Plan for Persuading and Advocating Project

While browsing different topics, Mohamed and I were not particularly inspired by any of the ideas we looked at online. I have been passionate about women’s issues for a long time, so I introduced the idea of making our topic for this project on women’s issues in the workplace. It is sometimes difficult to talk about women’s issues to men- many of whom do not completely understand them, and some of whom completely deny these issues. However, I was glad to find that Mohamed was on board with my idea.

Having a balance between male and female leaders is extremely important. Unfortunately, female politicians, CEOs, doctors, lawyers, etc, are largely underrepresented in the US. When we have so few women in higher jobs, this impacts our image of women as being lesser than men. However, we will make the claim that women are not less intelligent, less driven, or less ambitious than men. Scientifically, men and women are more similar than many people may think. In our issues brief, we are going to argue that gender biases, starting from one’s childhood, to the rest of one’s life, are what lead to women being discouraged from high positions.

To enforce our argument and make sure it seen as a real problem, we will then include statistics showing the gender differences in different jobs, and link this to how men and women are socialized from a young age. To strengthen our claim that the US needs more women in higher positions, especially in politics, we will compare the US to countries such as Rwanda and Iceland, which both rank very highly in the number of female leaders in Parliament, as well as in overall gender equality. In order to prove that women and men are much more similar than people may think, we will include scientific information on this. We will argue that women and men are born extremely similar, but are socialized to take on different interests and aspirations, which is partially the reason why so few women are in high job positions in the US. This will be included as a rebuttal to those who think women and men are innately very different.

In order to advocate for change, we plan on suggesting the implementation of certain laws, which will ensure that a minimum percentage of women be in higher job positions. While laws like this may help solve the alarming gender gap in different jobs, the root of the problem lies on how children are raised. Therefore, we will acknowledge that this problem, while it can be helped with laws, will likely only be solved if we change our approach to how differently we raise and socialize women and men.

For the Visualization aspect of the project, we will again mention countries that rank highly in gender equity, and how beneficial this is to boys and girls in their daily lives (boys do not have to hide their emotions as much, girls are not discouraged from being successful, etc). In order to enforce the importance of change, we will simply state the problems that arise when men and women are seen as extremely separate beings who operate differently. We will show the negative results of gender stratification, and argue that this will persist until action is taken.

This I Believe (Final)

Be more like a five year-old

I hesitate… I overthink… I stutter… I wish I were more like my five year-old self.

With growing up comes an increase in freedom, accompanied with more restrictions. One becomes more independent and makes his own decisions, but social expectations are increased. Think about it… it is socially unacceptable for a college aged person to have a public breakdown over their favorite pizza being sold out. In comparison, a five year-old crying hysterically when his mom refuses to give him pizza is considered normal.

I remember first starting to notice the added social responsibilities that came with growing up when I disagreed with a table manner my strict Italian mother wanted me to learn. On a typical school day in my old house in France, my brother and I came home for lunch. I was looking forward to eating the day’s meal: ravioli with Alfredo sauce. After eating most of my ravioli, I took a pause and rested my arms on the table. “Elbows off the table!”, my mother demanded. From a young age, I have always questioned everything. Therefore, instead of simply following her order, I told her that if people were to judge me over such a minuscule detail, I would not want to be their friend anyway. Of course, my mom ignored my opinion and told me that if I didn’t do what she said right away, I would be punished. I sighed, and unwillingly lifted my elbows off the table. I was frustrated and I kept thinking about the insignificance of such manners. If I was most comfortable with my elbows leaning on the table, why was this an issue?

While having to follow certain table manners bothered me, I found other aspects of growing up much more disturbing. As adults, we are supposed to keep our feelings mainly to ourselves. Genuine self-expression is crucial to one’s well being. But heavy judgment is placed on those who reveal too many emotions. These limitations can be detrimental to people; yet we uphold such standards in every day life. Why are we trained to keep feelings hidden, and why should we continue to accept this? Of course, sharing everything that is on our minds, like some children do, would not be optimal. But being a little impulsive at times and not always having a filter could help us be more honest and genuine.

You may think I am just some lazy college student wishing she could rid herself of all her responsibilities and go back to being a child. While that is something I think about when I am studying for an exam at 2 am, wishing I could time travel some 10 years in the past, I believe that we can learn a lot from the blunt and lighthearted toddlers. They put themselves first and do what is most comfortable for them. They are not concerned with others’ judgments and this makes them the most free-spirited people in society. We should place less importance on insignificant details, such as table manners, and focus on being our genuine selves. If you find yourself connecting with someone, spend more time with them and tell them you enjoy their company. If you do not agree with someone’s opinion, do not be afraid to politely disagree and express your thoughts. And most importantly, if you want to achieve something, be a little selfish and go for it, just like a five year old would.

