- The sterilization practices were unequal since they were mainly conducted on the illiterate, mentally challenged people, the Native Americans, and people of color. The politics of sterilization practices involved providing the illiterate people with documents on sterilization and urging them to sign. The politics of sterilization policies were mainly focused on the racial discrimination where the Native Americans and black women were subjected to sterilization while the whites were given special privileges. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
The procedures of sterilizing women by the government were mainly conducted on the vulnerable groups in the society. The sterilization practices intersected with inequality and privilege since the majority of the women who undergo these processes were the Native Americans and the black Americans which was interesting since they did not have medical coverage and insurance as compared to the white women. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
- The trend in women’s fertility has dropped following the increase in the reproductive health problems leading to failure to ovulate which has been attributed to affect 40% of the women with infertility problems. The other factor that has led to a decrease in the fertility rate is the increased drive in women to obtain higher education and better-paying jobs. The factor that has led to the downward trend of fertility is increased access to contraception and the emerging concept of small families. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
The reasons that may lead to women controlling their fertility are the pursuit of higher education and better economic status leading them to delay getting children and them controlling their fertility to achieve their goals and dreams. The other factor that has led to women controlling their fertility is the increased popularity of conceiving few children due to the high economy. The last factor why women control their fertility is to avoid the risk of unwanted pregnancy. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
- Family works as an institution in the regulation of social norms such as gender, sexuality, race, and class by creating a social basis for classifying people. The family is important in the performance of the primary functions in the society hence it would be effective in the regulation of social norms. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
The family can regulate social norms by educating the local community on the importance of equality and fairness. The family is important in society as they help in the socialization of children, provision of emotional and physical support for the community members, and help in the regulation of sexual activities and sexual reproduction. The family regulates the social norms by providing all the members with a sense of social identity and a sense of belonging in society. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
- The feminists differ from each other in their concept of marriage politics and parenthood depending on their thinking on the role of women. Some feminists argue that marriage and parenthood are not part of the natural laws hence they oppose them since they view them as the social expectations placed on women. These feminists argue that marriage and parenthood as social institutions implemented to oppress and subject the women. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
Some feminists support the issue of marriage and parenthood as long as it is consensual for both parties. These feminists support marriage and parenthood in women since they have the legitimate power to decide whether they would engage in the marriage social institution. The majority of the feminists argue that parenthood exhibits the power of the women to give rise to a new form, bring it into the world, and raise a strong future generation. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
- The barriers that face women in their entry to the corporate workforce include gender discrimination, institutional mindsets, individual mindsets, and lifestyle choices. Gender discrimination in employment is one of the major factors affecting women which can be dealt with by women understanding that they are protected by Title VII of the civil rights act. The institutional mindset that women are ineffective as compared to men cab be fought back by opposing the set expectations by the organization. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
Women can fight against the barrier of individual mindsets by changing their thoughts and behaviors that may be used against them in the corporate workforce. Women should develop confidence and create a balance between their work and personal life to avoid any challenges in the corporate workforce. The woman can defeat the barrier of lifestyle choices when entering the corporate workforce by ensuring that her problems do not interfere with her corporate job. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
- Racism, sexism, and classism impact the experiences of women in the paid labor force. Black women have faced a lot of discrimination in the paid labor forces due to race and gender leading to unequal payment and promotion opportunities given to them. Women in the paid labor forces are generally given lower pay and few leadership positions in the paid labor forces based on their sex and social class. Black women have generally had bad experiences in the paid labor forces as they are affected by their race, sex, and low social class. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
The experiences of the women are generally influenced and shaped by their sex, race, and class. Women are often considered to be weaker than men in the labor forces due to their sex hence they are awarded lower positions in the company. The class of the women play a major role in their experiences in the paid labor forces since it heightens the differences between men and women. Class advocates for unequal treatment of the women in the paid labor forces mitigating differential treatment for women in higher classes and those in lower classes. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
- People can work in the eradication of violence against women by advocating for equal and fair treatment of the society by educating the general public on the effect of violence against women. The public can help in ending this violence by educating young children and the young generation on the importance of developing peaceful and respectful relationships with the female gender and promoting equality. The implementation of early interventions would help to solve the problem of women violence at an early stage. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
