An Assessment of
Feminism fighting violence and pornography

Feminism, and the lack of equality for women when compared to men, was the key subject throughout the readings in WC2001. Feminists have fought for equality over a long period of time, and women’s rights have improved in many poignant areas. Unfortunately, a lack of knowledge concerning women’s history is letting the new generation’s views be warped by the media concerning the advancements feminism has successfully made for women throughout the world. However, even now, women are still disadvantaged, especially concerning domestic violence and the sex industry, where men are dominating women and enjoying all the benefits, while the women involved, suffer. Feminism has fought hard against such inequalities for the women’s sake, but now it is time for the men to stand up and fight too.
The word “Feminist” brings many mixed reactions throughout society; it has been these reactions that have shaped people’s views towards joining a progressing women’s movement, which is bent on bringing equality for ladies everywhere. Before I started WC2001 I was one of those people who viewed feminism as a negative movement. My views were not based on any actual knowledge, but shaped by my society and the media. My lack of education in women’s history prevented me from addressing feminist views critically and most importantly, accurately. This lack of knowledge, which is commonly found throughout society, makes it easy for the media to promote their version of feminism. A lack of accurate information causes individuals to believe whatever view is put before them, which causes the patriarchal views to override the truth of what feminism has actually done. Learning what feminism has accomplished for women throughout the world has been inspiring and changed my views towards many aspects of feminism. Ruby Hamad (2013) describes feminism as “acknowledging that women are still systematically marginalised, and actively working to end this discrimination”. She also states that women are equally proficient and warrant equal opportunities. Readings from Kate Hughes (1997), for example, taught me why feminism has helped to give women almost equal rights to men in many areas (like being able to vote or own land) that previously would have been unthinkable to the female race. The “normalised” advantages women enjoy, when compared to the past, would not be here if women had not stood up for their rights in the face of tremendous adversity from men, as described by the writing of Marilyn Lake (1999). Unaware of women’s history in how disadvantaged they were, I assumed the freedoms we enjoy today were always this way, and I truly believed that we now live in a just society that protects people no matter their gender, race, class or age. In a bitter sweet way, WC2001 has opened my eyes to the condition of the female race that is currently fighting for the same rights enjoyed by the male race in many areas, and in particular, against violence towards women and sexual exploitation.
Readings in Unit 5 of WC2001 address the pressing issue of physical violence towards women and children committed by males, especially within the family unit. These writings explored the feminist views towards violence; why it is still occurring, and why men are still doing it. Baker’s (2003) article explores how even though media portrays women as successful and triumphant, the reality is still in contrast with that perception. She finds that young ladies blame themselves or other women when caught in an abusive relationship, instead of blaming the male who is committing the abuse, which, in turn, benefits the men as they can continue to get away with violence (Baker, 2003). NQDVRS (2012) describes domestic violence as, using violence as a means to control the other person in an intimate relationship. They also state that it does not matter what the woman does, they cannot change the behaviour of the male abuser (NQDVRS, 2012). I found this incredible! Why would people blame the victim instead of the perpetrator, and why would women blame each other? But I have to admit that I have asked the question of why a woman would stay in an abusive relationship and, on that basis, have blamed the woman for staying. Nevertheless, as the feminist data has pointed out, it is not easy to leave, especially if there are children involved, like Helen Cummings who would have stayed with her abusive husband to protect her children under the recent Family Law Act (Horin, 2011). Also, the violent men seek out their partners who are trying to leave, causing the women to fear for their lives, and with due cause, as statistics state that 82% of female domestic homicides are committed by males (NQDVRS, 2012). Baker (2003) states simply that men commit domestic violence to obtain control and power over the woman. Learning this credible information changed my view on why women find it hard to leave abusive relationships. It also raised questions as to what our legal system and government are doing to protect these battered women and children. Also, what are the non-abusive men doing to stop the violent men from committing such crimes?
