government vs. women: rights belong to everyone

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    Government vs. Women: Rights

    Belong To Everyone

    By Lu Wang

    Copyrighted by Lu Wang 2012

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    Have you ever thought about

    What life would be like if you, as a proudly successful married business woman, coming

    home to a cozy family dinner made by your husband, who takes care of practically all the

    house choirs from mobbing the floor to changing babys diapers? Or, take a quick look of your

    company employees; have you noticed any ratio differences in sex? Is this trend rather

    consistent in every other industry worldwide? Then, you remember the chaotic social and

    economical controversy in China regarding the one-child policy after it took effect in 1979.

    To control the increasing overpopulation problem in the Peoples Republic of China, the

    Chinese government had adopted the policy to limit on one child per family in the late 1970s.

    While the number of population had drastically decreased, the issue of gender-selected

    abortion, abandonment and infanticide could not be prevented. Government has played an

    important role in womens right in human history. From the very beginning when society was

    created and known, government acted as a major factor in influencing the superiority of men

    over women; however, with increasing awareness of womens rights, initiated bySusan B.

    Anthony and progressed by activist groups such asICADV, sexual equality is finally

    foreseeing.

    Throughout history

    men have obtained the sovereignty in society, andwomen have been treated as the lower

    class of the two genders. Philpott, Dan, in his published article named "Sovereignty", defines

    sovereignty as the supreme authority with a well defined territoriality, and it is the mutually

    acknowledged source of legitimacy. This supreme authority can be observed in a typical

    family when the men have the right to command and take control of various aspects of the

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-child_policyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-child_policyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-child_policyhttp://susanbanthonyhouse.org/her-story/biography.phphttp://susanbanthonyhouse.org/her-story/biography.phphttp://susanbanthonyhouse.org/her-story/biography.phphttp://susanbanthonyhouse.org/her-story/biography.phphttp://www.ilcadv.org/about_icadv/herstory.htmlhttp://www.ilcadv.org/about_icadv/herstory.htmlhttp://www.ilcadv.org/about_icadv/herstory.htmlhttp://plato.stanford.edu/entries/sovereignty/http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/sovereignty/http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/sovereignty/http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/sovereignty/http://www.ilcadv.org/about_icadv/herstory.htmlhttp://susanbanthonyhouse.org/her-story/biography.phphttp://susanbanthonyhouse.org/her-story/biography.phphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-child_policy
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    family life. The women, on the other hand, collectively acquired the custom and tradition to

    obey without any objection. According to theConfucianism, which was the most honorable

    social political teaching in China, men were superior to women in a sense that men provided

    financial support and possessed the responsibility of taking care of parents and children. One

    can not be surprised that when the one-child policy took effect in the Chinese government in

    1979, abortion of female fetal, abandonment and infanticide of baby girls were commonly seen.

    Many studies have conducted to describe the methods of abortion against female fetus. These

    includes the earliest stage of obtaining blood sample, to either transvaginal or transabdominal

    ultrasonography. After the sex has been determined, the family has up to 15 weeks gestation

    to decide whether to keep the child. In this case, million of female fetuses were aborted every

    year, and thousands of female children gone missing or reported dead so the family is granted

    the permission to have another pregnancy. The one-child policy created huge problems in the

    Chinese social and political culture. It encouraged the sexual superiority of men over women

    and greatly influenced the social-economic values of women in the society. It also created an

    uneven sex ratio in the overall population; many have foreseen and expressed concern that

    prenatal sex selection may reduce the number of families in the next generation.

    After seeing the tremendous impact

    of One-child policy on women, human rights group stood up to emphasize illegality of sex-

    selective abortion, abandonment, and feticide. Policy makers in China are attempting to

    provide financial incentives to parents who have a female child. In the United States of

    America, anti-abortion activists have pushed congress to pass legislation that outlaw abortion.

    One distinct case of sex-selective abortions was carried out by live Action, a pro-life group,

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism
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    who sends actors posing as pregnant women into Planned Parenthood clinics and investigate on

    female fetus abortion. They constructed a pattern of interviews in regards sex-selective

    abortions, and the process was captured in a series of videos called Gendercide: Sex-Section

    in America1. When the actor-patient expressed her will on terminating the fetus life if the

    tests will detect a baby girl, the staff did not provide adequate education or advise on sex-

    selective abortion, but on the other hand, encouraging the late-term feticide. Although the

    spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood have explained the situation by terminating the staff

    employment for not following proper protocols for highly unusual patient scenario, the public

    started to realize the global context of gender preference and to the need to call for solutions.

