Blog 9

The Association for Women in Science works on achieving equality for women in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology.  They work for women, helping them with mentoring, scholarships, and job listings.  The science field is dominated by males, and this non-profit organization is trying to change that.  They promote women in these fields, while trying to advance the movement of women into the science fields.  They help facilitate networks, as well as help women with getting jobs in these fields.  They do, however need contributions to keep helping women all over the country.  They work in a national level, as well as local chapters, which is why you need to donate! 

In FIFE, chapter 8, Hooks talks about the women "leading" the feminist movement, and how they are viewing it in a "neocolonial" way.  Hooks basically says that many of the top world feminism issues are viewed by the westerners as something barbaric, when they really could be mirrored with some issues here in America.  One thing that really caught my eye was the issue of "female circumcision", that Hooks brings up as one of the top world feminism issues.  Not knowing what this was, I googled it and came up with some pretty disturbing answers. While I disagree with this procedure, I agree with Hooks when she says that we can't see world issues from just our perspective.  In fact, many of the woman interviewed about this issue said "that it is a source of empowerment and strength".  Although this surprised me, I can accept the differences between our culture and theirs.  

In The Globe Trotting Sneaker, Enloe talks about the women who work to put together Western athletic shoes.  Most of them are Asian, and they work for companies like Nike, and Reebok.  The women hardy earn a living doing this, as the big companies push to pay them less and less.  I have thought about this before.  I work in a woman's clothing store, and we get weekly shipments.  I have looked on the tags of the clothing before, and most of it is "Made in China".  Some other accessories and jewelry are from India.   As i pull away the plastic wrapping and paper stuffing, I think of the hands that packed the items accurately, stuffing everything neatly in a box before it gets shipped across the world.  I have thought about this for quite some time, feeling bad for the conditions that other women have to work in.  Here I am making as much money in a day as they make in a month.  Sure things are WAY different here, but does that give us any right to rely on other countries' people for our financial and physical pleasure?

Ethnography Assignment

Research Design:  While reading Feminism is for Everybody, The F-Word, and other articles, an issue really stood out in my mind.  The issue of unfair treatment in the workplace distressed me.  I have read about unequal wages between men and women, as well as inequality in other areas, such as maternity leave and opportunities for advancement.  I was enraged when I read about this, for I believe in fair and equal treatment in and out of the workplace, not just between sexes, but also between ethnicities.  This issue incited my thoughts, and I began to look for a way to gain a better understanding of what is going on in my community.  One article I have read, aside from class, brought in some equality issues in the police force including pay and overall treatment.  In order to further my understanding, I would need to ask questions concerning treatment by supervisors, co-workers, and citizens. 

Methodology:  I plan to gather information on this subject by interviewing a former female police officer, and to see her reactions about these inequalities.

Interview Questions and answers with Tasha Stacey:

1.     1. Who did you work for and what was your position?

 af I was an OU police officer, and part of the patrol unit that patrolled the streets.

2.     2. How long did you work as a police officer?

I held that position for four years.

3.     3. Were there any female supervisors in your office?

There was one other female in the patrol unit, and she was above me, but only because she had been there longer than I had.

4.     4. What obstacles, if any, did you encounter while performing your work duties as a female?

My size was the biggest obstacle.  I was very small, especially compared to the men.  I had to complete training where I learned physical techniques to help me learn to control people that were bigger than I.  

5.     5. Did you see or experience and unfair or unequal treatment by a supervisor because of your gender? If so, what was the experience?

No.

6.     6. Did you see or experience and unfair or unequal treatment by a peer or co-worker because of your gender? If so, what was the experience?

No.

7.     7. Did you see or experience and unfair or unequal treatment by a citizen because of your gender? If so, what was the experience?

The first person that I ever had to fight was a 40-year-old female, who was not very respectful.  I more often got into fights with young males, who were less respectful than older males.  Young females were also more respectful to me than older females.  

8.     8. Concerning wages, do you feel you received equal wages for your job as your male co-workers?

Yes, I had a partner who I completed my training with.  He was a male, and we made the same amount.

