By Grace Lohmeier In recent months, I have seen t-shirts advising to “raise boys and girls the same way” which seems like a step in the right direction. However, thinking about this critically, I began to wonder how realistic this goal is for our current society. To begin exploring this idea, I interviewed a group of my peers about the impact that gender expectations have had on their lives. Throughout American history, women have been expected to take on domestic duties in the home, while men leave to work and provide for the family. Although a large amount of women today have entered the workforce (comprising 47% of the workforce in 2010), there is still an expectation for women to have a greater responsibility than men in childcare and household chores. Additionally, there are many careers and activities today that are still dominated by one gender. When asking my peers if they knew of any fields that are male-dominated, almost everyone mentioned engineering. ”Teachers, particularly elementary school teachers, are mostly female and then men are expected to do yard work and other more labor-intensive tasks at home,” a male student commented. Another female student, whose mother is a doctor, talked about how her mom often gets mistaken for a nurse at the hospital, and male nurses are often thought to be doctors or orderlies. She said there are times where her mom is not taken as seriously as her male counterparts and there is still gender bias in medicine. In doing these interviews, I was interested to find out if gender expectations actually have an impact on the lives of young people. Two of the female students I interviewed are planning on majoring in engineering next year. I asked them if they were concerned about going into engineering. One student claimed that she is only slightly concerned because she has five older brothers and is used to being the only girl in a male-dominated situation. The other student said she was “100%” worried about going into a male-dominated field and not being taken seriously. However, she really enjoys math and science and has a talent for these subjects so she decided to major in engineering despite this fear. Both of these students mentioned that the percentage of male students that attending their universities factored into their decision to attend them. Both girls are going to schools that are split more evenly by gender instead of engineering schools that are 70% male. "People will say stuff like, “Oh she’s really hot but she’s a feminist so I can’t date her.”" Through these interviews, and from personal experience, it seems that male students face the most pressure to live up to expectations or act a certain way in social situations. There are peer pressures to enjoy sports or video games, along with facing ridicule if seen to be weak or feminine in any way. The image of a nuclear family where the man is expected to protect and provide for the rest of the family is still an archetype men feel obligated to eventually uphold, even from a young age. In social situations, there are many times when manliness is seemingly measured by a young man’s success with women. This standard has perpetuated the objectification of women and the idea that gay men are typically more feminine or weaker than their heterosexual counterparts. One male student I interviewed, who identifies as bisexual, talked about how he does not feel comfortable disclosing his sexuality to many male friends because he is worried about being labeled as weak or feminine, even though he is neither. Many of the male students I interviewed discussed feeling pressure to play sports or join boy scouts, even if they had no personal interest in these activities. Some of the students also mentioned how they see stereotypes and prejudice against women voiced most when they are in groups of all males. “I notice prejudice more if I’m hanging out with a group of all guys. People will say stuff like, “Oh she’s really hot but she’s a feminist so I can’t date her.” Guys will say a lot of demeaning things when there aren’t any girls around. I mean they’re just saying these things but if you say something enough then it becomes true to you,” one male student commented. The idea of the nuclear family also affects women and pressures them into accepting the role of the passive wife, making it difficult for women to express their opinions about things like feminism without receiving criticism. The gender-distinct roles assigned to both men and women further perpetuate misogyny and force men and women to attempt to live up to unrealistic expectations. “They shouldn’t be surprised when we can keep up.” These expectations that society has of men and women are detrimental to young people. Dr. Maria do Mar Pereira, a sociologist from the University of Warwick, did a study in 2013 that included spending three months in an eighth grade class in Portugal and observing the behavior and opinions of male and female students. She found that male students felt pressure to prove their dominance and were more likely to fight, drink, repress their emotions, and refuse to ask for help even when they needed it. Similarly, she found that young girls felt as though they had to downplay their intelligence and withdraw from certain sports or activities that may be seen as masculine, or that they were assumed to be less intelligent than their male peers. The effects of these rigid stereotypes can be seen around the world, and I found evidence of them among my own classmates. Two of the female students I interviewed told me about times in honors math classes that their male classmates assumed they had the wrong answers, or would not ask their opinions when working in groups. “They shouldn’t be surprised when we can keep up,” one of the students commented. Another female student discussed her plan to possibly go to law school. One of her reasons for hesitating is the fear that a male lawyer may be taken more seriously than she would be in court. The findings of Pereira seem to be consistent with the feelings of my own peers, even at a different age and in a different country.
