The Rising - by blogger Snehal Gajare

The journey of womanhood is no less than a roller coaster ride.  Several cultures have emphasized on respecting and worshipping womanhood. Perhaps that’s the reason we humans have been referring to earth as Mother Earth, to nature as Mother Nature and to a country as Motherland since ages together. Mythological stories often consider women as an epitome of strength and power. Times changed and so did the position of women in the society. Women were now subjected to oppression, violence, inequality and sexual assault. Only a few who were the daughters / mothers / wives of the kings were considered.  Constant suppression and dominance finally reached a level of saturation and women decided to rise from oblivion and make history. This was an emergence of a feminist era that paved way for all women to exhibit their strength and voice their choice.

 Indira Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto, Margaret Thatcher, Queen Victoria, Mother Teresa, Princess Diana, Helen Keller, Wangari Maathai, Malala Yousafzai , Hilary Clinton and the list of inspiration seems endless. But the name that inspires me is Sindhutai Sapkal a social worker from India. This name may not be known to most of us and may not seem to be a big name but the persona is as big as Mother Earth. Sindhutai has nurtured more than 1050 orphan children by adopting them as her own. She even donated her biological child to a trust to eliminate the feeling of bias towards her daughter and the adopted ones. Here’s her story: Sindhutai was married at the age of 10. She had 3 sons by the age of 20.She was abandoned by her husband when she was 9 months pregnant with his 4^th child. She didn’t lose hope and delivered her baby girl all by herself in a cowshed.  She started begging to feed her child and then realised that there are scores of children abandoned by parents and started adopting them and begged a lot to feed all of them. This is how she became a mother to all the orphan children who came across her. Most of the children she adopted are now lawyers, doctors and well educated people.

She is 66 years old now and her husband apologised to her. She even accepted her husband as her child and states that she is only a mother now.  Her duty is to nurture all the children who need her help. She is fondly referred as Mai (mother) by all. She has a powerful persona and aura around her that inspires all women to be independent without any grudge against anyone who ill-treated her. She runs scores of orphanages now and has become an epitome of selfless service and a true inspiration to women.

The purpose of sharing this story is to tell women that they are not weak; they have the ability to conquer the world.    

Women’s Rights Have Made A Difference by Benedictine University blogger Karly Sacco

We Can Do It

It is hard to believe how far we have come. All the battles we have fought to get to where we are. Women have always been looked at as the less dominate ones. It is unfortunate that the evolution took this long. But finally, women have the majority of the same rights that men do. It was not easy getting here, the journey has been a long and hard one but looking back women have truly shaped the way people treat them not only just in the work place, but also on college campuses. The role that women’s rights play is extremely important today to encourage, shape and educate young women in schools so that they can continue the growth of equality. 

When most people think of women’s rights they think of the important women in history, the events that have shaped what women stand for today, and women in the work place. But rarely people think of how women’s rights affect college life. It is not thought to be abnormal that men and women go to school together today and it shouldn’t be. On college campus’s women have the same, maybe even more active rolls than men. Their dominance in school life shows not to treat them differently just because they are girls. Women on college campuses are the ones truly living out the dream that history has made possible today.

Today women are stronger than ever. Just think if women in America did not come as far as they have today. What if Rosa Parks never stood her ground for women that are still living her message today? Or if Amelia Earhart never took the risks and adventures to show that women are just as strong as men. Over the years, there have been riots because of many intense topics but the one that continues to be changing over time is the fact that women are still making a difference in this world. Some men are still not too fond of this idea. But those men have to face the facts and realize that women are not going anywhere, and it is only up from here. Whether you are a male or female, beginning in elementary school the importance of women’s rights has been implanted in our brains so it has only been natural for society to shift its views on what women are capable of achieving. Although we have come a long way, there are other parts of the world that are still less fortunate than America. Women’s rights are still an everyday battle for a lot of women in struggling countries where men still see themselves as more powerful of the two sexes. Hopefully one day the whole world will see how important the impact women’s ideas and thoughts can have on society.

The Importance of Women's History Month by Katiera Sordjan

     

     Unfortunately, even with the dedication of entire sequential months to a celebration of the achievements of African-Americans and women, the imperativeness of these recognitions is still greatly underestimated. We are halfway through March, yet I have heard little mention of Women's History Month in my neighborhood and local schools. We live in a society that still poorly represents women in its culture, and teaches its girls to feel unsafe and insecure merely because of their gender. Girls deserve to be educated about their histories, so they can feel confident and empowered by female role models. 

