On a recent blue loop ride around from East to West campus here at Penn State, my friend and I were quietly sitting in the front of the bus when he nudged my foot and pointed to a girl sitting about three rows behind us.  In a confidential voice he whispered, “That’s the only girl in my engineering class…” I, of course, was shocked to find out that his class was 98% male as the majority of my classes are split equally between male and female students.  However, as a liberal arts student, I had forgotten to take the STEM classes into consideration.  Does sexism play a part in discouraging women to work in STEM related fields? And if so, are women working to change this issue?

The answer is yes.  Even here at Penn State, the majority of women who graduate with an engineering degree, for example, is far fewer than their male counterparts. Some female STEM college graduates even discuss how sexism was prevalent in the classrooms they were part of.  Between working in groups to remarks from male classmates, women often felt shunned in many of the STEM majors.

Some of the pressure to choose non STEM-related fields even begins in high school. Dorlisa Franks, a student at Paquea Valley High School commented in a recent interview about the subject how male classmates refused to partner up with her during specific building projects because “it was like ‘no girl’s going to have to know how to do this. That’s not important for a girl. Men do this.”  Luckily, it did not phase Dorlisa as she and her partner plowed ahead to get the highest grade in the class on that particular project as well as continued to major as a forensic scientist in college.

Dorlisa, however, represents the minority of female students who are not dissuaded by sexism in and out of the classroom about staying clear of STEM related jobs. According to a study conducted in 2012 by Georgetown University, only 23% of all STEM employees are female.  This is in comparison with the 48% in all other fields. Due to the lack of female participating in STEM related material in high school and in college, many schools are taking action to promote engineering degrees and classes to female students.  Leading the way are fellow female STEM teachers and advisors.  Many high schools have developed STEM training programs specifically catered to girls.  Women leading these seminars try to attract girls through interactive experiments like Mentos and Diet Coke.  Colleges, such as MIT, have also developed panels that discuss how to promote STEM jobs to women and girls as well as answered questions for incoming female students about the profession.

Tech classes are also being encouraged in many high schools to help girls discover that they really do have a passion for technology (despite the common stereotype).   A classmate of Dorlisa had this to say about the tech classes before they began: “I’m clumsy, I’m not that smart. If I take a tech course, it’s just going to be me and some guys.”  However, during the course of the tech class, she became more interested and her confidence grew. By the end of the class, she had admitted that something had been sparked and she hoped to one day become an engineer

Hopeful that more female students will continue taking offered STEM classes, instructors and feminists continue to discuss options about how to encourage female participation in more STEM related fields.  Although still faltering in numbers, more is being done today in the form of panels, classes and with teacher mentors to encourage female participation in STEM fields. By continuing to focus their efforts, the percentage of women in those fields will most likely experience a change in the coming years as it becomes more and more equal.  Soon, I hope that my engineering male friend here at Penn State will have more than one girl in his engineering classes.  After all, classes are more fun when there is an equal gender representation.

Discrimination is a topic that I, before my most recent google search, had only associated with the workplace in the United States.  Ironically, the first news article that popped up after a google search on discrimination to find this week’s topic, was about Britain.   When considering discrimination abroad, I feel that it is safe to say that Britain is the last place that I would think of as having a problem.  I of course would have focused more on countries in Africa and in India for examples of discrimination due to their being viewed more as developing countries rather than being already developed.  However, as it turns out, like the United States, Britain and many other countries around the world still suffer from constant discrimination.

The statistics emerging from Britain are staggering.  Over a quarter of British women report being discriminated against in the workplace.  This has resulted in an incredible fashion change in the British workforce.  In order to avoid sexual discrimination, women are now wearing longer skirts and less revealing shirts.  Many women also reported that they believe having children is viewed as a setback in the business world.  David Saul, a corporate owner of the newspaper Business Environment was even quoted as saying, “What these results show is that employers are still discriminating against women who choose to have children as well as work. The ‘you can have it all’ generation are being failed by their employers.”  Although obviously a serious problem, not much is being done to change the discrimination and sexism in British society.  Unlike the United States, it is not as frequently reported about online or in newspapers.  There are also fewer support groups for working women in Britain.

With first world super powers like the United States and Britain still experiencing gender discrimination in the workforce, it is obvious that other struggling first and second world countries such as India, China and South Africa are also suffering discrimination.  China especially has one of the highest gender discrimination percentages in the world.  However, Chinese discrimination is especially acute because of its early beginning (the abortion of female fetuses).  This discrimination continues into the Chinese workforce.  Only 21 percent of females upon graduation last year were able to find jobs within two months.  This was almost half of the 40 percent of males that were able to find jobs.  Gender discrimination in China is also highly sexualized with many women complaining of no getting hired simply because of their physically appearance.

In India, women suffer discrimination due to gender, religion and social class.  It is not uncommon for employers to pay more attention to religion than resumes when regarding future employees.  Similarly, untouchables in Indian society are considered not hirable by many employers.  Due to the amount of discrimination, it is up to the United States, the most developed country in the world, to set the bar involving discrimination in the work force.  Although there are currently laws against discrimination, more attention needs to be brought to the issue.  With more negative attention being brought on businesses and employers that discriminate, discrimination will hopefully become less common in the United States.  This trend will hopefully also continue to influence other governments and countries around the world.