Numerous studies have shown the negative effects of gender expectations, but they still persist in our society. There are a few explanations for this: first, gender roles are a way of categorizing people and making sense of the biological differences of the sexes. However ,assigning people to a specific set of expectations based on their sex organs is too general and unfair to people who may not fit the binary or identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. Gender expectations have continued in our culture since the beginning of civilization and it is difficult to quickly change these ideas that are so ingrained in each individual. Additionally, the media and consumerism perpetuate these stereotypes. You can walk into a toy store and see some aisles filled with pink toys and dolls and the next ones filled with superheroes. This distinction is also obvious in any baby store. The racks of pink onesies and dresses are in a separate section from all of the blue attire. Our society has been developed to assign even things like colors to a specific gender when there is no reason for doing so. In 2011, Vanessa LoBue and Judy DeLoache did a study to see if color preference (pink vs. blue) was genetic or learned. They found that all babies have a preference for blue, and only after around age 2 do girls begin choosing pink over blue and boys begin expressing extreme distaste for pink. These gender expectations affect people from a very young age, but attempting to move away from them is important and necessary. The elimination of these stereotypes may take time, but in recent years there have been some steps in the right direction. Last August, Target made an announcement that their stores would begin removing gender labels from sections such as toys and home goods. Other stores are making similar steps to remove the distinction in toy aisles. Although this action will not completely alter our culture, it is a good place to start. Hopefully, in a few years, young girls will not feel like they have to downplay their intelligence and will know they can be successful in any field, and boys will feel free to express their emotions and ask others for help when they need it. References LoBue, V. and DeLoache, J. S. (2011), Pretty in pink: The early development of gender-stereotyped colour preferences. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 29: 656–667. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-835X.2011.02027.x Pereira, M. (2014, August 5). Girls feel they must ‘play dumb’ to please boys. Retrieved from http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/girls_feel_they/ What’s in store: Moving away from gender-based signs. (2015, August). Retrieved from https://corporate.target.com/article/2015/08/gender-based-signs-corporate Women in the labor force in 2010. (2010). Retrieved from United States Department of Labor website: https://www.dol.gov/wb/factsheets/qf-laborforce-10.htm
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By Grace Lohmeier
This week, I decided to talk to my peers about the serious problem of sexual assault on college campuses. Over the past year, there has been an increase of student activism surrounding this issue as survivors are coming forward to talk about their experiences, and in some cases to point out that their university has not handled the situation well. As April was national Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and most of my peers are entering college in the fall, I thought this would be the perfect time to talk to them about this topic. I started by asking what they had heard in the past year about sexual assault on campuses. Many students reported knowing of several universities that had complaints filed against them because they did not properly deal with reports of sexual assaults. “This is terrifying. The fact that colleges are covering this up because they want people to come there is upsetting. I think there needs to be more public knowledge so then students can step in and help others if they see this happening. Hiding this prevents the knowledge,” one female student said. In May of 2014, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights publicly named 55 colleges that were under investigation for Title IX violations. As of January 2016, there are now 161 institutions under investigation, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Title IX investigation tracker. On June 23, 1972, Title IX of the education amendments of 1972 was enacted into law. Title IX states that federally funded educational institutions cannot discriminate against a student on the basis of gender. Title IX was passed mostly to combat issues of sports inequality in high schools and colleges. However, since its passage, many Title IX complaints have been filed regarding any issue of inequality at educational institutions. Title IX complaints having to do with sexual assault are filed on the grounds that a campus administration failing to expel and properly punish perpetrators of sexual assault creates an environment of inequality at the school, because the victims are constantly living in fear and cannot get a quality education. This sends a message that the (typically) male perpetrator is more entitled to a quality education than his (typically) female victims. These Title IX complaints were usually filed because the campus did not properly (if at all) punish the perpetrator of the crime, or instructed the victim not to speak up about their assault with the university’s reputation in mind. When I interviewed my peers, almost all of them expressed worry about this issue, either for themselves or those around them. “Yeah I am worried about this issue. I have to think about where I’m going to be and who I’m with and knowing where all of my friends are and stuff. You don’t know what’s going to happen and if something bad does happen you aren’t sure if the college will take necessary action to help you,” one female student said. Another female student talked about how she was planning to take self-defense classes over the summer because she was so scared. Interestingly, when I asked my peers about their initial reactions to these news stories about sexual assaults being covered up, all the female students I interviewed immediately expressed concern or disgust; however, the male students I talked to brought up other sides of the situation in addition to their worry. “I think colleges have to be careful about overreacting. There’s a lot of pressure for them to do something, I mean obviously they