This week I thought I would talk about a recent article I found online on the Washington Post. This article really shocked me! The article talks about 7  restrictions that women still have around the world! The restrictions are so ridiculous that at first I thought it couldn’t be true! How could it be possible for countries around the world in this day in age to have these laws against women. Although most restriction talked about on the website are ones that take place in the Middle East, Asia and Latin America, there are not really restricted to these specific areas. As I have discussed in past blogs, women are discriminated against all over the world, not just in third world countries, but in developed countries as well. The article specifies that it focuses on these specific regions because that is where the most shocking stories come from!

The first restriction in the article takes place in India and it states that road safety rules do not apply to women. This means that women are not required to wear their seat-belts, they are not required to wear helmets where riding a bike or motorcycle and other rules like these. It says that the reason for this law is because they want women to preserve their hair and make up to keep up appearances. Like what?? Safety is not a concern because women are significantly devalued.

The second restriction is in Yemen, and it states that women are only considered half a witness when testifying in a court of law. They must have a man witness corroborating her story in order for her testimony to be valid. This is because they are so de-valued that they are not considered a full person in a court of law. Whats even more surprising than this, is that they are not even allowed to testify in certain types of cases such as theft, adultery, and libel. Devaluing a woman is more important than justice in this country.

The third restriction is in both Saudi Arabia AND the Vatican City. This one is a classic…. women still can’t vote!! Seriously????

The fourth restriction is in Ecuador and it says that abortions are illegal. Now, this is a very controversial topic even here in the United States. But shouldn’t a woman have a right to make decisions about her own body?

The fifth restriction is in Saudi Arabia and Morocco. This one is really sad! The law states that women that have been raped can be charged with committing a crime! So the woman gets raped, and then she gets punished by the law?? The woman can get charged for getting pregnant after being raped (as if thats their fault), for being with an unrelated man, and for leaving the house without a male accompanying them! The law even goes further to state that if the man that raped the girl and the girl get married than neither can/ will be charged with a crime! So not only does she get raped by a man, but now she has to spend the rest of her life with him? That’s just sick!

The sixth restriction is in Yemen and it states that women cannot leave the house without their husbands permission. Now apparently there are exceptions, like if it as an emergency! BUT still why should a woman have to ask permission to step out of her own house? This is just another way that a woman has no control over her own life!

The last restriction is in Saudi Arabia, and it states that women cannot drive…. This just seems ridiculous that a woman has to depend on a man to take her everywhere she wants to go?? The good news with this restriction is that the women in Saudi Arabia are actually fighting it!!

This restrictions are all ridiculous and really infringe on the rights of women all over the world! Hopefully, women in all of these countries start standing up for their rights and hope that the women from all over the world are supporting them! The full article is here.

This blog I come bearing good news. Although the discrimination against women around the world is endless, some women are taking the necessary steps to eventually reach equality. This is the story of a Chinese woman who was not hired for a job for the simple reason that she was a woman. This issue took place in China, and rather than ignoring her discrimination, this woman, Cao Ju, got a lawyer and fought for her rights and equality as a woman.

She applied for the position of executive assistant at a tutoring company. The company had previously specified that they wanted a man for the job. However, Cao applied either way. She was rejected for being a woman. The reasoning was that the office job required the worker to carry heavy loads, therefore the need for a man. What kind of office job requires having to carry a heavy load??? Cao is a recent graduate and has all of the necessary requirements to be eligible for the job. She said:  ” I think as long as the person is capable of doing the work the post requires, gender is irrelevant” as the reasoning for bringing the case. Although the case never made it to the courts, the company did settle with her on the issue. This act in itself is a huge change in thought and action in the Chinese community. Past actions would of just ignored or dismissed the case. The full story is here.

China’s government has supported equal treatment of men and women in the workplace. However, they do not enforce this law since there is no government agency overseeing this. Most companies and business openly write in their job postings “no women wanted” or “men only” even though their law prohibits this type of discrimination. Many companies do this by specifying that the job will be labor and the worker must be able to carry a heavy load when the job is really an office job. Often they discriminate against women because they are afraid of the things that could happen in the workplace if a women was added as a co- worker. Pregnancy is among one of these fear for employers. Since the Chinese government does not pay companies for maternity leave, the full burden falls on the company. Another big issue that trouble employers when hiring women is the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace. The article describes a survey done in China that found that 70% of female workers were harassed in the factories in which they worked. 15% of those workers were so traumatized that they had to leave their jobs, ultimately leaving the company with less workers. Therefore, in order to avoid such problems, companies in China chose to discriminate against women in the workplace.

Cao’s case is the first gender discrimination lawsuit in China. The company ended up settling with Cao rather than taking the issue to court because officials claimed that there was no ground for discrimination. This can be considered a huge stride for women’s rights and equality in China and all around the world. Although this does not solve all the discrimination problems in the world, it does however, provide hope for women all over the world. As more women see this story in China, they too will become inspired to fight back and stand up for equality and justice for women.

