Religion and Gender

I though it was interesting looking at different religion and how they have oppressed women. Especially Christianity because they had a history of oppressing women . We are so hypcritical on what other societies do. I just think it is such a double standard.

We have no where to judge what other countries to or what women were. If they want to wear veils or cover themselves it is there prerogative. I just think we can't complain about what other people do. I don't know it just annoying to me. I just though the presentation was interesting. Maybe I will have something else to say later this weekend.

Class presentation

I am going to make a disclaimer i might offend people with what I have to say. It not that I am trying to be insensitive it is just how I feel about the issue. I feel like this is a really personal issue. One speech want change my opinion and try to be understanding and accepting but at the same time I have my limits.

First off I enjoyed the model that was introduced. However I have one issue with it I understand the I and E and how it can be represented with and O. That is fine be I understand it i think that it can change. But I don't thing the A can change from a day to day basis; here is my reasoning. It is how other perceive you. My perception of some one is noting going to change. I am always going to see them as male or female. Has a drag queen I am going to identify them as a male or a transgendered as their born sex. Just because they act or dressed like a different gender it does change how I see there sex. Appearance to me does not go into how I label them. I only look at behaviors and attributed when seeing how they are gendered. Even there I don't understand how they can be and O. I might call them the perfect blend of male and female, not that there is a perfect blend but that they have an equal share of both qualities.
After writing this I think the model should be thrown out the window. By calling certain traits or thinks female and male aren't we just recreating the box. Is that not what people want to get rid of. This just recreating the box and saying that there certain quality are male or female. Don't we want to get rid of these labels and consider them equal and that no traits should be gendered. I am just so confused and lost when it comes to this and feel like there is not answer. It is just frustrating. I think that gender is a conflict in itself because you have something things that don't have words for them. I just think that is why I don't like this gender in the filled of conflict because it is not black and white and rules are still being created.

I just don't understand and at the sametime things like this annoy the heck out of me. First I am all for transgendered, gays, lesbians and all the other different type of people to have their rights.
I feel like I am open and accepting to them but at the same time I don't think they should force their opinions and needs on me. I am personally uncomfortable using the same bather with male who is a female because he is transgendered. Yea like Amida said we are doing the same things but seperate bathrooms were created for a reason. I don't mind them using it if it a one stall private bathroom. I am sorry I come conservative family. I think I have branched out some and become more liberal.

I know that was just a bunch of rambling but I don't know how to structure that it is just how I feel.

Presentation Nov 18th

I enjoyed the presentation very much. I think it is common that their will always be a a divide in gender roles. That is what I took away from it. It is so embedded in our society that it is hard to break that norm. I know from some people that they want to stay home with their kids and consider it a luxury. I think they reason behind why people are stay at home mom is much different. Mom have the choice to go out and work and for the most they need to because we live in a society were duel incomes are need. most family need two parents working. I think many stay at home mother see it has a luxury if they only have to work part time or not at all.
Personally I know my mother wanted to be a stay at home mom. She was able to do because we were fortunate to make enough money off my Dad's income. Then even we she got jobs she only worked at jobs that were flexible with hours and gave her lots of vacation time. It wasn't until I graduated high school did she re entered the work force with a typical 9-5 job.
If when her being a stay at home mom she didn't do all the work around the house. My dad worked for the family business and would come home during lunch cook for us or he would pick up dinner. Both he and mom would clean the house. But at the same time we had a housekeeper who came twice a week. When it came to yard work my mom did some put also we had a service they came every few weeks. I just think that the questions they ask did not lead for other options rather than mom,dad, or both.

I have to step parents, my life from when I was under 7 then until 14 (when my dad got remarried), When I turned 17 (When my mom's boyfriends moved) the duties that they formed have changed and been different. I have never had one steady way of seeing the division of labor in the house.

Because family are do different and transforming I think they have to take the new modern family into account.

Teenage Pregnancy

For the project I was watching alot of Teen Mom and Sixteen and Pregnant. By watching the show I was picking up an gender conflict. Just watching the dialogue between the young parents you could see the difference in what the gave up. In many cases the guys are the ones who loose the least. Many of episodes show the father still going out with friends or staying in school. They are not missing classes because of sickness or medical issues. While the Mother seems to be the ones having trouble keeping up with school and friends.

However this is not to say that father don't have consequences because they do have to work and support the child. Or I times they have to have to give up College or their old lives at times have to be changed. After watching the show you start to see trends in how gender roles confirm. Men think how hard is it really take care of a child. While the mother are complaining about they need help and feel alone. It is just easy to see the lack of communication and difference in needs. It like that people go into the gender roles if they don't discuss what they want.