Obviously, discrimination is not simply localized to the United States.  Females around the world are battling for positions in government and in businesses that are typically primarily male.  The United States has made great gains in recent years to promote the gender fairness and equality.  Now it is time for the rest of the world to catch up and continue to make the workforce free of discrimination.   Although it will take time and effort for many developing and developed countries, equality is something that has to be fought for.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-business/10674940/Gender-discrimination-still-rife-in-British-workplaces.html

Discrimination in the workforce has long been a talked about issue in the United States. Once a hot button topic that many assumed had been taken care of, a clear and definite solution was never given and the problem of gender discrimination has persisted in the workforce today. I was not particularly aware of any discrimination of women of late until I was scrolling through my Facebook page (typical college student, I know), and discovered that three of my very close friends had shared the same article.  Bill O’Reilly’s: “There has got to be some disadvantage to having a female president. Right?” became an overnight Facebook sensation with over 1 million shares.  The quote that quickly became famous deserves to be included in this blog post.

“There haven’t been that many strong women leaders throughout history. But when you’re president of the United States you have to deal with people like Putin, you have got to deal with the real ornery Mullahs in Iran. Look, the Mullahs in Iran, they think women are like subspecies.”

I would also recommend watching the actual video footage of the incident here:  http://www.buzzfeed.com/dorsey/bill-oreilly-there-has-got-to-be-some-downside-to-having-a-w

In case you do not have the time to watch the clip, here is a quick summary. In the interview with two other female correspondents, Bill O’Reilly repeatedly asked the women to come up with negative aspects of having a female president. Both looking extremely awkward and uncomfortable (and later frustrated and angry), and replied that there would be no more negativity involved with having a female president versus a male president.  Both tried to make it clear to Mr. O’Reilly that he was being extremely sexist, but he missed their signals.

Curious as to what other articles/new stories about discrimination I had missed, I did a quick google news search for female discrimination in the work force.  I was shocked with the number of recent articles that I discovered. Intrigued, I dug deeper in the source of the discrimination.

Discrimination of women can include any of the following: “Sexual harassment, withholding promotions based on gender, giving a different job title to a woman and preventing women from participating in training opportunities.”  Discrimination against females can occur in several different categories: Pregnancy, appearance, physical availability, wages and consequence to employers.

Many employers will not hire pregnant women due to the fact that they are allotted 12 weeks of leave to take care of the child and the assumption that they will not be able to work as many hours with a family to take care of. Due to this form of discrimination, many who are either pregnant or think they will become pregnant within the year, conceal that fact from their interviewer. A women’s appearance is also a common form of discrimination when hiring. An attractive woman may be more likely to get hired and/or they might be less likely to be hired based on the “distraction” that they could cause in the office. For jobs that require physical strength, a woman might not get hired based on the thought process that she might not be able to complete the physical tasks as fast and/or efficiently as her male co-workers. Women also experience discrimination when it comes to wages. On average women earn 80% less than the average male worker. Although that statistic has been gradually lowering over several years, there is still a lot of work that has to be done to make the wages of men and women equal.

Not only is discrimination on display in many social aspects of daily life (see last blog post) but as mentioned above, it is also on clear display in the workforce. Although Bill O’Reilly was not the first to reinforce the fact that discrimination still exists, his comments brought forth a huge negative out lash from Fox viewers. As American citizens, we all must realize that our modern society is constantly changing. We have to change with it and catch up with the times. It is time for discrimination in the workforce to end (Equal rights (and pay) for all women worldwide.) It is time for the US to set the precedent!

As little kids (yes, even the boys) most of us were part of the Disney “cult.”  We were avid watchers of the movies, played with the action figures and dolls and may have even made a trip or two to visit the famous Disney World. Parents, encouraged by the G rating of many Disney movies, encouraged the movies and the positive messages that came with them. Obviously, Disney had a profound affect on many of our childhoods. But was it really a positive affect?  After looking closely at the messages behind many Disney movies, many theorist have actually contributed Disney movies to the ideas of gender objectification beginning at a relatively young age.

At the age of 4 when given the choice between a male doll and a female doll and asked the question “Who cleans the house?” all 10 children pointed to the female doll. Similarly, when asked “Who raises the kids?” the children responded with the same response. Many who witnessed this survey found it shocking that gender objectification could occur at such an early age. Although the classic case of nature vs. nurture was ruled to have an effect, many of the scientists involved with the study also looked into the type of entertainment available to the children.  Unsurprisingly, all 10 children had hear of or encountered Disney in some manner.

After examining the early Disney princess movies, researchers made some shocking discoveries that let them to conclude that the movies were actually not appropriate for their target audience: young girls.  The princesses, who were all depicted with extremely small features, coke glass figures and who were all seeking husbands, only backs up the conclusions that the Disney movies were basically encouraging girls to “sexy, weak and married.”