9.     9. Was there a fair and equitable pay scale in place for both male and female officers?

Yes, there were equal raises for the time a person had been there, as well as regular yearly raises for everyone. 

10. 10. Did you or anyone you know or worked with experience harassment on the job because of his/her gender?

No.

Field Notes: Being in a mainly male-dominated field of work put pressures on Tasha to prove herself as an able worker and police officer.   Once the males saw that she was able to do her job fully, she were treated like an equal by the rest of the men.  

Write Up: Based on Tasha's reactions from the interview, I think that for the most part, inequality in the workplace has subsided greatly.  Especially when looking at a male-dominated field of work, I found no evidence of unequal treatment based on Tasha's gender.  I really do believe that things have changed, and I think that this is a perfect example.  Tasha proved to herself and her co-workers that she was fully able to perform a "man's job", and she excelled at something that not many people would have thought she would.  I also think that more research needs to be done on this subject, for I found no evidence of unfair treatment.  More research needs to be done concerning this in the male-dominated fields in order to prove the inequalities that are being put forward.  

Blog 8

There were many different responses to Belkin's "Opt Out" essay.  The main arguments that Belkin makes throughout her essay is that women are quitting their high-paying careers to start a family, and how that is effecting the progress of the feminist movement in the business industry.  She says that because the women are quitting their jobs to have children, the men are left at the high positions.  Another side to the argument, however, is that the women that Belkin observes are all graduates of ivy-league schools, and professional women that made it high up on the ladder in their careers.  These women do not represent all of the women in our modern society, the majority of which do not attend ivy-league schools, or attain professional jobs.  Another point against Belkin's thesis is that the women who are leaving their professions, are doing so voluntarily.   They would rather stay at home and care for a family, then deal with the stresses of their work. 

I have only experienced a little as a child, concerning this situation.  My mother, upon having her third child, decided to quit her current job to stay at home.  She did, however, decide to start a home child care business, caring for others children as well.  When all of her children were old enough to attend full day school, she started searching for another job to get back into her working career again.

Blog 7

Lately, I have seen a children's movie called Beverly Hills Chihuahua.  It is about a rich and stuck-up female chihuahua named Chloe, who gets lost in the foreign streets of a city in Mexico. For the majority of the movie, she is the only female dog, and she receives help from only male dogs.  Her protector is a male german-shepard, and the dog that saves her in the end is a male chihuahua.  The main antagonist is a male doberman, and two other antagonists are a male iguana, and a male rat.  Two other protagonists are also male dogs, both of which are bigger than Chloe.  This really stuck out to me, and throughout the movie, Chloe was the picturesque damsel in distress.  Another thing that I noticed concerning gender roles, was when the male gardener of Chloe's owner traveled down to Mexico to help Chloe's babysitter locate her.  The babysitter was a ditzy, blonde, and irresponsibe female, who could hardly get anything done.  The gardener was a tan, muscular, and confident male who accomplished a lot when he started a search for Chloe.  The only trailers that I ever saw for this movie were of a song during the movie, and didn't incorporate gender roles at all.  I think that the portrayal of gender roles in this movie are stereotypical, and I don't agree with them.  I agree with Finkbeiner in The F Word, when she says that "sex without marriage is no longer a taboo".  I also agree that this is because of birth control that is more easily acquired now than it was in the past.  An interesting point that was made in chapter seven, was that the "new generation is marrying later in life, and slightly less often than their mothers".  I think that in our new generation, marriage is not as important or the normal in everyone's life.  Other options are being more accepted today, like being a single parent, or having a homosexual spouse.

Chapter eight talks about the changing of gender roles accomplished by the waves, and Finkbeiner makes a good point when she says that contemporary women "have quite a different outlook on life than previous generations".  I am in this new generation and I can definitely see the differences of moral levels of women my age, compared to older women, like my mother, grandmother, and co-workers.  I do consider myself a feminist, and I was surprised when Finkbeiner asked, "Could feminism's inability to attract young women have something to do with this type of attitude?"  I know many feminists that are around my age, and many of them have different moral values than me. I would have never thought that feminism was not popular among young women, as Finkbeiner said.