Women fight for the protection and respect deserved from violent men, but who else is joining this fight for equality in the most basic form, safety. I know feminists have made domestic violence a woman’s agenda in many ways, and in a lot of the readings, the women tend to be the ones focused on, but should we instead focus on the men and what they are doing? What about all the good men out there that are against domestic violence, or violence of any kind towards any gender? Why are they not stepping up and fighting the good fight? Jackson Katz (2013) adequately addresses this issue by pointing out that feminism has inadvertently made violence a women’s issue when it should be a male issue. The woman should not be the centre of the issue, but the male, so the men cannot hide behind the line, “it is a woman’s issue, let them deal with it”, and continue to avoid change (Katz, 2013). How simple is this point, yet, I believe, so correct. The men should be dealing with this issue of violence, whether domestic or sexual; the innocent men should no longer be silent condoners, and instead, start fighting for the abused women and children out there. As Martin Luther King once stated “in the end, what will hurt the most is not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends” (Katz, 2013). These words reflect so adequately the problem of domestic violence; bystanders do not stand up for the victims (VicHealthMedia, 2012). Men do not stand up and speak out enough for the victims. Also, what about the unfair trials of women who killed while fighting for their lives, like Heather Osland, who was jailed for 14 years when her son walked free (Kirkwood, 2003). This made me sick to the stomach to think that our “trusted” legal system could so blatantly treat women unequally, and to the point that Heather did not even give the killing blow (Kirkwood, 2003). Why are men walking free, when women are being held captive for the same reasons?
Unfortunately though, a particular article by Betty McLellan (2003) describes her angst against the legal system allowing men to be charged differently for murder or violence due to psychological problems. This caused me some distress, as psychological issues are not gender based; they occur to both men and women and are used in a court of law for both genders (White & Perrone, 2010). Psychological issues have been proven to affect the individual in ways that can hinder sound judgement, and this has been supported by decades of research (Martin, Carlson & Buskist, 2010). I am not saying that people should get away with violence, but that we should go to the source of the problem and fix it, instead of just punishing the horrible behaviour. It is passionate statements like McLellan’s that cause me to want to stop reading her article all together. Apart from all the negative points around violence, there is some hope to be found. The United Nations General Assembly called for action to “intensify their efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women” (UN Women, n.d.). This brings hope that what women and men are fighting for is having an impact on the necessary areas to create change and a better future for the women and children, but there is still a lot of work to be done, especially in the sex industry.
The sex industry is vile and the epitome of inequality. Women are used for the gratification of men and are paid pittance for their role. Reading about what happens in the porn films and prostitution was a true eye opener. I have never experienced anything to do with the sex industry, and while I knew it had to be damaging for the women involved, I had no idea how physically dangerous and emotionally, mentally and spiritually destructive it is. All so the man can feel power and get a release. Pornland and Big Porn Inc were quite graphic in explaining what the women have to endure to produce a pornographic movie (Dines, 2010; Reist & Bray, 2011). The physical damage that is done to all their orifices from multiple men at once; the contraptions on their heads to prevent them from pulling back so they can breathe; the hateful words spoken by the men to degrade them; but most of all the blatant view that the women are only objects to the men involved, screams inequality in a sickening degree (Dines, 2010; Reist & Bray, 2011). To me the sex industry is like a child who keeps pushing the limits to see how much he can get away with, and in this case it is the patriarchal views of old that are running rank in the underworld of the sex industry. Not only are the men getting away with it and making a profit, but also, the women are the ones who are prosecuted, for example in prostitution, as stated by ex-prostitute Rachel Moran (PaidforBook, 2013). Yet blogs from women who have been molested from tender ages consistently by fathers, who should have been protecting them from perpetrators, show that they just logically choose prostitution due to their being conditioned (Mott, n.d.). Then there are women who are forced into the industry due to extreme poverty and a lack of other options (PaidforBook, 2013). These true stories were extremely hard to read, as I could not help but feel empathy for every one of them. It was almost like I was there with them feeling their terror and lack of power or control over their lives.