     Both men and women still scoff and roll their eyes at feminist movements and celebrations like Women's History Month. They accuse women of wanting to be the same as men (often using the Freudian term penis envy) or have more power than them. But sexism is still alive and well; acquiring the right to vote and hold offices does not mean that women are treated equally and fairly, which is all feminism really asks for. In the words of Winston Churchill, history is written by the victors. A dominating patriarchal society hurts both men and women by confining them to rigid roles, and leaves little room for those who lie outside of the traditional gender binary. 

     Not only have women been barred from important fields historically, but today many still assume that contributions to society are made mostly by men due to some inherent weakness in women. Sandi Toksgiv, a European writer and producer, reflected on an anthropology course she took while studying at Cambridge. Her female professor noted that a bone etched with 28 markings is considered evidence of man's first creation of a calendar. However, only a woman would find significance in marking 28 days, as it represents the average length of the menstrual cycle. Toksgiv wondered how many other achievements of women she had overlooked in her life. This is a question we should be asking ourselves as well. 

     It took time for women to be able to be an active and recognized part of politics, art, and science. Women's History Month recognizes women like Rosalind Franklin, whose crucial role in the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA was overlooked in favor of crediting scientists Watson and Crick. It praises women like Rosa Parks, who refused to tolerate the prejudices towards men and women of color. It rallies behind contemporary women like Wendy Davis, who stood in front of a largely male senate for 11 hours to block a bill that would restrict Texan women's reproductive rights. This is not a demand for greater space in the history books than men, but to rewrite the history that has been diminished and concealed, and to tell the stories that are constantly being written by women all over the world every day. 

     It is no surprise that in a culture that encourages female submission and censorship, as well as male aggression and authority, women can be taken advantage of, abused, and will rarely come forward. This is important to think about as we continue our discussion of the issues of sexual assault on college campuses. When a woman is taught that her body is public property, and that her voice is not always worthy of being heard or trusted, we perpetuate a rape culture that causes many women to suffer in silence. 

     The story of our country is one of overcoming adversity and fighting for the freedoms we deserve as citizens. We have a come a long way, but are still fighting to be seen as equals regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, or background. We honor the history of women to remember their important role in shaping countries across the globe, and to remind our children to continue to fight for equality and overcome the obstacles of prejudice to fulfill their goals and dreams. 

"Awareness is Key" by blogger Allisyn Ruttle from Pitzer College

Something happened on my campus this semester. Something created a buzz that’s still sending us into a frame of mind never before seen.

We all received our first sexual assault notification email from administration a few months back. Everyone talked about it. It gave no explicit detail, just simply when and where and guidelines for how to prevent it in the future. We were all surprised. Why hadn’t we been notified of these situations before? Why now?

The emails kept coming. Notifications of sexual violence came flooding into my inbox. Now, we see at least 1 per weekend, if not 2-3.

Students became passionately outraged, posing various, impulsive questions:

“Why are there so many sexual assaults happening on campus now?”

“Who is responsible? Students? People in the community?”

“What about our campus culture has changed to invite such behavior on such a regular basis?”

Here is the thing, though. It took me just as long as everyone else to see through my own concern to reach the harsh truth. These emails don’t indicate a sudden burst of sexually violent activity. Cases have been that frequent all along, and it used to be so easy to blind ourselves from the truth. Now that administration is making all of us aware, we can’t help but become actively concerned. We can’t help but stand up and fight.

The results of the awareness-spreading emails, as sad as they are to read, have been astonishing. Three of the five Claremont Colleges now have legitimate advocate groups in support of survivors, and they all meet more often than they ever have before. Initiatives like the growing “Yes Means Yes” campaign are making way, and the general student body is excited to engage in the support of survivors and prevention of sexual violence on the campus they call home.

Survivors themselves have also been affected by the rise of awareness. Discussions and support groups have reached a pinnacle in attendance. They feel more proactive with reporting their cases, because they know the powers that be are taking some sort of initiative to do something about it, even if it is just a simple email with no detail.  For the first time, something is being done to encourage survivors to move forward, and I could not be more proud of my campus.

Victims and Survivors by blogger Veronica from Southern New Hampshire university

There is a much more different approach to understanding and keeping up with college policies when it comes to telling the story of the sexual assault victim. With the particular passage of women equality and their being a big threat of sexual assaults and victimization on college campuses, so many law makers and advocates are expressing concern. The victims have found kinship with organizations that focus on their fight for equality but also find themselves in amidst of criticism that many of these assaults are hidden from other students. There is a link to bullying and suicide as well. There are so many students that find themselves unprotected and their rights violated after suffering from a physical or sexual attack. Many colleges are gladly taking action trying to seek out those responsible for many of these assaults, but there is still a long ways to go when it comes to the gaps between the attack and the arrest.