This I Believe Script

Be more like a five year-old

I hesitate… I overthink… I stutter… I wish I were more like my five year-old self. With growing up comes an increase in freedom, accompanied with more restrictions. One becomes more independent and makes his own decisions, but social expectations are increased. Think about it… it is socially unacceptable for a college aged person to have a public breakdown over their favorite pizza being sold out. In comparison, a five year-old crying hysterically when his mom refuses to give him pizza is considered normal.

As adults, we are supposed to keep our emotions mainly to ourselves. We are not completely free to say what is truly on our minds. These limitations unfortunately can be detrimental to people; especially people with ongoing inner struggles. Always keeping your emotions to yourself can literally kill you. So why are we trained to keep them hidden, and why should we continue to accept this? Of course, sharing everything that is on our minds, like some children do, would not be optimal. But being a little impulsive at times and not always having a filter could help us be more honest and genuine.

I feel that somewhere around the beginning of my teenage years is when I lost a sense of genuineness. Throughout high school, I studied subjects that I had no interest in learning about. Yet, I kept doing my homework diligently in order to get good grades, as that was what was expected of me. That worked for a while. It kept me ‘on track’, as they say. However, in college, we are supposed to pick a major that we have a passion for. No wonder most of us have no idea what our true passions are.

You may think I am just some lazy college student wishing she could rid herself of all her responsibilities and go back to being a child. While that is something I think about when I am studying for an exam at 2 am, wishing I could time travel some 10 years in the past, I believe that we can learn a lot from the blunt and free spirited toddlers… If you find yourself connecting with someone, spend more time with them and tell them you enjoy their company. If you do not agree with someone’s opinion, do not be afraid to politely disagree and express your thoughts. And most importantly, if you want to achieve something, be a little selfish and go for it. It is a good thing to think about yourself once in a while.

Plans for Second Semester Blogging

Passion Blog:

Last semester, my passion blog was on music. I wrote about how music affects our mood, what type of music different people tend to be inclined to listen to, and I often reviewed music or shared some of my favorites. While I love music, I found that my inspiration to write these posts was declining. Towards the end of the semester especially, I had difficulties thinking of interesting posts to write. Therefore, I am going to have a passion blog on a completely different topic this semester. I am thinking about making a Fencing Blog. I could include reports on how I felt at practice, what I can improve upon, and reflect on what I am doing successfully. I can also write out any goals that I have. I believe that this will help me in ameliorating my technique and mentality, as well as to acknowledge and celebrate my successes. Since fencing is not a common sport and few people who aren’t fencers themselves are interested in the sport, I am thinking about also including general fitness tips and tricks.

Civic Issues Blog:

I will be focusing on Education. I often think that high school education should be reformed in many ways, and would love to express my thoughts on issues I see in the education system. I also would like to become more informed on why the US ranks so low in testing scores in comparison to other countries, and what could be done educationally to improve our ranking. Having lived in a different country and several states, I can write about how my educational experiences in different areas compare to each other.

This I believe:

I want to make my podcast very ‘real’. I want it to reveal my personality and have a deep message. I strongly believe in sharing my opinion and not being afraid of intervening, especially when something you deem wrong is occurring. Too many times, people let others say or do awful things because they are afraid they will be judged if they speak out. With this topic, I run the risk of my podcast being cliché. In order to avoid that, I will try to make it as genuine as possible, with specific examples and an effective flow. If I find that I am having a hard time putting a story together for this topic, I may choose to speak about self-reflection instead.

Attempting to Make Sense of Trump’s Success

On Tuesday, November 8th, I woke up early to vote for the candidate I was confident was going to be our next president. I was very excited about voting for the first time. I was especially looking forward to the end of a period which spiked hatred in many different forms and instead furthering the continuation of the fight against oppression of minorities.

As a result of the growing fears over globalization, people all over the world have been fighting back. Whether it be through free-trade agreements or the centralization of power like the European Union, they fear that their voices are being censored and their worries ignored. While these concerns are real and should not be taken lightly, some of the proposed methods for solving problems would arguably make matters worse.

