Non-existent Date Rape Drug

During our in class activity where we all had to think of examples of a time where our right’s were taken away, I mentioned that my right to security had been taken away after my drink was spiked with the date rape drug Rohypnol last year.
I became interested in researching other women’s’ stories who have been victims of date rape drugs such as Rohypnol. Through my research, I stumbled upon this blog titled, “Rohypnol, the new mystery non-existent date rape drug....” The author claims that Rohypnol is non-existent and just used as an excuse by women who binge drink for being victims of sexual assault.

An example of some of the claims in this blog post include:

Dr. Peter Saul, a GP in Wrexham, said: "There had always been a suspicion that people would say that their drinks had been spiked when perhaps they had misjudged how much alcohol they were taking.
"If you go home and your parents are there, and you are vomiting on the path, and you come in in a terrible state, you get sympathy if you say, 'My drink was spiked'. You don't get sympathy if you say, 'We spent too long in the bar'."

Although I realize the author of this blog is not a credible source for information, I thought it was important to point out the way many people view the date rape drug phenomenon. This blog post was really hurtful and also degrading towards women. Regardless of the situation there is never an excuse to take advantage of women. It’s posts like this that make women think that rape and sexual assault are shameful and therefore just contribute to the number of women who don’t speak out against their rights being violated.

Sex-Selective Abortion on Rise

I recently came across an article in The Washington Post that talks about the rise in sex-selective abortions in India. I found this article especially interesting because of specific discussions we have had in class regarding the different roles men and women play in society depending on the culture they are raised in. Like many other cultures, India emphasizes the importance of a male’s role in their family and in society.

In 1996, India banned the use of medical technology to determine the sex of fetuses in order to selectively abort girls. Even though this procedure is illegal, findings from a recent study suggest that it is actually becoming more common and widespread than in the past. Sex-selective abortion is primarily intended to increase a couple’s chance of having at least on boy. The results of this study give a great depiction of the growth of this practice and provide a better understanding of gender roles in a predominately male dominated culture such as India. Although India’s desire to have at least one boy in the family does not seem to be as severe as certain cultures like China, there is still an evident preference for a male child. It would be interesting to take this study and research the findings further. Some questions I would like to look at specifically:

What are the underlying societal pressures to have a male child in India?

How do these statistics compare to other predominately male cultures?

Why is there such an increase in sex-selective abortions right now rather than in previous years?

Miss Representative

As a part of our final media project, Nikki and I showed a trailer for the documentary Miss Representative that was recently presented at the Sundance Film Festival. Although I have yet to see the entire documentary, I think the message of this documentary encompasses a lot of what we have talked about in class relating to women in the media. It not only focuses on the current image of woman in the media, but it also concentrates on the long-term effects this message sends to young people, especially young girls. The consequences are dire and are directly correlated to common psychological and physical problems of this generation of young individuals, which can range from poor self-esteem to more serious conditions such as bulimia and anorexia.

It is important for young women to see positive role models. By incorporating advice from powerful women we frequently see in the media in this documentary, it leaves the viewer with a sense of hope and gives young women a group of individuals to look up to. I think one of the most important parts of this documentary is that it not only brings to light a serious problem, but also concentrates on the steps needed for change to occur. This documentary is a step in the right direction. It presents a group of women that want to defy the media and the belief that, “You can’t be, what you can’t see.”

To see the full trailer and learn more about Miss Representation visit www.missrepresentation.org. This is also a great source to find the most up to date calendar of upcoming screenings and events. On a side note, following Miss Representative on any of their social media pages is a great source for current events relating women in the media.

Condoleezza Rice and Female Heads of State

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H19sMQgHE7Y&feature=related

While doing research for my final project, I stumbled across this video that depicts Condi Rice defending her beliefs of women in politics.  The interviewer is somewhat degrading towards her about the topic, categorizing her in one role or another.  Dr. Rice's belief is very geared toward individuality and uniqueness and so she did not take kindly to the containment of her achievements to simply being that of a woman or African American.

