Women and the work force

For many decades, many professions have had the word “-man” at the ending. Such as Policeman, Fireman, Businessman, and so on and so forth. Also jobs have have been made to where they are only certain for type of sex, Doctors are usually male and the nurses are usually female. But over the course of time women have taken over these so called “man jobs” and showed that they can do it as well. So now a lot of professions have actually changed the job title from waiter or waitress to server, women are also taking on more important roles such as CEO positions. Still, sadly, women are under paid and a lot of the time are second runner up when it comes to a higher level job. I think women deserve to be given the chance to show many that they can take on a role as a higher level person and just do it as well as the man would, or maybe even better. 

 

Kelsey Myers 

Society’s “Ideal” Beauty

When many young women think of a beautiful woman, many think of actresses and models such as many times the Victoria’s Secret models. They’re all tall, skinny, and “perfect” nothing about them seems to be wrong with them when women look at them. But something that many people don’t see is that you don’t have to live up to what others think the way you should look, but unfortunately in today’s times you have to look a certain way, be a certain size in order to be considered beautiful. If you don’t have the certain look than you’re almost looked down upon. Everywhere you look you can see where there are messages in magazines about how to “Look Your Best” and lose all this weight, or how to make yourself look younger. Many women right now are not seeing what they really are and what they’re suppose to be, their trying to see themselves as what the culture we live in wants them.

Kelsey Myers

Gender Dynamics

I used to always think the workforce was fair towards everyone until I took Women Studies. After taking this class I started realizing just how unfair the workforce can be towards women, especially in the place I work. I work at a Golf and Country Club in North Carolina. Just in case nobody knows what a Golf and Country Club is, it is a place where old rich people live during the summer or sometimes all year round. It’s a private country club and extremely fancy. There are a couple job titles one could obtain while working at the country club. They had Valet’s and bag boys outside of the club. The bag boys unloaded the golf bags from the members and load them onto the golf carts. The valet’s and bag boys were only guys. They did not have any girls working these positions. Inside the country club was where the members went to enjoy lunch during the day and dinner at night. During the lunch and dinner shifts, there were bussers, food runners and servers. At most restaurants bussers are known as buss boys, but not at this country club. When I first started working there, I was a busser. Luckily, about two weeks into it I got moved to a server. The food runners were for the most part, boys. They maybe would have a girl run the food if they were short a food runner. The servers could be anyone. While working here, it irritated me knowing they couldn’t have female “baggers” or valets but they could have female bussers and food runners. I just did not think it was fair that they would have the girls lifting the extremely heavy trays inside the building but couldn’t have them loading golf bags or parking cars. I mean, I’m all about equality. I didn’t mind having to buss and carry the trays, but I wouldn’t have mind getting to park cars or load golf bags either. Working at a place like this just really opens your eyes about how unfair and uneven things can be in a work place. 

Nicole Greene 007

Be Confident

Short, skinny, fat, or tall,

There is nothing wrong with you at all.

Don’t listen to what they say, their comments will only ruin your day.

They’re just the same as you and I, why can’t they see that through their eyes?

Just because we shop at a different place, that doesn’t change our given race.

You can laugh all you please, but you will never feel the ease.

Love your fat self for who you are,

You shine as bright as a star.

Don’t be hurt by what they say, just continue on with you day.

Never walk around showing a frown because they’re not good enough to bring you down.

No matter how round you are,

You will be someone’s star.

 

Allison Knight 005

Women in the Workforce!

                Even in today’s times we can’t deny that women in the workplace get discriminated against. I have seen it many times in various places I have worked. The most recent being in a after school program that I worked at. Even though our site coordinator knew what she was doing and done her job very well, the higher up men were always hounding her on different things. I think a lot of times they hounded her just to be total jerks really. I feel like women also don’t receive the same pay as men in some workplaces. Other male site coordinators were making considerably more and had less experience. I feel that out right refusal of jobs just based on your gender happens more frequently than we think. It makes me wonder why they even but the non-discriminatory phrase on each application. It seems like a waste of time and is mainly a lie. Because it is illegal to discriminate I believe different firms and businesses find ways around this to get there point across.  I feel there needs to be a change within the work systems of todays. Men and women should be paid on the same pay scale and also get the chance to have the same type of jobs. Most think that women can’t do as much as men and that is very UN true. I’ve seen plenty of women that can work on cars and fix anything you put in front of them.  After noticing the difference that the lady I worked with got as far as treatment I feel both men and women should get the same treatment in the workplace.  I’ve heard some say that men now seem inferior to women in the workplace but I find this hard to believe after seeing it personally so many times.  Statistics say that women earn a little over 15% less a week than men earn and I see that as a probably. Men are not that much inferior over women so much that they make that percentage of money over them. There needs to be an immediate change in the workforce. I’m not exactly sure what the answer his but there has to be one out there. If people would just be a little more considerate I think that would be a good start.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/gender-discrimination-in-the-workplace.html