Throughout Europe in the past couple of years, many nationalist, far-right groups and political parties have either come to power or put a dent in the status quo. In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders, running as Prime Minister is undergoing a trial for allegedly inciting discrimination against Moroccan immigrants living in his country. In France Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Front, has been working to rid the stereotypes of racism, antisemitism, and Neo-Nazism sometimes associated with the party.

Perhaps the best-known example is the United Kingdom’s Independence Party, which led the country to vote to leave the European Union by referendum. UKIP’s leader Nigel Farage campaigned on a Eurosceptic platform, which emphasized economic independence. While some have criticized the Brexit vote for its racial undertones, one must not forget about the cry against globalization, which many feared would further suppress their voices.

In the United States, we have seen the same phenomenon with Donald Trump. His tactics of inducing fear and making matters seem much worse than they are unfortunately have brought him the support needed to win the election. While comparing Trump to Hitler and many other authoritarian leaders seems ridiculous, I feel that he is similar to him in this strategy.

Many of Trump’s supporters dislike the way Democratic voters have reacted to Trump’s election. They claim that it is unjust that we do not want to “give the guy a chance” and that we should not respond in such anger at the turnout of the election. We have clearly seen what kind of man Donald Trump is. The insults he spews are horrid, and his xenophobic views render him completely closed-minded and ignorant. Trump claims to now want to bring Americans together, but he will be unable to do this, as he has already significantly divided our country before even commencing his presidency. It is extremely unlikely that he will simply change his sexist and racist views in the next couple of months. Thus, it is very difficult for me to be optimistic at this point, as I am still very angry that the leader of our country will likely reverse so much of the social change we have been able to accomplish in the last decades.

Changes in the Flexibility of Gender Roles in Marriage

Until the 1960s, young adults in the US had very set expectations of how their lives should be shaped. Once financially stable and living without their parents, most would marry and have children. The man was the ‘breadwinner’, earning income for his family and the woman in charge of household duties, the children, and accommodating her husband’s needs. The increasing flexibility in marriage due to a rise in educational opportunities for women, the passing of multiple laws, and the acceptance of non-traditional marriages have all contributed to a change in gender roles. As social and legal support for these factors continues to increase, strict gender roles will hold less significance both within marriage, and in people’s everyday lives.

Social attitudes and cultural norms encapsulate various aspects of marriage during different time periods. Evidence for traditional forms of marriage can be seen in publications from the 1960s. An ad from this era displaying Van Heussen ties perfectly encompasses the previously extreme set roles in marriage. This ad depicts a man sitting in bed, in a dress shirt and a tie, with his wife aside the bed serving him breakfast. The description reads “For men only! Brand new man-talking, power-packed patterns that tell her it’s a man’s world… and make her so happy it is.” The ad also positions the man physically above his wife. This placement shows the man’s assertiveness over his wife, as he is the one in work clothes, meaning he is the figure who earns money in the family. The man’s clothes can be contrasted to the woman’s, who is wearing a type of robe, suggesting that she tends to work in the home. Clearly, men were seen as the dominant figure of the household, while women were supposed to succumb to their husband’s needs, complete household chores, and be aesthetically pleasing in the process.

Today, previously set roles in marriage are much less strict. Instead of wives being expected to stay at home and men earn the income, married individuals are allowed to decide which tasks they wish to adhere to. Both of my parents are very good cooks. The difference between the two is that my father enjoys cooking more than my mother. Therefore, it is he who prepares most meals. When guests discover his ability to cook, many are slightly surprised that it was not my mother who prepared the dish. Furthermore, it seems that people congratulate my father more times and with more emphasis than my mother upon uncovering their cooking skills. While this pattern may just be based on our guests’ preferences for the particular meals my father cooked, I believe my parents’ food is about the same quality, but that people are more prone to praising my dad’s meals, as kitchen work continues to be more frequent among mothers. Our guests are not to blame for being taken aback and over-complementing meals cooked by my father, as mothers are currently twice as likely to be involved in cooking than their husbands (Holland). Many gender roles within marriage from the sixties are still present. The difference between now and then, however, is that it is more socially acceptable for married people to fall out of typical roles. In the shift of strict gender roles to a more flexible union, married couples have more freedom to choose which every day tasks they wish to do.