I guess my question and point is that they so easily fall into this stereotypical roles. While their is a twist because they are young it is always the same things happening.

Sex trafficing project

I am not going to lie when I first heard the commercial that they decided to play I was not looking forwarded to the presentation. To me those are some of the most stereotypical images or commercial that come to mind when talking about serious isseus facing the world. I absolute dread listening to that Sarah Mclachlan. I just wish that would have done there own slide show of images of the U.S sex slave industry. I think everyone is focusing on what is happening in Europe and Asia which is a huge problem don't get me wrong. I think that is played up in the U.S more than it should be. Espically since we have high satistic when it comes to human trafficking. I don't think we can go out and tell other how to solve their problems and comment on it when we have issues like that in our own country.

My perspective on the gender issues is that there is a huge conflict. If we look at the U.S who get in trouble when a brothel is hit or raided. If it the men who go to it and use the services they offer no. It is the women and maybe the pimp if he can be found.

The services are offered because there is a market for it. How the people who use the business of prostitution just get a slap on the wrist. Idefinetly think in the U.S harsser punishment are needed for the men or women who use the service of prostitution because it is still illegal.
It not fair for us just to blame the women when it is busted.

This can't be used abroad in poorer country. the point was brought up to day in class. They are selling their daughter because of financial hardship. To get this to stop you have to make an insensitive for why they should keep their children or wives. You have to educate and help make this women valuable and seen as a resource to stay with the family. While that sucks that we have to help people realize women are important or give them a pig so they will keep their daughters. If it means that a girl wouldn't be put in to the industry. I think it is worth.

Chapter six

This chapter of Valenti book talks about the pay different exprenced between men and women. I knew that women made less than men around 30 cents less. However I never understood reason other than we were being discriminated against. It is unfair that we have to take pay cuts just because of sex and gender. We work just has hard as men yet we don't rep the same benefits that they do.
It almost makes me frustrated that just because I am young and might have kids I am going to looked at differently then a man or an older women who is past the age of having kids. There is something wrong about society when we don't value that the work women contribute not only in the labor force but also at home. The work women do at home is not paid for but it would be interesting to see how much their work would be valued at. I think I am going to google that right now.
""If you're a stay-at-home wife and mother, you're worth a whopping $125,900 a
year! That's because your mate would have to pay $2,325 a week to hire people to
perform all the jobs you do, according to U.S. government statistics."
http://www.coeinc.org/Articles/HousewifeWorth.pdf

It's a little dated but I think it a good estimate. I don't know about you but over 100 k sounds like a pretty good salary to me. However it still doesn't factor in that a mother/wife is working 24/7 they are never getting a break or vacation time. Even if they go on vacation they could bring the kids. If the leave the kids at home they will be worrying about them. There is not winning either way. If you like or not once have child and decide to raise them you are the clock 24/7. But why isn't that the same with dads. Who do schools call first when the child is sick or is in trouble and needs to be pick up.

I think that we are still stuck in the 1950's mind frame even though the dynamics of the family have changed. Family are not longer mom and dad and two kids. We do not account for how the family make up is changing so we can no longer have vision that mom will stay at home why dad works.

We leave in a two income family. Families can only survive a lot of times if two adults are bringing in incomes. It is considered more of a luxury if only one parents has to work.

Questions from class

How are our notions of peace gendered? When we think about Conflict resolution or transformation how does gender become important?

First I think it is hard to describe some so cookie cutter for this. There are lot of factor about the conflict that need to be considered. However the biggest thing I see looking a certain cases is that women a lot of times push for peace. They are effect a lot by war and violence in ways that are not portrayed. A lot of times you just hear about Soldiers dieing in battle. Those soldiers has a family back at home. They might have been married or a least have a mother. They are effected by that loss. If we look at the traditional gender roles when their son or husband dies who is going to take care and provide for them. They have then just lost their families source of income.

I think that plays into how peace is gendered of who wants and how. My case study behind this Liberal.
Where it was the men behind the close door coming up with some way to solve the conflict and help the county. but pardon my language the truth of the matter was they were just dicking around. Not getting anything accomplished in the way of helping the country. they saw this more as an opportunity to get away from their daily lives and responsibility. With this the women had to step in a force them to be productive at the meeting. I just think that that is quick interesting. How it was the women who need to make the men be serious and make change happen.