I find it very interesting that while she is discussing the topic of the empowerment of women, all her interviewer can do is capitalize the struggles she faced in a male-dominated environment (not to mention older and white).  He makes it sound as though she was outside of herself when serving in her position and that she didn't truly fit in where she was - she just persevered through the post.

The assumptions that were taken from other books and sources that Dr. Rice denied were also all examples that would have shown her as "weak" from a patriarchal perspective.  Rice immediately dismisses the "boxing" that the interviewer does with his questions and presents the subject from a more middle-of-the-road perspective.  She emphasizes the collaboration instead of giving the idea that the men did all of the work in government decisions (proportionally).

A Blueprint for Change

A couple of weeks ago I was riding back from the airport and found a piece of newspaper in the supershuttle I happened to be riding in.  I just saw "Women in the Economy" on the top of the page and picked it up, planning on reading it later.  Now having watched "Who's Counting?" this featured section seems more pertinent.

The Wall Street Journal has created a task force for to figure out what barriers are still in place for women to enter the workplace.  The piece of the section that I got my hands on had Gena Davis, actress, discussing the hours of television watched by children and the stereotypes and placements of male and female characters in shows.  She started with films such as "Thelma and Louise" and "A League of Their Own," and soon she had women coming up to her to tell their stories and how they related to these movies. 

After doing these films, she began to realize the disparity in gender roles in the mainstream media.  While watching TV with her daughter, she noticed the gender bias and gender gaps that media is presenting to children.  She began approaching producers and directors about it, who didn't even realize what they were doing.  She, along with others in Hollywood, ended up raising the money to do the largest research study on G-rated movies and television shows for kids 11 and younger.  They found that for every one female character, there are THREE male characters (in group scenes, it was five males to one female).

She has started a movement in Hollywood to change these perceptions and make changes in the gender roles in film.  They will be doing another study in 2015 to show the differences and changes in five years.

I found this article encouraging that people are stepping up and making the difference that it will take to truly turn a 180 on the perception of women, and therefore the success of women.  Below is a link to the article:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704013604576247133240163732.html

How would you feel if you weren’t allowed to drive a car?

Manal al-Sherif, Saudi Woman, Detained For Defying Driving Ban

This article really stuck out in my mind because of how much I enjoy the freedom to jump in my car anytime I want and go for a ride. Ever since I was sixteen I have treasured the alone time I have in my car....it’s just me, the open road, and the music that puts me at ease. To not even have the option of doing so would be debilitating to me.

“Authorities detained a Saudi woman on Saturday after she launched a campaign against the driving ban for women in the ultraconservative kingdom and posted a video of herself behind the wheel on Facebook and YouTube to encourage others to copy her.”

Women must hire live in drivers that cost about $300-$400/month or rely on male family members to drive to work, school, grocery stores, doctor appointments, etc.

This relates to our class discussions because this article just like many of the accounts we’ve heard throughout this term shows us that every aspect of life has multiple lenses it can be viewed from. It is important to be aware of the alternate lenses so we don’t simply look at the people involved in unfamiliar situations as the “other”.

Women Making More Money

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/18/AR2010011803834_2.html?sid=ST2010011900008

I found this article in the Washington Post about how women now are making more money than their male counterparts. It also furthers that idea by saying not just women, but married women are "bring home the big bucks" more than their husbands. Women are now about to make up a majority of the US workforce, are now graduating from college in higher numbers than men, and so now are becoming the better educated, higher-paid of the two.

Petula Dvorak, the author of this article, says that men now have it better off because they can just sit back and relax while women do all the work. Not only are more women now working, but they also have to keep up with the kids and housework. So we're basically doing both jobs. Really, what would they do without us? However, she goes on to say that because of this, more women today are depressed. They do not have the time to relax like their husbands because they are constantly working.

One of the last points that she makes is that our generation is now expected to be both the "house mom" as well as the "working mom." Whew. Seems like this will become a difficult thing for us to juggle.

I would hope that every woman feels that no matter which "job" they choose, that they do not feel belittled or feel as though they are too hardcore because since our generation now has both options, we should therefore be able to choose whichever one we want or both, and not be criticized for our choice.