552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

The idea of women not being able to protest for their rights, and having very little say in the rules that effect them goes along with the societal ideas in Handmaid's Tale. Although we have not finished the book, you can tell that the women in that society have to follow a very strict lifestyle, and lose freedom to express themselves in the way that they might choose to outside of their societal barriers.

Questions:

1. How do you think the rest of the UN and China will respond to this plan after finding out the president's past involvement with feminist movements?

2. Do you think this plan, with the very little details involved in it, will be successful?

3. Do you agree with UN Women that this plan will take longer than anticipated? Why?