For the few Americans who have not seen Ariel, Snow White and Cinderella, we all still know the story line. Three princess who find true love and live happily ever after. But is that really the case. The Little Mermaid: A movie that encourages girls to leave their families, change their bodies and abandon the one thing they love most to make the “man of their dreams” happy. Snow White: When beauty at first seems like a horrible thing (it almost gets her killed) it prevails in attracting a man for protection. Not only does this enforce the idea that women are fragile and have to be used for protection, but it also enforces the idea that beauty is the only thing men find attractive. Finally, Cinderella: If you are beautiful, maybe you can find a man wealthy enough to save you from your poverty. No hard work involved. Just marriage.   Even The Beauty and the Beast, a movie about an independent bookwork, also leaves young girls with the idea that if an abusive man cannot be changed with love and charm then she has failed and will never achieve her happy ending.

I of course grew up watching Disney movies. I still unashamedly have a “Disney’s Children Playlist” radio station on my Pandora radio, and in Disney’s defense, they have made an effort in recent years to combat the white, petite stereotype. Tiana, the first African America princess, was also the first to not be searching for a Prince and instead was searching for means of starting her own business.

Of course Disney is not the sole reason for female objectification, other social media outlets and sources such as Playboy are much more influential in portraying females as sex objects whose only purpose is pleasing men. Disney does, however, have a profound effect on children that is then carried into adulthood. Although banning Princess movies is hardly an option, maybe either watching newer (and more appropriate) Disney movies or parents talking to their children about the movies would help to reduce the resulting gender objectification.

http://www.alligator.org/opinion/columns/article_f9b654e2-5fef-11e0-91fc-001cc4c002e0.html

http://saysellemarie.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/walt-disney-the-magical-world-of-objectification/

It all began with 14 year old Daisy Coleman sneaking out of her house at 1am. What came next has been talked about since it was first reported several months ago by the Kansas City Star.  According to reports, Coleman and a friend snuck over to a 17 year old football player’s house where they consumed numerous alcoholic beverages. The night ended with Daisy seen being carried incoherently crying and then being dropped off in 22 degree weather on her front porch where her mother found her scratching at the door in the morning.

Daisy’s 13 year old friend, who also snuck out and was at the same party was also treated in a similar fashion although she was coherent.  According to reports, her Daisy’s friend went into a bedroom with a 15-year-old boy, who later told the police that “although the girl said ‘no’ multiple times, he undressed her, put a condom on and had sex with her.”  Gruesome, yes. Horrifying for any parent of a young girl? Absolutely. Because of the publicity this particular case received (the trial recently ended January 9 with plea bargain for the 19 year old defendant) it is unsurprising that Daisy Coleman attempted to commit suicide following the release of specific details surrounding the case. What is surprising, however, is that Daisy’s mother stated that her daughter was unable to attend the conclusion of the trial due to the suicide attempt that was made “after various bullying accusations on social media.” A recent article on Slate.com also backed up Daisy’s mothers claim by stating that “the town lined up behind Matthew and against Daisy.”  To the reader, the problem with this situation is obvious. How is it possible that a 14 year old girl was blamed for her own rape and bullied because of it to the point where she attempted suicide?

According to reports, Daisy was bullied from multiple sources by people who accused her of seducing the football all-star and then blaming him for the results. Unfortunately, these accusations are nothing new. Girls in multiple rape cases, including the Steubenville, Ohio case have been accused of seducing the boys accused in their various rape cases with provocative words and clothes.  In particular in Ohio, the 16 year old who pressed rape charges had clear evidence (tweets, facebook posts and a picture of her being carried unconsciously by the ankles and wrists by her attackers) was blamed for “allowing the incident to occur.” Although her only memories of the night involved vomiting in the middle of the street, the evidence on social media was enough to file charges against the two football players and later convict them. The charges, however, were also initially dropped due to public outrage against the girl.

Shifting across the spectrum, many recent rape cases have had surprising declarations from the males accused. Males suggest that they were seduced by the young girls and that it was consensual. Surprisingly, especially in the Ohio case, they have received the support and backing of a tremendous amount of people.  This is partly what contributed to the negative out lash against both of the two girls mentioned in the cases above.  The argument surround in the “blame game” in rape cases has caused many discussions into the gender equality and the objectification of females.  Rape cases are only one example of the strained gender relations that still plague the United States on a daily basis and the idea that girls are simply objects to be used for sexual relations.

How has the psychology behind gender relations become so twisted that a girl can be bullied for stating the evidence for her own rape? Gender equality has long been the topic of controversy since women first began to speak out about various inequalities. After decades of struggle, however, it is clear that girls are still being objectified and portrayed in a certain way in our current society.  Rape cases are not the only instances where objectifying females has become controversial. Due to their objectification, females are experiencing greater gender parity in education, employment and other major fronts. One of the key causes of female objectification (which has led to various mediums of inequality) has been social media.  The recent focus on the media’s portrayal of women has produced two questions.  Can objectification ever be completed eliminated and, if so, how?

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/10/14/maryville_rape_case_the_horrifying_details_of_what_happened_to_daisy_coleman.html