    Other cases of women being abused

    physically and mentally can be found in other countries across the globe. The incident that

    was reported in The Newyorks Time magazine entitled Afghan Girls, Scarred by Acid, Defy

    Terror, Embracing School described the cruel reality that Afghanistan women are subordinate

    and unable to receive education like men. Women in general are not allowed to go to school.

    The ones who actually do, such asShamsia Husseini, would have to endure excessive physical

    and mental challenges by men. For instance, an unknown man attacked Shamsia by pulling her

    burqa and sprays her face with burning acid, leaving her facial features with scars and

    discoloration and blurred vision. This act of violent from a completely stranger reflects the

    root of gender status. Men exercised their power ruthlessly and unlawfully over women.

    Despite all, women are became more encourage to go to school then ever, the Mirwais School

    for Girls was constructed by the Japanese government to encourage girls to go to school and

    1 Video: Sex-Selection in America: Part 1 Undercover in Texas

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=U2H3ZDnBtuw#!

    http://youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=U2H3ZDnBtuw#!http://youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=U2H3ZDnBtuw#!http://youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=U2H3ZDnBtuw#!http://youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=U2H3ZDnBtuw#!http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/14/world/asia/14kandahar.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/14/world/asia/14kandahar.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/14/world/asia/14kandahar.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/14/world/asia/14kandahar.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0http://youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=U2H3ZDnBtuw#!http://youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=U2H3ZDnBtuw#!
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    receive education like men. This is a sign of social revolution, that women are refused to live

    life as subordinate, being abused physically and mentally by the society. They believe that by

    receiving education, they can better themselves, better the traditional view on women, and

    better the social value in women.

    With the increasing cases

    of women being abused physically and mentally, sexual inequality has to come in an end.

    In Dan Philpotts articleSovereignty, the Catholic philosopher Maritain criticized

    absolute sovereignty for its intimidating strength, and they sought to place limits on its power

    and authority. In other words, the supreme authority of men over women in the society has

    gone overboard, and the society needs to

    place a stop to it by increasing awareness of

    sexual inequality. Not having the rights to

    vote from the very beginning, one woman

    stood up and opposed the government. Her

    name isSusan B. Anthony. She was the first

    woman devoting to fight for womens rights

    to vote. Gathering and inspiring other

    women activists to work together, she

    revolted against the government and co-

    founded theNational Womans Suffrage

    Association withElizabeth Cady Stanton.

    The NWSA played an important role in

    http://susanbanthonyhouse.org/her-story/biography.phphttp://susanbanthonyhouse.org/her-story/biography.phphttp://susanbanthonyhouse.org/her-story/biography.phphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Cady_Stantonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Cady_Stantonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Cady_Stantonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Cady_Stantonhttp://susanbanthonyhouse.org/her-story/biography.php
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    influencing government policy making. This includes the opposition to the Fifteen

    Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits the government from denying a

    citizens right to vote based on race, color or previous condition of servitude, unless women

    were included in the context. With the tremendous amount of effort, Women had succeeded

    in 1920 based on the Nineteenth Amendment, which stated that the right of citizens to vote

    shall not be denied on account of sexual differences. This was an important advancement for

    women in seeking equality in social status. It encouraged women activists in continuing

    raising their voices against unlawful treatment by the society, earning more rights that they

    deserve as human. Unfortunately, gaining to right to vote by Susan B. Anthony and NWSA

    was only the beginning for woman; they did not gain everything they deserve like the men due

    to long history of gender preference. Women continue to suffer till present time.

    In our world today

    women are looked at as inferiors to men in the work place. When compared to men, women

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    are usually paid significantly less for the same type of work. Women working office jobs

    average around half the wages that men earn. Men have been treated with more respect by

    employers, giving them an advantage when it comes to raises and promotions. There are cases

    of women being raped or sexually harassed by men at their place of work, yet very few of

    those cases were resolved. Since supervisors usually side with men, many women kept quite

    about being harassed due to the fear of retaliation. For the ones that do speak out, most

    received no little justice for the suffering that was imposed upon them. Women should stick

    together that form a louder voice to speak out against the inequality to women in the work

    place around the world.

    Changes in the world

    began many years ago as governments such as Japan, Egypt, Iran, Taiwan, and Brazil made

    changes to accommodate women. In Japan, women that were riding on co-ed trains were

    often molested or groped. In fear of further physical harm, most women did not fight back.