For instance, if a female college student reports an assault, and tries to come forward with her story is treated as a Pieria and a blemish in the reputation of the school. She will find her story mostly goes unheard. At the viewpoint of a victim who is a college student, the authority rationalizes what to do but, what would happen in the case of a male college student? Will his story be heard? Is there a promising inspiration for other male students to come forward? Believe it or not in time there will be justice made but the reaction time will be slower. This is why colleges have reached out to the victims and the media to get them involved in the progress, to politely end the long process and to encourage less fighting of teacher versus students or students versus students.

The need for victims and survivors is for victims to be victims no more and their cries for help never deserted. With all the added stress made due to the assaults there is no proper authority figure or support that lets each college student learn, study and live. With the thriving of the female student body, teaching others about their experiences can only lead to training of faculty members and their aggressive need for this compassionate training, while teaching those around them to be compassionate as well. Not only is there a remainder of an intrusion on a victimized student’s memory but there is still a lack of outlets for those college students to talk and inspire other college students to come forward. With the enforcement of new laws or policies on college campuses, the only difference now is that there will be a whole new focus on the survivor’s stories and the adequate need for suggestions and opinions.

To be or not to be- by blogger Snehal Gajare

Is it a sin to be born as a woman or is it a blessing to be born as a man? This question has been haunting mankind for ages together.  Gender roles were never inscribed in rule books but have been imposed stringently on both the sexes by the society. We as humans have accustomed ourselves to the societal guidelines of ideals and behaviour that we often refrain from distinguishing what is ethically right or wrong. The rat race of societal acceptance has compelled the sexes to follow their respective gender roles. This led to the emergence of misogyny, the urge for sexual entitlement, power, dominant ideologies, oppression and finally “Rapes”.

Men are always construed to be stronger than women. This belief explicitly restricts them from showing any emotions of fear or sadness. On the other hand women are expected to be more sensitive and feminine. This belief restricts their freedom totally. Men who cry or express their feelings are often construed to be weak or gay whereas women who walk shoulder to shoulder with men are considered to be extremely bold and are referred as tomboys. As a woman, I personally feel that every person (be it a man or a woman) has the right to express oneself and engage in activities that shape their personality. These socially carved gender roles create a sense of dominance among the men and this encourages them to have sexual triumphs over women resulting in rapes. Various studies have also revealed that men rape women either to seek revenge or as a punishment. Objectification of woman as a means of sexual entitlement is deep rooted in the society. Moreover, women are blamed for their rapes merely on the grounds of weaker sex.

The society needs to understand that there is no justification for rape.  I’m not saying that only women are raped. Even men are subjected to rape. The traditional views of masculinity and Femininity and ‘acceptable behaviour’ for both the sexes have to be redefined. To conclude I prefer to state that blaming a rape victim, male or female is a sin. To be or not to be born as a man or a woman is always a blessing and not a sin.

Coming to a College Campus Near You: Gender Roles 101?

By: Jade

Male or female, for most of the general population this is an easy question filled out on many forms.  What if you identified yourself as neither but were forced to pick.  In a society that is changing minute by minute we still seem to have this idea that we must pigeon-holed ourselves into gender roles.  Fifty years ago a man predominantly went to work, while a woman reared children and took care of the house.  Even today it seems the when a baby girl is born a majority of people want to buy her something pink, and frilly.

                Today there are more women attaining higher education degrees than ever was before.  Women are accepted in nearly every aspect of the professional world.  In a world that tells children they can grow up to be anything, society still expects a boy to play baseball over ballet. 

                Recently Facebook is telling their consumer define themselves with 50 plus gender options.  Users now have the choice to tell the Facebook world who they truly are. Is it time for the academic world to offer a mandatory class on the ever changing gender roles of today’s society?  Perhaps.  What one does not know tends to breed fear, and intolerance.   A class on gender roles could open the minds of the collegiate attendee.   A class where participants can discuss what they think is changing in society, and what is not.  Opinions on what is expected for individuals in this present society could be discussed as well.  

Currently  most intuitions across the United States offer women studies and/or gender roles classes.  At the very least gender roles are featured in certain curriculum.  Understanding one another as who we define ourselves as, seems like a positive message to spread to impressionable college student.  Ellen page recently came out at the Human Rights Campaign’s Time to Thrive conference.  During her speech she stated “the simple fact that this world would be a whole lot better if we just made an effort to be less horrible to one another.”  I couldn’t agree with her more.