For this entry I was recently made aware of an international issue that people should be aware of. This issue is another way that women around the world are being discriminated against and the offenders are now being protected by the law itself. Unlike the other articles I have posted, this issue is not taking place in the United States. Rather, this is injustice is occurring in Mozambique today and although we may not have much control about what happens in other countries, it is imperative that we stay informed of all of the injustices that take place around the world, especially those that discriminate against women.

This article talks about a new law that is trying to get passed through the parliament. This law states that any man that sexually abuses a woman can escape criminal prosecution by marrying the woman that he sexually abuses. The marriage must last for at least five years and after that no charger can be brought against him for sexually abusing a woman. In Mozambique can refuse to marry a man, however often pressure from the family forces a woman into a frightening marriage. This is even worse for girls that are minors. If a minor is raped the she has no choice in the decision of marrying her offender, it is her family’s decision. Because it is in the best interest of the girl’s poor family for her to marry, they usually agree to the terms. The reasoning behind this new law is to protect the honor of the girl’s family and to benefit the offender. When a girl or woman is raped and abused, that girls family is often dishonored and that family becomes an embarrassment to society. By marrying the girl or woman off to the her offender, she is no longer a disgrace to her family, no matter how much that might violate that woman’s rights.  The full story is here.

When I was first made aware of this I could not believe it. There is just so many things wrong with this law. First off, the women of this country depend on their government to protect them as citizens of that state, and instead of protecting their women from wrongful doing, the government is ignoring their human rights. I cannot even believe how a woman in this situation must feel, to first be sexually abused by a man, and then have to marry that same man against her will. This was just sickening to me! This law  was already pre-passed through parliament and is suppose to get passed through parliament officially in the month of March, and all of the women of Mozambique are praying that this not occur!

This law has already been in place in Morocco. The article talks about a sixteen year old girl who was raped and abused by a man and was later forced to marry her offender. Rather than being trapped in the frightening marriage she chose to commit suicide. Many more women are going through the same nightmares today. Many have raised their concerns through protests to demand a change in the law.

This is just another example of the violence and discrimination that exists in the world today for women. We all pray that this law does not get passed in Mozambique and hopefully it changes in Morocco. It is a clear violation of a woman’s human rights. Hearing stories like these make me incredibly sad of the kind of discrimination and injustice that exists in the world today. Although this extent of discrimination is not occurring in the Unites States, we still have our own type of women discrimination that should be fought and changed.

For my first CI blog I thought that I would explain a little about my civic issue topic and what I am going to be talking about in the weeks to come. Although my topic is women’s rights, I have decided to expand the topic internationally. Therefore, I will be commenting on the similarities and differences of women’s rights all around the world. Women’s rights is not just an issue in the United States, it is an international issue. Different cultures have different beliefs about the appropriate place for a woman in society, and this blog is going to explore those different beliefs. I am hoping that with this blog I will be able to make others aware of the discrimination and problems that women face in other countries, as well as in the United States. Also, comment on the fact that sometimes our beliefs, or the beliefs of the west may not always be the best, although it is contrary to popular belief.

Women have endured discrimination for as long as anyone can remember. In many parts of the world, and in some instances even the United States, women are not seen as the equal of man. This belief is sometimes due to one’s religion and culture, and other times it is just plain discrimination. Although many like to believe that we have passed the issue of women’s rights in history, this issue is still an ongoing problem today. Women are not always treated with the same respect as men. There are many examples in the United States that still objectify women to the type of discrimination that we believe we no longer take part in. The feminist movement has brought about many positive changes for women in the United States. Bettering their lifestyles as a whole. In the United States, women are given respect but maybe not equality. In other parts of the world, people have not yet accepted the idea of women as anything but inferior to men. Women are discriminated in the workplace, in the home, and sometimes even in the laws eyes.

One issue that caught my attention recently was when a male employer fired his female assistant for being “too attractive.” This male dentist, Dr. James Knight,  told his assistant that her beauty was a danger to his marriage and his family and he could not work with her any longer. The woman, Melissa Nelson, who had been working in the dental office for ten years, was astonished by his boss’s decision to terminate her simply for her looks. She loved her job and had spent a decade working with this doctor side by side. She knew there was no way that her termination could be legal so she sought legal advice and took her issue to court when she decided to sue her employer for unlawful termination and gender discrimination in the workplace. The judge dismissed the case before it even went to trial. However, Melissa’s appeal made it to the Iowa Supreme Court and the  all-male Supreme Court decided that the male employer was in his right to fire the female assistant. Many were shocked and hurt by their decision. The full story is here.

Although we like to believe that people in the United States are past the discrimination of women, the reality of the situation is that it occurs everyday and most of the time it goes unnoticed. The fact that such a high power of authority in the United States, such as the law, was able to take part in such clear gender discrimination is just a clear example of how discriminatory this country can still be to women today.