WHO AM I

The first social category I can identify myself with is being a woman and the second would be I am of white race. The most controversial would be my social category as a woman. Discrimination of women can start as early as childbirth. According to www.dosomething.org UNICEF reports, “Where there is a clear economic or cultural preference for sons, the misuse of [pregnancy diagnostic tools] can facilitate female feticide.” This means that in certain countries like China families will abort or give their child up for adoption for being a girl. Over 90% of females in Egypt, Sudan and Somalia and, widely spread in Africa are made to have genital cutting done. This process is where the clitoris and labia are cut off young girls as early as the age of four. Certain religions believe that sexual intercourse is not to be used for pleasure but only for child bearing however, this procedure is extremely painful to the girls who receive.
Women have been fighting for equality for many years according to www.equalrightsadmendment.org the first visible public demand for equality came in 1848.This took place at the first Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott who met while working against slavery organized it. These two women convened a two-day meeting consisting of 300 men and women to fight for woman for justice in society.
It was not until after the Civil War that women were included by a new amendment in the constitution. This was the 14th amendment that defined all citizens as "all persons born or naturalized in the United States" and guaranteed equal protection of laws. The 15th amendment stated that "the right of citizens . . . to vote shall not be denied or abridged . . . on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude" – but women of all races were still denied the ballot.
Susan B. Anthony thought it was unacceptable to bar women from voting. In 1872, she decided to join the polls in Rochester in, NY. She cast her ballot in the presidential election citing her right under the 14th amendment. Ms. Anthony was arrested, tried, and, convicted. She was fined one-hundred dollars of which she refused to pay. In 1920, the 19th amendment finally gave women the right to vote.
Today there are sex traffickers who according to Human Sex Trafficking by Walter Rodriguez “These women and young girls are sold to traffickers, locked up in rooms or brothels for weeks or months, drugged, terrorized, and raped repeatedly[10] These continual abuses make it easier for the traffickers to control their victims. The captives are so afraid and intimidated that they rarely speak out against their traffickers, even when faced with an opportunity to escape.” We hear all the time about this happening in other countries such as Asia, Africa, and Mexico but it is all too common in America as well. Traffickers come from every social, racial, and ethnic group and it is not only men who run these group women as well lead the way. Traffickers will use emotional tactics, drugs, money, or just plain force to control these women in to compliance. In some cases, the victims will develop Stockholm syndrome. This syndrome has the victim believing that the abuser actually loves them and is doing well by them. They form an emotional attachment to the abuser that is so strong the victim needs to undergo psychological therapy for many years after they are freed. Congress put the Trafficking Victims Protection Act into effect in 2000.
Corey Davis was the ringleader of a sex trafficking business that spanned three states. He conned young girls and women into this lifestyle by promising them modeling contracts and a glamorous lifestyle. He then in turn forced them into performing at strip clubs in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. When these clubs closed down these women were them forced to walk the streets and become prostitutes for him. Mr. Davis was prosecuted in Federal court and sentenced to 293 months in Federal Prison. Upon completion of his sentence, he would have a supervised release for life.
As a woman I am proud of how far my gender has come. However, we still have a while to go as you can tell from the atrocity’s that we still face. There are times in my life when I still feel inferior to men. For instance, I enjoy working out and when I am in the gym; there are times that I feel disrespected by the men there. The looks I receive can be an intimidating and helps me to see that there are still men that believe women are not equal to them. However, I believe in many instances women are more resilient than a man is.

REFERENCES

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1700191,00.html http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/background-discrimination-against-women http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/era.htm
WALKER-RODRIGUEZ, A. (2011). Human Sex Trafficking. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 80(3), 1