paul wheaton wrote:
I think it is wrong to dismiss violence done to half the population because of the gender they were born with. I also think it is wrong to suggest that one gender is always right and the other gender is always wrong.
Who said that one gender is always right and the other always wrong on this thread? Many people have pointed out that violence might be disproportionate or skewed but I don't recall anyone saying "I'm always right and you're always wrong". In fact, I see a lot of women trying really hard NOT to do that because it's been done so often to them.
paul wheaton wrote:If we have data that suggests that our society is committing a wrong against one gender, then that does need to be addressed as a societal issue. But we have to embrace ALL gender issues - we don't just ignore half the population.
I'm in full accordance for embracing and addressing ALL gender issues. What are your biggest concerns?
Mine are:
--The sex trade - people, a disproportionate number of which are women and children, being sold into human bondage (I'll admit that I don't know of any adult men being sold but the possibility is there) - this is a growing concern in AZ as it has come to light that women, girls and boys are being abducted and brought over the border from Mexico so that American men can have sex with them. There have been some massive sting operations that have caught some of the perpetrators, and there has been a big effort to educated hotel/motel staff to the issue. Unfortunately this has driven this practice into isolated trailers and open fields. To date, they have not caught any female perpetrators. Does this mean there aren't any female perpetrators? No. The possibility exists that there are.
--Laws that limit what people can do with regards to the autonomy of their own bodies - at any given time there are dozens, possibly even 100+ laws proposed limiting the autonomy of the female body in this country (USA) at all levels of government. I currently do not know of any laws that limit the autonomy of mens' bodies. Perhaps there are some that I don't know about?
--Access to sexual education over and above abstinence for both genders, safe and effective birth control for both genders, access to the morning after pill/safe abortions/vasectomies for those who want them - no questions asked, parenting classes for anyone who wants them. Both genders lack this access in many parts of the USA and around the world.
--The abolition of practices that remove part of one's body or mutilate it due to religious or cultural mores. Both genders suffer from this although I could make a very compelling argument that male foreskin circumcision, especially performed by a doctor in a sterile environment, is vastly different from having one's clitoris and outer labia removed with a piece of broken glass or non-sterile cooking knife and then abrading and sewing the inner labia together as a kind of chastity precaution.
--Globally - laws that allow an adult to marry a child - sometimes a very young child. I have only ever heard this happening to girls. It's possible that it also happens to boys but I don't know about it.
--Globally - laws that limit the right of adults to vote, drive, wear the clothing that they want, own property, access educational opportunities, access employment opportunities that pay equally so all people can support themselves and their families.
--Religious mores that allow honor killings or disfigurement (like splashing acid in someone's face), stoning individuals for being accused (proven or not) of having sex outside of marriage, workplace morality clauses that punish people for something that happened on their own personal time and not at work. These can occur to both genders depending on where in the world you live and the religious beliefs involved.
--Sexual violence perpetrated on the LGBT community BECAUSE they are LGBT. This also includes attempts to "re-educate" LGBT youth/adults.
There's more - but those are the highlights that occurred off the top of my head while writing this.
I think when we discuss gender issues - we need to acknowledge that many systems have been set in place with a cultural and/or religious bias towards one gender. In my experience, these biases have been overwhelmingly in favor of men and not women and definitely not people who fall outside male/female gender associations. There exists the possibility that there are systems that are skewed to favor women. The most often cited in the USA is child custody and divorce laws. (
http://www.thesocraticproject.com/2013/01/17/do-divorce-laws-favor-women/) Sitting here thinking about it - no other system comes readily to my mind (personally) that is skewed to favor women.
Perhaps others can chime in here. Obviously I see the world through a woman's eyes and through a woman's experience. That is my bias, although I do try to engage in challenging that bias. I fully admit that I am not perfect, that I do not speak for all women and that I don't have universal knowledge of the plight of both men and women around the world. A possible plus for me is that I have is a somewhat diverse background: I have lived on four continents in countries with a diversity of primary religions including various forms of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, spoken three languages and attended Catholic, Islamic and Buddhist schools.