Currently, we are in a time period in which it is acceptable for men to complete tasks within the home that wives traditionally did, and vice versa. However, gender-specific duties still exist due to people’s definitive views on men and women. For instance, 51 percent of survey respondents believe that mothers should stay at home and not be employed, as it makes children “better off,” while only 8 percent say the same regarding fathers (Wang, Parker, & Taylor). A possible explanation for the preservation of such attitudes may be due to the fact that women still earn less money than their male counterparts, on average. A study done by the White House reports that women who work full-time only make 79 percent of what the typical man made working the same amount of time. Furthermore, while women are increasingly seen in higher-paying jobs, most are still in lower-paying occupations than men (Patten). If men and women earned roughly the same income, the common belief that women should stay at home with their kids would likely not be as frequent, as there would be no specific reason for them to do so. Surely, there are still many who view the female gender as biologically more nurturing and caring, and thus that women should be more involved in their children’s upbringing. However, lower earnings by women account for much of the reasoning that many people agree that mothers should stay at home. As an increasing amount of women become involved in higher-earning jobs, the stereotypical roles of women being housewives and fathers breadwinners will lessen, if not die out.

Cooking, cleaning, household repairs, and many other daily duties in a marriage, are now much more interchangeable between husbands and wives. Such tasks are more geared towards one’s personal preference rather than who is “supposed to” complete them. Marriage as an institution is now also much more based on one’s actual desire to marry rather than cultural demands to do so. Unlike the residual period when many felt pressured to marry, people nowadays are able to choose more freely when and with whom they wish to marry; or even if they want to remain single instead. Today, only 20 percent of 18 to 19 year old Americans are married, compared to 60 percent in 1960 (Single By Choice: Why Fewer American Women Are Married Than Ever Before). The current trend of delaying marriage, according to 100 interviewed women, is mostly rationalized by women’s increasing desires to “build up their economic and professional bases” (Traister). This is a significant change from the period when women concluded their educational careers at an earlier age in order to marry and start a family. As women further delay marriage to prioritize educational and employment opportunities, the income gap between mothers and fathers will continue to decrease, and children will also view their mothers and fathers more equally.

Currently, both men and women work outside the home in 60 percent of marriages, as opposed to 31 percent of marriages in 1970 (Graf). Instead of strictly seeing their mothers performing tasks within the home and barely seeing their fathers, frequently the only employed parent, children today are exposed to both parents providing income for the family, and both tending to household chores and childcare. The increasing balance of responsibilities in marriage lessens strict gendered roles, previously seen in the sixties. Parents’ actions heavily influence their children, as they serve as primary role models. If children see that work inside and outside of the home is shared equally between their parents, their ideas on gendered labor will also be decreased.

Many women’s attitudes and roles in marriage have changed drastically over the last fifty years. As the shift from the typical housewife occurs, marriage roles among men are altered as well. According to the US Department of Labor, two million fathers were stay-at-home dads in 2012. A decade prior to 2012, less than one million fathers were the primary caregiver. This new social construct has led to a legislative change in multiple states. California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island are the only states that offer paid paternal leave (US Department of Labor). When fathers are able to take time off of work, they are also able to balance duties in the house with their significant other, such as taking care of the children and chores in general. Paternal leave laws allow for a more equal share in childcare and chores, which was previously unseen in past years, when it was uncommon for men to assist their wives with in-house labor. However, there is still a stigma attached to men taking work off to attend to demands at home. Another study by the Department of Labor shows that a substantial amount of employed fathers who have access to paid leave “took less than the full amount of paid leave available.” The main reasons that explain this trend, according to these fathers, were high demands at work and the fact that it is somewhat rare for fathers to take the full amount of paid leave offered to them (US Department of Labor). Even though marital roles are shared more frequently, the pressure of fathers being the main source of income is still very present, as shown by the men’s attitudes towards Paternal Leave. As more states create laws to assist fathers in being more involved with their families, chores in the home will continue to be increasingly gender-equal.

New laws such as Paternal Leave further validate and allow for the movement towards more balanced roles in marriages. However, as previously mentioned, paid leave for fathers is only offered in three states, limiting the social acceptance of men who take care of the children. Legislation strongly defines marriage, as seen by Jim Crow laws that prohibited interracial marriage, and by the Supreme Court’s legalization of gay marriage in all states in June of 2015. The Supreme Court’s decision of expanding marriage outside of strictly opposite-gender legal unions had a massive impact on the institution of marriage. The day this law was passed, many in support for gay marriage expressed their enthusiasm with the statement “Love Wins.” This simple saying encompasses the change in marriage’s purpose, as well as how it is regarded. “Love Wins” represents the developing view that marriage should only be founded and defined by the love between two people. It is clear that the new definition of marriage is still emerging, as shown by 73 percent of millennials’ approval of the legalization of same-sex marriage, compared to previous generations’ lower endorsement of the recently passed law (Masci & Motel). However, as more millenials begin to have children and spread their views on same-sex marriage, the acceptance for gay marriage will continue to increase.