 

Blake Hopson WMST 005

Heterosexism: the Social Norm????

the mere thought of hetero-sexism baffles me. I think back on the influences of society and the social conditioning of people at an early age, every television show and book endorsing the concept of ‘happily ever after’ as a means to condition children into accepting and practicing the norms set by our hetero-sexist society. Families are conditioned to stress the importance of heterosexuality to their children, and how social expectancy entails them to practice gender norms. With the help of the media, homosexuality appears to be nothing more than a choice to children who are conditioned to believe so. As much as I love Disney, I would love to see a princess movie that does not end in the finding of her ‘one true love’ (who just so happens to be a man…shocker!). With the help of network show such as Glee and The Modern Family, I do believe that heterosexist ideals are being challenged, it’s just unfortunate that these are matters we are dealing with in the 21st century. I don’t want to grow up and have to ‘explain’ homosexuality to my child, because there is no reason I should have to justify love. I’m hoping for a day when I can turn on a fun cartoon and see a cute, same-sex couple without society deeming it inappropriate and socially unacceptable.

Submitted by: Erica Collins

Domestic Labor Abuse in Hong Kong

Recently, an article has been released addressing the exploitation of Indonesian, domestic workers in Hong Kong. According to a report by CNN, Indonesian women are being recruited to work in Hong Kong under the promise of benefits, and are left in debt whilst trying to pay back recruitment fees. The conditions in which these women are working and the benefits being denied under the recruiting process has led to the call for government involvement in hopes of bettering conditions. Unfortunately, the money being earned from the domestic labor of these women benefits both Hong Kong and Indonesia, so little is being done to improve conditions and halt the recruiting process.

The Hong Kong Labour Department issued a statement dismissing accusations against them in regards to domestic labor abuse, claiming that they “do not allow abuse of FDHs [foreign domestic helpers] including underpayment of wages, non-granting of weekly rest days and statutory holidays etc.” despite the existing evidence that proves otherwise. These women are living in compromising conditions, working excessive hours and not being provided benefits promised under the recruiting process.

The economic status of these women makes for an easy target when recruited by Hong Kong labor unions. In relation to Patricia Collins’ piece “Toward a New Vision: Race, Class, and Gender as Categories of Analysis and Connection” which addresses the structure of power as it relates to class, the poorer women of Indonesia are targeted for their lack of power and privilege, thus providing cheap labor for the privileged, who abuse their economic status and power. It is upsetting to see that economic status permits the exploitation of others, and leads to unethical treatment of the less privileged. Patricia Collins addresses the concept of class and how, in some cases, “members of privileged groups can erase the very presence of the less privileged.” The concept of self-worth and power seems to be centered around the idea of high, social standing.

Fortunately, there is hope. Amnesty International addresses the matter and how they hope to improve conditions for these women, stating, “We need to see current laws enforced and people face justice for the exploitation. Only then will we start to see an end to forced labor from Indonesia to Hong Kong.”

Sources:

Collins, Patricia. “Toward a New Vision: Race, Class, and Gender as Categories of Analysis and Connection”. Women’s Voices/Feminist Visions. McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print. 60-67.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/21/world/asia/hong-kong-indonesia-domestic-workers-amnesty/index.html?iid=article_sidebar

Submitted by: Erica Collins 

The Double Standard My Ass!

Of course everyone has heard of the double standard where it’s acceptable for a man to sleep with whomever he pleases. Usually, the more the merrier. However, with women having the opposite expectation, I purposely choose to do the opposite. Call me what you want, but dammit I’m going to get mine! Let’s start with how men sleep with so many women and are called “sex gods”. Please! Majority of time women end up with so many sex partners because their previous sex partner sucked and didn’t know what he as doing. Yes, that was my situation. My father is one of those “man-whores”. After he and my step-mother divorced, he went on a female binge that included women only two years old then me at the time when i was 18. He would bring home women and ask my opinion of them. No matter what I would say, he would sleep with them later that night. It was a different woman every night, and he would rotate them. Now, if i were to do this only heaven knows what kind of names I would be called. I think it’s complete bullsh*t that men can get away with this. I asked him one year how he thinks I feel that I see him with all these women and how he constantly uses them. What would he do if a man did that to me? He responded with, “You aren’t dumb like these women are”.