In chapter 13 of Feminism is for Everybody,I was surprised that mothers heading households without a father-figure, put more emphasis on sexist ideas and roles.  However, I can certainly see where this is coming from.  I do believe that women can raise a boy to be a proper man.  Chapter 14 talks about sexuality and partnership, and the changes they have underwent from the waves.  I am happy that these changes have happened, and that now the household roles have become more equal than in the past.  

Blog 6

The first ad gives the impression that skinny is cool.   The hot new, modern things are skinny, just like these skinny beautiful women portrayed just above the television.  This offends me because it is putting an emphasis on the thinness of the women, as well as the television.   It also objectifies women, placing them next to a device we use for entertainment.  Therefore, it places women in the entertainment category, meant to satisfy men.  Even though I have not seen this ad personally, I have seen other degrading ads just like this one that display only skinny, unrealistically fit women. 

The woman above is shown wearing mostly black, a slimming color, with grey, boring skin.  The thing that stands out to me is the woman’s short, blonde hair.  This stands out because many times, beauty is associated with having long, luscious, flowing hair.   Also, the woman is standing in very awkward poses.  The poses also show off her legs, making them look longer.  Her appearance contributes to the message, and stereotype the audience receives from this advertisement. 

            If there are billboards advertising alcohol or tobacco, I haven’t seen them recently around the campus.  I do, however see smaller signs posted in convenient stores that promote smoking and/or drinking.  I believe these images are aimed at the youth of America, even if the subject is not old enough to drink, or buy tobacco.  Drinking and smoking are portrayed as cool and fun, and also as adult-like.  

The second ad shows a woman smiling, obviously having fun outdoors, and getting dirty in the mud.  This ad challenges the stereotype on women that they don’t like the outdoors, or getting dirty and muddy.  This ad does offer an alternate form of femininity, displaying to the audience that women can have fun getting dirty, as well as men. 

            I noticed in this ad, that the woman is smiling, showing a bit of her personality.  I also noticed that the main focus on the ad is the woman’s face and smile, unlike many other ads that only include the bodies of women.  Also, the woman isn’t perfect, so a stereotype is not being displayed.  I find this advertisement appealing mainly because it goes outside of the normal to show a “real” woman, not a super skinny (clean) model.

In Feminism is for Everybody, chapter 5 talks about the movement for women's sexuality being one of the main focuses of the feminist movement.  I was surprised that some women actually preferred abortions to the birth control pill.  I can, however, see where they were coming from.  Like Hooks says, " using the pill meant a woman was directly confronting her choice to be sexually active."  Some women put their morals in front of the way they cared for their bodies.  I believe that women should choose exactly what happens to their bodies, and I am glad that women have accomplished so much with their reproductive rights, to help make my life easier today.  

In chapter 6, Hooks talks about women's self-esteem and beauty issues.  When I read about women not being able to wear pants to work, I started to think about my own freedom to wear anything I wanted to.  I have always had this freedom, unlike other women in the past, and the idea of restrictions on this seemed foreign to me.  I was surprised when I read that the cosmetics industry started campaigning and labeling feminists as ugly, thinking that the movement would ruin their business.  I also found it interesting that women continue to challenge and confront the medical industry, in the issue of health care.  I want to go into medicine, something few women actually accomplish because the medical field is dominated by males.  I am sad that it is still like this, and I would love to be joined by many more women in search of a career in the health field.  Hooks also talks about how beauty is portrayed in our modern society, and how the media amplifies this.  I thought it was interesting when Hooks says, " Today's fashion magazines may carry an article about the dangers of anorexia while bombarding its readers with images of emaciated young bodies representing the height of beauty and desirability." I very much agree with this statement.  I even picked up a magazine that I own, and scanned through the pages, looking at the thin, young women portrayed in ads advertising beauty products.  This was my favorite chapter so far in Feminism is for Everybody, and it's made a permanent statement in my mind.