Columbia University's Emma Sulkowitz's act of carrying a mattress around until her rapist is expelled has triggered a myriad of comments and articles regarding rape on college campuses. I was reading another one of these articles this morning (link here) when I realized that this problem is just indicative of a larger "war on women". What do I mean by that? Let me explain.
1) Rape on college campuses
This is possibly the biggest one - I don't think there has been a single year where one school or another hasn't been accused of turning a blind eye towards students who have been sexually assaulted. Last year, CMU kicked a fraternity of campus for secretly videotaping girls. Only now are there discussion groups on Title IX with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR). And if you read some of the comments on a popular Facebook page at CMU, it becomes abundantly clear that CMU's policy and support for rape victims is shockingly lacking. Why? Why do colleges not care? The obvious answer is that by ignoring the problem, colleges can (attempt to) deny its existence, which means they can keep getting students, and by extension, money. So in an effort to continue lining the school's endowments, colleges sweep this issue of rape underneath the rug. And as a result, this "war on women" continues.
2) Abortion Laws
We all know that they are getting stricter. In heavily Republican states, abortion clinics have less of a chance of surviving than a snowman in July. But it's not just abortion clinics. It's also a woman's right to birth control. Slowly but surely, women are losing control over their bodies. Instead, that control is being given to old white men. The "war on women" continues.
3) Gender inequality
Now this is an incredibly broad category, but also one that is changing for the better. Equal pay, for example. Maternity AND paternity leave in the Scandinavian countries, to make sure that it's not just the woman's responsibility to take care of the baby. But there is a long way to go, not just in the States, but also in the global community as a whole. In much of the developing world, women do not have the right to education. Or the right to work outside the home. Or the right to choose who/when to marry. Now in some places, this is getting better. But take a look at ISIS - it is an example of a "state" which is regressing (in terms of women's rights). And only now is the US getting involved.
As a college student, the point I care about the most is the first one. As a girl, I know what it's like to go to a party and realize that I need to be extra careful and extra perceptive and extra in control of the situation because if something were to happen, I would be on my own. It's on us to stop this from needing to be the norm. It's on us to stop sexual assault. It's on us to end this "war on women".
1) Rape on college campuses
This is possibly the biggest one - I don't think there has been a single year where one school or another hasn't been accused of turning a blind eye towards students who have been sexually assaulted. Last year, CMU kicked a fraternity of campus for secretly videotaping girls. Only now are there discussion groups on Title IX with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR). And if you read some of the comments on a popular Facebook page at CMU, it becomes abundantly clear that CMU's policy and support for rape victims is shockingly lacking. Why? Why do colleges not care? The obvious answer is that by ignoring the problem, colleges can (attempt to) deny its existence, which means they can keep getting students, and by extension, money. So in an effort to continue lining the school's endowments, colleges sweep this issue of rape underneath the rug. And as a result, this "war on women" continues.
2) Abortion Laws
We all know that they are getting stricter. In heavily Republican states, abortion clinics have less of a chance of surviving than a snowman in July. But it's not just abortion clinics. It's also a woman's right to birth control. Slowly but surely, women are losing control over their bodies. Instead, that control is being given to old white men. The "war on women" continues.
3) Gender inequality
Now this is an incredibly broad category, but also one that is changing for the better. Equal pay, for example. Maternity AND paternity leave in the Scandinavian countries, to make sure that it's not just the woman's responsibility to take care of the baby. But there is a long way to go, not just in the States, but also in the global community as a whole. In much of the developing world, women do not have the right to education. Or the right to work outside the home. Or the right to choose who/when to marry. Now in some places, this is getting better. But take a look at ISIS - it is an example of a "state" which is regressing (in terms of women's rights). And only now is the US getting involved.
As a college student, the point I care about the most is the first one. As a girl, I know what it's like to go to a party and realize that I need to be extra careful and extra perceptive and extra in control of the situation because if something were to happen, I would be on my own. It's on us to stop this from needing to be the norm. It's on us to stop sexual assault. It's on us to end this "war on women".
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