    Since most women that were molested by strangers could not name their suspects, the police

    was unable to assist them. In 1912, the Japanese government then implemented a Women-

    Only-Cars program and allowed only women to ride the trains and buses during certain hours

    of the day. This is an example of status group, which defines as means of power or authority

    being exercised by a particular group of people. There are privileges available only to

    members of the group and the developments of specific rules or interests are there to further

    benefit their members. In addition to women, the program only allowed handicapped people,

    elementary school boys, and the womens assistants to ride during the hours set aside for

    women to ride.

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    themselves and need the governments assistance. In addition, the non supporters from both

    genders believe that crime deterrence is a better solution. There should be more cameras and

    security readily available on public transportation to make sure that these types of criminals

    dont go unpunished. Harsher punishment and longer detention times were also another

    suggestion.

    With more to come in the future

    using social networking sites with the technology today, women can support each other or

    work together to achieve a long overdue equality that is owed to them. According to the

    Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the government rarely does anything to benefit

    the that are beaten by their domestic partners, allowing many domestic violent criminals to get

    away with their crimes. Women would be beaten by men if they were disloyal or disobeyed

    their male partners. To stop this,ICADVhad set up violence programs throughout Illinois,

    hoping to minimize domestic violence in the near future. The Indiana Coalition Against

    Domestic Violences vision is to promote healthy relationships by mutual sharing of

    responsibilities and respect. This program encourages men and women to become more

    educated about

    sexual equality

    and to work

    together to resolve

    domestic violence

    issues. The men

    that beat their

    domestic partners usually feel that they are superior and do not allow themselves to share their

    http://www.ilcadv.org/about_icadv/herstory.htmlhttp://www.ilcadv.org/about_icadv/herstory.htmlhttp://www.ilcadv.org/about_icadv/herstory.htmlhttp://www.ilcadv.org/about_icadv/herstory.html
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    emotional troubles with their partners. Instead, they express their inner discomfort with

    physically violence, usually directed towards their spouse or co-habitant. The ICADV aims to

    help men understand that men and women are equal, and that men can discuss their problems

    with women in a peaceful manner. Domestic violence is a choice, and can be prevented if the

    proper steps are taken.

    The future holds many things to come

    for women and men to deal with such hardships in their lives. Striking against the

    government, women have earnedequal payin 1981 with the Pay Equity Strike in San Jose

    California. Women have impacted the world with their strikes against the government and

    have been victorious many times. In the United States, more and more women are holding

    positions of power. Hilary Clinton was the first female to be seriously considered as a

    contender or the presidential candidacy in 2008. Even though Mrs. Clinton did not win the

    nomination, her effort impacted the world and encouraged women to strive for positions they

    never thought they could accomplish. She plans to run for president again in 2016. As we

    move forward, womens salaries are greatly improved. Stay-at-home moms are becoming

    more scarce, as stay-at-home dads are becoming more common and socially accepted.

    Therefore

    despite the long history of government influential on sexual inequality, which can depicted

    from the One-child policy and the abusive case of Shamsia Husseini, social-political activists

    and groups such as Susan B. Anthony and ICADV stood up and change views on fundamental

    human rights. More and more examples have risen to demonstrate the wrongful tradition of

    gender preference, and more people become aware of the social inequality. The Japanese

    https://www.reuther.wayne.edu/node/849https://www.reuther.wayne.edu/node/849https://www.reuther.wayne.edu/node/849https://www.reuther.wayne.edu/node/849
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    Women-only transportation served to protect women in against mens sexual harassments in

    public, and it also took a step in changing the tradition view on power exercise between men

    and women. Men are no long the only financial source in the family and political source in the

    nation; thus, women deserve the same respect!

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    Works Cited:

    "National Woman Suffrage Association." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 15

    Nov. 2012.

    "Susan B. Anthony House :: Her Story." The Official Susan B. Anthony House :: Home. N.p.,

    n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2012.

    "Elizabeth Cady Stanton." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2012.

    "Afghan Girls, Scarred by Acid, Defy Terror, Embracing School - NYTimes.com." The New

    York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2012

    "Illinois Coaltion Against Domestic Violence History." ILCADV. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2012.

    "Walter P. Reuther Library (7501) Pay equity strike, San Jose, CA." Web. 15 Nov. 2012.

    One-child policy, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wed, 8 December 2012

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-child_policy

    Sex-Selection in America

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=U2H3ZDnBtuw#!

    Philpott, Dan, "Sovereignty", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2010 Edition),

    Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =

    .

    Wolff, R. P., 1990. The Conflict Between Authority and Autonomy, Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-child_policyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-child_policy