I feel so relieved that not everyone is for prostitution or the sex trade. I was under the impression that a lot of the women in the trade were there because they wanted to be. I have heard from so many people that these women are empowered by their job and happy doing it. That upset me tremendously, because I feel so differently and I value my body so much more than “they” supposedly do. I felt they were robbed of the intimacy and love I get to share with my husband, a man who values me and respects me. I am so grateful for the many online journals, like Ilda or The Prostitution Experience, and programs, like Pink Cross, that are already helping women out of prostitution (http://ildaro.blogspot.kr/?m=1; http://theprostitutionexperience.com; Healey, 2013) . I full heartedly agree with Rachel Moran about there being a need for programs to help women have a viable income choice when they want to leave prostitution or the porn industry (PaidforBook, 2013). Rachel Moran made it clear that she had no choice when she joined prostitution and that it was poverty and a lack of education that pushed her towards that industry. If we had some sort of program that would give these young girls a viable choice, I would hope to see a drop in the amount of girls in the sex trade. Unfortunately, this does not address the women and children who are taken by force and made prostitutes, sex slaves, and held captive with no way out, and all so the men can profit money wise or in power. This is a whole other ugly beast that needs to be fought and brought down. I truly believe that the fight against the sex trade will never have a true chance until the “buyers” (men) are criminalised, like Rachel Moran so rightly stated, thereby, bringing the problem’s focus back to the men who are guilty of such behaviour (PaidforBook, 2013).
Uneducated views towards the feminist movement are normally shaped into negative stereotypes from the media or any patriarchal influenced program. This causes unnecessary friction and roadblocks for the feminist movement, which only tends to benefit the men. The lack of needed protection and support for women and children, who are abused by men, from the government and legal system, seems to stem from a male dominated world. Women, who are trying to fight against this inequality, find constant barriers and deaf ears to a basic human need of safety. An effective way to succeed would be for men to stand up in place of women and fight against violence and the sex industry. Men need to start owning the responsibility of their actions, or the actions of other men, no longer being silent, and thereby, condoning the brutal treatment towards women and children. If men start to fight for women, then we might just see a change in this world for equality that the first wave feminists could only dream of.

Reference
Baker, J. (2003). Don’t believe the hype: young women’s experience of male violence in the ‘Girl Power’ era, Women Against Violence (14) 27-34.
Hamad, Ruby. (2013, April 14). Exceptional Thatcher and the feminist fallacy. Retrieved from http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=35826
Healey, M. (2013, May 7). Former sex worker starts charity to help women escape industry. Herald Sun. Retrieved from http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/north/former-sex-worker-starts-charity-to-help-women-escape-industry/story-fnglenug-1226636198360?sv=96fd3809a26afb01eef57d73360f7422
Horin, A. (2011, April 7). She once escaped a killer – under today’s laws she would still be trapped. Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life/she-once-escaped-a-killer--under-todays-laws-she-would-still-be-trapped-20110406-1d4ko.html
Hughes, Kate. (1997). Feminism for Beginners. In: Kate Pritchard Hughes (Ed), Contemporary Australian Feminism 2. Longman: South Melbourn, 1-29.
Katz, J. (2013, February 11). Violence & Silence: Jackson Katz, Ph.D at TEDxFiDiWomen [Video file]. Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTvSfeCRxe8
Lake, Marilyn. (1999). Introduction: The power of feminism. Getting Equal: The History of Australian Feminism. Allen and Unwin: St. Leonards, NSW, 1-16.
Martin, G. N., Carlson, N. & Buskist, W. (2010). Psychology (4th ed.). England: Pearson Education Limited.
Mott, R. (n.d.). “Learning to Defrost” by Rebecca Mott. Retrieved from http://www.voicesmatter.org/rebecca.html
NQDVRS. (2012). Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.nqdvrs.org.au/Statistics.htm
PaidforBook. (2013, April 13). Interview [Video file]. Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd4THH3Cv8o
UN Women. (n.d.). Violence against women. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/vaw/v-database.htm
VicHealthMedia. (2012, June 1). Bystander action on preventing violence against women[Video file]. Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R5KVIPReYs&feature=youtu.be
White, R. & Perrone, S. (2010). Crime, Criminality & Criminal Justice. Victoria, Australia: Oxford University Press.