1. FEMINISTS
1.1. Sterotypes
1.1.1. Another hurdle may be some of the stereotypes and misconceptions associated with feminism. In her introduction to the recently published anthology Feminists Don't Wear Pink and Other Lies, curator Scarlett Curtis refers to the stereotype of feminists as not wearing make-up, or shaving their legs or liking boys. These stereotypes have persisted through the ages. In the 1920s, feminists were often called spinsters and speculation about their sexual preferences was rife. Almost a century later, these views still hold some sway.
1.2. All feminists don't hate men, despite people being told they do for over 200 years. Feminists don't think all men are evil. Feminism is about equity for all genders.
1.3. Gender does not define feminism. It is possible for a man to be a feminist to protect, uphold and preserve the rights of women . Being a feminist is just believing and striving for equality, whether you have additional beliefs or ways of thinking added to the original meaning of feminism is up to you. Whether you chose not to shave, whether you chose not to dress the way society calls "feminine like", whether you chose not to have a relationship because you think that a woman can manage herself, whether you are gay/straight/bi or trans regardless of all these CHOICES and not CHARACTERISTICS or GUIDELINES or PARTS of feminism, we mustn't lose focus of what we want and what feminism is for and that is EQUALITY BETWEEN THE SEXES!
1.4. Bring up feminism to most men the first thing they talk about is the right to hit women back. Not equal pay but the right to beat women.
2. DISCRIMINATION
2.1. Discrimination at work
2.1.1. Only 23 of 239 VC-backed unicorn companies across the world have female founders, while women are underrepresented in CEO positions, too, with only 4% of US Fortune 500 companies having a female CEO. For women of color, the numbers are even more disappointing, as only 4% hold a C-suite role among US companies. In the same 2018 Woman in the Workplace study, we learn that for every 100 men who are promoted to manager level, only 79 women are promoted and, if we break down the data even more, just 60 black women are promoted.
2.1.2. Men get more promotions
2.1.3. Men are taken more seriously
2.1.4. Violence
2.1.5. 'Compliments'
2.1.6. Harassment
2.1.7. Based on a survey by Times, women, even the 21st century, still only make 77 cents to a man's dollar..
2.2. Gender roles
2.2.1. One of the main reasons for this gender inequity is that we’re tied to old habits. Historically, C-suite roles are held by men and in certain industries, such as tech or manufacturing, the discrepancy is even more obvious. Think, for example, an engineering position. Traditionally, there have always been more male job applicants for a role like this, so naturally these male candidates get hired and eventually promoted to managerial roles.
2.2.1.1. Even if now things have changed and more women choose to study engineering and web development, it’s still tough for them to enter this male-dominant space. And when they enter, they come across a dead end. For men, the career path seems pre-determined; their (male) managers have already showed the way. But how can women compete with their male colleagues who are already in track of becoming managers? Most importantly, how can they advance their careers if no one’s advocating for them and if there are no other female leaders who can set the example?
2.2.2. Unconscious bias is all around us
2.2.2.1. “Men are more assertive than women, that’s why they request and get a promotion more often.”
2.2.2.2. “After a certain age, women will struggle to balance family needs with the requirements of a senior position.”
2.2.2.3. “Women are more sensitive, thus not able to handle the pressure that goes with leadership.”
2.2.2.4. Age discrimination in the workplace is also a common issue specifically for women. They’re often overlooked for a promotion under the assumption that they might get pregnant soon. Or, they’re not easily given a chance to move their career forward and take on challenging tasks once they return at work after a short break.
3. MEDIA
3.1. gendered toys/ clothing
3.2. women being labelled
3.3. television and other forms of media embedding gender roles onto women.
3.4. women are over-sexualised in media and are are portrayed as products to sell
3.4.1. there is a gross objectification of women in the media,in many cases some segments of the press reduce women to sexual objects that would not be permitted on television nor would be allowed in the workforce due to the equality legislation. So why are newspapers and magazines allowed to? Since unfortunately sex sells to those who runs these newpapers.
3.4.2. Not only are women treated in a sexual manner but for whatever reason women tend to be wives above everything else, not that this is a bad thing but when there are instances where women thrive in yet still have references to their marital status and looks over their achievement.
3.4.2.1. For starters, Esther Duflo and her husband Abhijit Banerjee won the Nobel prize for their creative approach to alleviating global poverty. But the headline read when it was reported in The Economic Times: "Indian-American MIT Prof. Abhijit Banerjee and wife wins Nobel in Economics." A misleading and patriarchal headline where Esther is depicted as under her husband.
3.5. women are viewed as second class citizens and are commonly reffered to as second class objects.
3.6. women must be proper
3.7. women must not have many sexual partners
3.8. women must not swear
3.9. Emma Watson called out for men to become feminists in her 2014 UN speech campaigning for HeForShe. Media Backlash: Misogynistic users continue to threaten Emma Watson about this speech , users have even labelled feminism as "growing cancer."
4. VIOLENCE
4.1. street harassment is a common experience for girls and women in Trinidad and Tobago. Statistics do not exist on its prevelance, but women and girls report that it is a daily experience which is unfortunately tolerated as a social norm.
4.2. street harassment comes in many forms,raging from unwelcome sexual advances and requests for sexual favours to other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature such as comments of women apperance, "sooting" and stalking.
4.2.1. it is truly upsetting to know that what men fear most about going to prision is what women fear most about walking down the sidewalk.
4.2.2. Rape culture tells " beautiful" women that they should " expect" to be harrased/abused, while " ugly" women should be happy for the " attention"
4.3. gender violence is one of the worlds most common human rights abuses. Women worldwide ages 15-44 are more likely to die or to be maimed to death because of male violence than because of cancer,malaria,war and traffic accidents combined ~ Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times.
4.4. Majority of men believe women more likely to be sexually assaulted if wearing revealing clothes, study suggests
4.4.1. If saying that a woman wearing reveling clothing deserves to be sexually assualted , you are saying that a womans body is inherently deserving of rape. That women have to make sure their body is hidden in order not to deserve to be raped. This is misogyny in its purest form.
4.4.2. It is not a lack of female modesty but a sense of male entitlement that leads to sexual violence. And the idea that we women can signal men to to rape them by their clothing is not only disconcerting but it has been debunked as millions of women knew all too well that no one has ever avoided rape by wearing a longer skirt~ Anne K. Ream
4.5. FEMICIDE (noun)the killing of a woman or girl, in particular by a man and on account of her gender.
4.5.1. In the caribbean the ECLAC release said that the prevalence of femicide exceeds 4 deaths for every 100,000 women in countries such as Guyana,Trinidad and St Lucia.
4.5.2. examples of femicide in Trinidad and Tobago- Pollyann Chuniesingh, 31 along with her brother and uncle were found bound and strangled on Jan 5th 2020. She had been frequently threatened by a man and was previously hospitalized after an attack
4.5.3. Gabriella Dubarry,28 was shot to death by an abusive ex on Jan 8th 2020. She had made multiple reports of threats on her life to the police before she was murdered.
4.5.4. Jezelle Phillip. A 48 year old preschool teacher was stabbed to death in the presence of her pupils on Jan 6th. Her alleged killer Kirk Fields later surrendered to the police.