An unwanted question many gay and lesbian married couples receive is “Which one of you is the mother/ father?” This query shows that marriage today is still very much based on having two separate roles. In same-sex marriage, separated and rigid roles are uncommon. Instead, such couples tend to have more egalitarian relationships (Pappas). Since more same-sex parents share duties fairly, in contrast to many opposite-sex marriages, children of same-sex parents grow up being less familiar with strict gender stereotypes, according to a Live Science research study. The legalization of gay marriage further shifts marriage away from its traditional context, both in the broadening of who can get married, and in making gender roles more flexible.

Marriage has changed drastically from the 1960s to the present. In the sixties, marriage was seen as another requirement in one’s life, and it included very strict gender roles. As economic opportunities for women have grown, and new laws such as Paternal Leave and the legalization of same-sex marriage have taken place, gender roles have increased in flexibility. Yet, in 2016, most husbands continue to be the more common source of income, while mothers still tend to take care of the children and household duties. However, as the pay gap between men and women tightens, as marriage becomes increasingly based on love, and more same-sex married couples become parents, children will be more frequently exposed to seeing a balance of duties between their parents, leading to overall less strict gender roles in an institution which previously endorsed gender differences.

 

 

Sources

Graf, Nikki. “Most Americans Say Children Are Better off with a Parent at Home.” Pew Research Center RSS. N.p., 10 Oct. 2016. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.

Holland, Kelley. “Who’s Winning the Chore Wars among Working Parents?” CNBC. CNBC, 28 Apr. 2015. Web. 02 Nov. 2016.

Masci, David, and Seth Motel. “5 Facts About Same-Sex Marriage.” Pew Research Center RSS. N.p., 26 June 2015. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.

Paternity Leave: Why Parental Leave for Fathers Is so Important for Working Families (n.d.): n. pag. United States Department of Labor. Web.

Patten, Eileen. “On Equal Pay Day, Key Facts About the Gender Pay Gap.” Pew Research Center RSS. N.p., 14 Apr. 2015. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.

“Single By Choice: Why Fewer American Women Are Married Than Ever Before.” NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2016.

Wang, Wendy, Kim Parker, and Paul Taylor. “Married Mothers Who Out-Earn Their Husbands.” Pew Research Centers Social Demographic Trends Project RSS. N.p., 29 May 2013. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.

“Your Right to Equal Pay – Understand the Basics.” The White House. The White House, n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.

Authenticity vs. Oversimplification

Morozov addresses the Khannas’ use of advanced vocabulary and fancy words such as “Technik”, to trick “unsophisticated crowds”. While at times, I simply do not comprehend certain authors or speakers’ proposals due to their advanced vocabulary, I have also detected instances in which people try to mask their bullshit by using big words. I will admit it, I have done the same in the past. In high school, I frequently turned in assignments and papers with nonsense, hidden by formal writing. I would hope that teachers would skim over my writing, notice a few impressive words, and give me a good grade. However, there is a difference between a teenager bullshitting a paper to try to get by in class, and someone with power to influence many doing the same thing. Those with power to change important aspects of society should be held to higher standards of honesty. I appreciate Morozov for shamelessly calling out the Khannas’ phony speeches, and I believe more people should do this in similar instances.

Along with criticizing the Khannas’ false information, Morozov negatively comments on Ted Talks as a whole. He writes that TED’s “ideas worth spreading” have turned into “ideas no footnotes can support”. Morozov believes many of those who give Ted Talks overly simplify their topics, to make their ideas more accessible and understandable to their audience. However, this causes problems for instances in which certain concepts cannot be further simplified. Furthermore, instead of calling audiences to a higher intellectual standard, this method dumbs concepts down, which often hinders a speaker’s legitimacy. In doing this, we are practically encouraging people to remain at a basic level of education, since talks are being shaped around that. While reducing seemingly complicated ideas to appeal to larger amount of people can benefit the person giving the speech, it does not aid in increasing an audience’s understanding of a particular concept.

One reason I enjoy learning is that by having knowledge, it is easy to detect who is being dishonest. It is very important to be able to differentiate between an influential speaker who is not completely honest from a truthful one with authentic information. In my opinion, presenting accurate points is more important than having a flawless delivery. For my Ted Talk, I will try to improve on the latter, as I am not the best public speaker. I enjoy listening to speakers who are both good at communicating their points, and being sincere, and I hope to be able to do both in the future.