Gender Equality

One theme that is constantly seen in today’s society is the belief that gender equality already exists and that there is no need to further strive for these goals. These beliefs are shared by a relatively large group of people in society. This group of people mainly consists of upper class White men and women. They tend to feel that gender equality exists, because the problems felt by many others in society are invisible to them. This group of people have no problem with getting a job, for example, or getting what they want out of life. There is no one holding them back or stopping them from pursuing their hopes and dreams. There isn’t anyone standing over their shoulder telling them they can’t succeed and should just stop trying while they are ahead. They have every opportunity in life simply because of their race and their socio-economic status. Where as if you were to ask a Black woman she would whole heartedly say that there are so many gender inequalities present in our society. She would say this because she has to experience these inequalities everyday in her normal life.

I myself am half Black/ half White and come from a middle class family. I feel like gender inequality definitely still exists here in today’s society and it is definitely something that needs to be continuously worked on to achieve. I feel like the more women begin to show that they can do what men do and earn the same level as respect, there will be a greater level of gender equality seen in society. I mostly experience the Black “situation” because of my skin-tone, but at the same time I experience the White “situation” because of the way that I talk and carry myself. When I say the Black “situation” I mean the way people look down on me when they first meet me. They see my skin-tone and think oh she is just some non-intelligent ghetto girl who isn’t going to survive as a Biochemistry/Psychology double major. Then when I start to talk and excel in my area of study people start to make statements saying oh you are the Whitest Black girl that they have ever met, which I think is an unfair stereotype. So I definitely feel both sides of the gender inequality issue, and it is definitely something that I would like to see change about our society.

The concepts that are taught in Women’s Studies definitely fit in with what I’ve said here, that people who have positive experiences in life tend to be oblivious of the gender inequality issues. This can be seen in Patricia Collins’ article, Toward a New Vision, when she addresses some of the points about how White upper class men and women experience different aspects of life when compared to lower class White men and women and Black men and women. The concepts that were addressed in Collins’ article lead me to believe that there is still a tremendous need for Women’s Studies classes. I believe this because some people are just so closed minded and Women’s Studies is all about keeping an open mind and listening to other’s views whether or not you agree or disagree with them. Feminism on the other hand, I feel is a dead or dying race. Feminist are seen in such a negative view and I truly feel that carrying that label is only holding back the men and the women who are fighting for gender equality.