should [do something about it] but sometimes colleges act too hastily because they’re protecting their image. I think sometimes they act without hearing the full story but they need to treat it like any other reported crime. People still have the right to a fair trial. Colleges need to be careful about it,” one male student commented. Another male student discussed how he understood why the colleges were hiding the assaults because it makes the school look bad. Both of these students did not necessarily agree with what these universities were doing, but they discussed the issue from a perspective less influenced by personal fear. In order to convict someone of sexual assault, like any other crime, there has to be proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the perpetrator committed the crime. This can be very difficult to obtain in cases of sexual assault . Many times, the victim will not remember the whole encounter because they were drugged or intoxicated, or the perpetrator will simply claim that the sex was consensual. For these reasons, many cases of sexual assault do not lead to convictions, even if they go to trial. According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) out of every 100 rapes, only 32 get reported to the police: 7 of those reported lead to an arrest, 3 of the cases are referred to prosecutors, and only 2 rapists are convicted of a felony, resulting in jail time. The small percentage of reported crimes can be attributed to victims feeling as though the police, or their university, will not punish their rapist even if they report the crime. Our society maintains a culture in which women are expected to play hard-to-get when it comes to sex, and men are expected to be almost predatory, making the issue of sexual assault extremely influenced by a person’s perception of the situation and of what consent is. Men may not see that their actions are wrong because they have been raised in a culture that, at times, equates masculinity with objectifying and abusing women. People need to be taught from a young age that taking advantage of someone is not okay, and that affirmative consent (actively saying, “Yes I want this”) is required. Additionally, campus administration should not be the sole authority that decides the outcome of these cases. The worst punishment a school can give to a student is expulsion, but a rapist should also be held legally accountable and face jail time if found guilty. Similarly, as one of my male peers mentioned, if an accused person is not given a fair trial, they could be unjustly expelled or punished by the school when they did not commit the crime. This is unfair to both the victim and the accused. Many advocates of sexual assault prevention and awareness agree that early education on this issue is imperative to ending the problem. When asked what they had learned in school regarding sexual assault, all of my peers reported very minimal education. “We watched some videos in health class freshman year. I don’t think our education system focuses enough on sexual assault and we should do more on how to protect yourself and your friends,” one male student commented. Another male student said he has been told by more teachers to make sure to avoid teenage pregnancy than anything about sexual assault. One female student, who is currently doing her internship with one of the health teachers at my high school, talked about a recent speaker who had come in to talk about sexual assault. She said the teacher was instructed to only allow junior and senior students to attend because the administration perceived the topic as being “touchy” and the underclassmen students could not handle it. “I think that everyone should be educated about it, because sexual assault can happen at any age so it shouldn’t be so covered up.” the student said. Considering that I, and most of the other students I interviewed, did not even know this presentation was happening, I believe my school has a long way to go in the area of educating students about sexual assault. Overall, the issue of improperly dealing with campus sexual assault stems from many different places. Colleges do not have a good system or protocol for dealing with sexual assault cases: this needs to be improved so the victim can feel like their voice is being heard, and that accused perpetrators feel that they are treated fairly, as well. There also needs to be increased visibility of these cases and the campus administration should work cooperatively with law enforcement to act in the interest of the victim and properly punish perpetrators. The basis of this issue however, is in the culture of our society. We need to start teaching younger kids how to respect other people and what consent is. As a society we also need to dismantle gender expectations that promote aggression and hypermasculinity. This culture is extremely harmful to both genders and results in the epidemic of sexual violence. Hopefully in a few years, young women will not have to fear going to college and will feel the same excitement as their male counterparts. References About The Chronicle’s title IX investigation tracker. Retrieved May 3, 2016, from The Chronicle of Higher Education website: http://projects.chronicle.com/titleix/about/ Reporting rates. Retrieved May 3, 2016, from Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network website: https://rainn.org/get-information/statistics/reporting-rates Title IX enacted. Retrieved May 3, 2016, from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/title-ix-enacted Teens Talk: The Gender Wage Gap