The public can help in creating awareness and mobilizing the community to change the social norms and cultures that give men the power over the women to help discourage the women from tolerating violent relationships as they are scared of becoming social outcasts. People can help support the victims of gendered violence by creating safe and secure home shelters for the victims of gender violence. The other measure would include creating support groups for the victims to give them a safe and secure place to effectively address their problems. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
- Sex trafficking generally refers to the act of transporting and obtaining women and girls against their will for the aim of sexual exploitation and sexual slavery to make money. Sexual trafficking is considered a form of gendered violence since this act is done without the legal consent of the women and girls. Sexual trafficking is gendered violence is it is conducted mainly on the female gender through forceful, violent, fraud, and illegal means. It is a form of modern day slavery since the women become sex slaves. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
Sex trafficking is rampant in the United States especially Missouri that is considered to be the top destination for labor and sex trafficking. The sex trafficking in Missouri has impacted tourism since it has become widely renowned for the increase in sex trafficking of women and girls following the increase in the shareholders in the market. Missouri has also gained a bad reputation in the United States following the lack of adequate actions taken by the government to combat this problem following the huge profits earned. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
- The women soldiers face a lot of challenges when joining the military since they are not considered to possess the required behaviors such as aggressiveness, power, and authority that are mainly attributed to the male characteristic traits. Women are generally not given a lot of field jobs since they are not considered to be tough as they are mainly associated with meek and soft personalities. The other challenge is sexual harassment in their workplace since it is male-dominated and men often make inappropriate sexual jokes. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
These challenges reinforce sexism and racism in the military system since they are used as a basis for discriminating against and oppressing the women in the military. These challenges generally influence the decisions on promotions hence majority of the military leaders are men. The challenges faced by women create a barrier for their entry into the military system leading to a reduction in the number of women enrolling into the military each year as they lack proper advocation and representation at the top positions. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
- The criminal justice system maintains social inequalities and perpetuates sexism, racism, and classism by not taking the required actions brought to court on this issue hence promoting the increase in these inequalities since there is no legal action taken on the perpetrators. The criminal justice system itself has incorporated sexism, racism, and classism by promoting gender discrimination and inequality on the women in the military and criminal justice. This action by the criminal justice system sets a bad example to the general public. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
Criminal justice maintains social inequalities since it majorly supports the class people in the society hence the poor in the society are not accorded with a fair and equal trial. Criminal justice has become one of the major government organizations that promote social inequalities since the court mainly rules in the favor of the rich and powerful and oppresses the poor people in the society. The criminal justice system maintains social inequalities by effectively policing the poor and the marginalized in the society and giving privileges to the rich in the society. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
- The barriers that mainly prevent individuals from engaging in the feminist movement include the lack of proper understanding of what the feminist movement entails and means leading to the community associating the movement with negative behaviors. This barrier can be overcome by educating the general public on what it means to be a feminist and the goals of feminists. The other barrier is the lack of cultural and social support of the movement hence a lot of individuals are scared to be considered social and cultural outcasts. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
The feminist movement would overcome this barrier by creating awareness on the importance of advocating for gender equality, fairness, and respect for the women in the society and community. The other barrier is the cultural and social influences that advocate for women to be under the power and control of the male in society. The movement should educate the public on the importance of advocating for gender equality in society and culture. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
- The feminists have developed inclusive activist strategies to help mobilize supporters for the women’s movement across the globe to ensure that they are respected and valued in the world. Some of the activities implemented to make changes are volunteer activities in the women’s rights organizations to help the volunteers learn more about women’s rights which help in the creation of awareness. Conducting marches and protest with their supports to help them secure support and create awareness of the movement. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
The other inclusive events held by the feminist movement is the challenge events held by the movement that include sport and fancy events. These events are held to help the movement to bring together their activists in a fun event focused on fundraising funds for the movement. These activists strategies utilized by the feminist movement in the current-day focus on involving all the activists and supporters in the achievement of their goals. (Shaw, Lee, 2020)
References
Shaw, S. M., & Lee, J. (2020). Gendered voices, feminist visions: Classic and contemporary readings / [compiled and edited by] Susan M. Shaw, Oregon State University, Janet Lee, Oregon State University.