Story of my life…

 

 

Ashley Craft

Pregnancy in the workplace

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First I would like to talk about how the workplace views pregnancy. Pregnancy is typically frowned open in the workplace. Most employers would prefer for their employees to not be pregnant. It is very popular for women to be fired or on unpaid leave when they become pregnant. This is another way women are oppressed. It is hard enough for women to find jobs and to get pregnant and be fired is not only stressful but it is also discriminatory. However it is not against the law which it should be. There are no laws stating that the employer had to accommodate a pregnant woman without a doctor’s excuse. This is ridiculous. The second and most important thing I would like to discuss would be breastfeeding. Most jobs do not accommodate a woman who is breastfeeding. There are no designated places for a woman to breastfeed. ETSU just recently designated a place however I’ve noticed there are no changing stations in the bathroom. But that is neither here or there. Point is woman are limited to specific lines of work during pregnancy and if a woman is a breastfeeding they would probably have to cut their breaks and lunch short to pump bottles. This is oppressing women because once again it limits their opportunities. Employers are basically making a woman chose between breastfeeding and work. It is nearly impossible for a woman to continue to breastfeed while maintaining a full-time job. There are disability laws to accommodate pregnant women but there are no laws to accommodate breastfeeding mothers. There needs to be a designated area for breastfeeding mothers and this can be done without harming the company. This would be a huge step for woman. The designated area should be secure and made comfortable for women. Since paternity leave in most workplaces is only six weeks and most woman breastfeed longer than six weeks, makes a woman chose between returning to work or breastfeeding.  Oppression toward woman is very typical and a lot of people do not realize how the workplace plays a role on that oppression. This issue needs to be addressed and there should be laws out their protecting breastfeeding mothers. I was actually laid off due to my pregnancy and there was no way around it. My employer came up with this BS compliant and used it to fire me. I could not collect unemployment and I was left to dry. A change must be made and it must be made quickly. Women should have the luxury of being mothers and employees.

By:Nicole Peck

If Men Had a Time of the Month

While reading Gloria Steinem’s piece If Men Could Menstruate I couldn’t help but almost laugh at the truth behind it. Upon reading the sentence “Male human beings have built whole cultures around the idea that penis-envy is ‘natural’ to women” (238). I almost shouted in agreement. Even the phrase “have some balls” is used to mean to have courage or strength when in reality it’s the most vulnerable part of a male’s body. Male genitalia is seen as superior over female’s. However, in Steinem’s piece we get to think about if the roles of genitalia were reversed. Before I even read the next paragraph I already felt like I could see where this was going; I was right. “Menstruation would become an enviable, boast-worthy, masculine event: Men would brag about how long and how much. Boys would mark the onset of menses, the longed-for proof of manhood, with religious ritual and stag parties” (238). How sanitary supplies would be federally funded and free; a topic I had thought myself before reading this piece. 

An article I found talked about another side of the story. How for women, our menstruation is seen as disgusting and dirty and makes women feel even more insecure of their bodies. A girl in the article says,  “Anytime I talk about my period, I feel the need to begin with, ‘I’m sorry to bring this up…’ or ‘I’m sorry if this grosses you out, but…’ Why do I (and other women) feel the need to apologize for being women?” From movies and our own peers we constantly here jokes about periods. If a girl is having a normal emotional reaction to something there is a joke made “Whoa, she must be on her period.” It becomes learned that menstruation is something that makes women inferior and gross. Yashar says this is all because males associate the vagina with one thing only: sex. It’s the feeling of being unsupported and like women should be ashamed that caused the attitude from males about menstruation. 

Also, final thoughts, why is it the end of the world to ask men to pick up sanitary supplies? A woman in the article was sick with the flu and couldn’t get out of bed, but when she asked her boyfriend to pick her up some tampons he said “anything but that.” When we buy tampons or pads the cashier always gives you uncomfortable looks, but if you’re a male what’s the problem? We all know they’re not for you. 

Julia Russo (Sec. 007)