By Grace Lohmeier Equal Pay Day fell on April 12 this year. Equal Pay Day began as in 1996 to indicate the day on which women’s earnings “catch up” to the earnings of their male counterparts from the previous year. Teenagers, specifically those graduating and starting life on their own, should be educated on this issue that is facing the country today. In order to find out if they are aware of the problem, I interviewed some of my peers, both male and female graduating seniors, to gauge their understanding of the wage gap and how it may affect their lives in the future. To get a general idea of my peers’ knowledge of the issue, I asked them simply to talk about what they knew about the gender wage gap. “Women make like 70% of what men make, I think. I’m not sure the exact number,” a male student said. Other students referenced this statistic as well. One female student, who I interviewed on April 14, even brought up Equal Pay Day, saying she read an article on Buzzfeed the day before about the pay gap and was upset by the size of the gap and that it exists. Surprisingly, everyone I interviewed had at least some background knowledge of the issue and most people knew a statistic that was close to the recently-reported fact that women earn 79% of what men make for the same job. Some students even reported facing or observing discrimination themselves. “I know my mom has had times at work where her male coworkers got promotions or raises instead of her, even though she has been their longer and she deserved these things.” one female student told me. Another female student described how she is typically assigned to lead activities that girls are expected to enjoy, like sewing or arts and crafts, at her job at an after school program. She laughed when talking about this, saying she does not even know how to sew, but her male boss still assigns her to that activity. Although this may not be a direct example of pay discrimination (she still makes the same minimum wage as her male counterparts), it sets a precedent for young women to believe that they are destined for certain jobs and will not be successful in more male-dominated areas. These feelings can lead to a woman’s diminished confidence in the workplace or to fear of standing up for herself and doing things like negotiating for a better salary. Our society sets women (and men) up to believe that women cannot do the same things as their male counterparts. This perpetuates biases and stereotyping in the workplace, potentially resulting in women earning wages that are less than the wages of male coworkers. The wage gap has been an ongoing problem since women first joined the workforce, but many people today still deny that it exists at all. Many claim that men just work harder than women, or that men can climb higher on the corporate ladder while women leave to have children. A recent article from Money explained that women are now primary breadwinners in 40% of families and, on average, working mothers do eighty minutes a day of work more than working fathers, in the form of childcare and household duties. Women are also more likely than men to take on additional tasks at work to help other coworkers. The same article also discussed how more women leave their job around age 30 because they are unhappy or not being paid enough than because they are having children and staying home to take care of them. These supposed explanations for the wage gap are based on stereotypes and have been disproved. Many of the students interviewed reported hearing similar reasons that the wage gap does not exist. “People try to deny that there’s a gap, and that shocks me because you can’t deny a number,” one frustrated female student said. Another student talked about how some people deny that the wage gap exists because they have not experienced or seen this discrimination in their own lives. However, research proves that the pay gap is all too real in many companies and professions. A recent article from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research at George Washington University puts the gap averaging at 21% in 2015 for annual salary. When race is considered, the gap increases. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the average weekly earnings for women overall in 2015 are 81% of men’s average weekly earnings. Black women make 67% of what white men make weekly, and Latina women make only 62% of white men’s weekly earnings. In recent years, President Obama has been working to pass legislation that would reduce the wage gap and promote equality between men and women. In January this year, he proposed a rule that would require employers to release pay data by gender and ethnicity in order to combat pay discrimination. A 2011 study from Georgetown University found that over a lifetime, college-educated women working full time make more than half a million dollars less than their male counterparts. Additionally, women would have to earn a PhD to make the same amount over a lifetime as a man who had earned a BA. The gap adds up over time and many students interviewed agreed that more legislation is necessary to end this inequality. “I want to say no [that there should not be legislation passed] because I don’t like the government being involved in everything, but people aren’t being decent human beings and fixing the problem on their own, so I think legislation is necessary at this point.” one female student commented. “There definitely needs to be more done in the way of legislation. Nothing is changing,” another student said. It is clear to me that my peers care about this issue and many female students worry about how the wage gap will affect their futures. All of the female students I interviewed, and a large majority of the male students, recognized that the gender wage gap is a problem that needs to be addressed. This is reassuring because awareness is imperative to solving the problem. With knowledge of the issue, my female peers will be more likely to recognize when they are being paid unfairly and negotiate for a fair salary. Ideally, in the coming years women will be treated with respect in the workplace even in careers that are male-dominated. Young girls should grow up in a world where they do not have to repeatedly go above and beyond to prove themselves just to earn the same recognition and salary as their male counterparts. Even though it may be years before the wage gap is completely eradicated, the awareness of the coming generation of workers will make a substantial difference in closing the gap. References Adamcysk, A. (2016, April 12). 6 excuses for the gender pay gap you can stop using. Retrieved from http://time.com/money/4285843/gender-pay-gap-excuses-wrong/ Carnevale, A. P., Rose, S. J., & Cheah, B. (2011). The college payoff: Education, occupations, lifetime earnings. Retrieved from Georgetown University website: https://georgetown.app.box.com/s/cwmx7i5li1nxd7zt7mim Pay equity and discrimination. Retrieved from Institute for Women’s Policy Research website: http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/pay-equity-and-discrimination U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, Annual Averages. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat37.pdf |
ABOUT THE AuthorI'm Grace. I'm working at the Center for Women and Work at UMass Lowell for my senior internship. This blog is a place for my writing and ideas about gender inequality and the issues facing our country today. Happy reading :) ArchivesCategories |