Over time women have gained more rights and power in America. This can be seen from the 19th Amendment, which allowed women to vote, the Equal Pay Act, which prohibits pay discrimination between men and women, and now the first female Vice President of the United States will take office (History.com Editors). The equalization of women and men is a real-life example of what Simone de Beauvoir wrote in “The Second Sex,” in that the men and women are beginning to “realize the reciprocity of their relations” (Simone de Beauvoir). The example of a reciprocal relationship that Simone de Beauvoir used in her writing is a native person being seen as a “stranger” to other native people from different lands. Over time both of these natives and their people realize, or understand, their relationship through “wars, festivals, trading, treaties, and contests among tribes, nations, and classes” (Simone de Beauvoir). The relationship that women have been striving for is one of equality, and this is the relationship that men have to learn, respect, and understand.
Although men and women have been successfully realizing their relationship of equality in the United States over time, there is still inequality between them, which can be seen in the wage gap. Typically, the wage gap has attempted to be explained by discrimination against women or the career choices of women (Madison Sosa, Page 5). In the study by Madison Sosa, the conclusion is drawn that it is most likely a mixture of both discrimination and career choice that have led to the gap in wage between men and women (Madison Sosa, Page 28). This study is important to keep in mind because it shows that men and women have not completely realized their relationship as equals. Although there have been significant steps towards equality, men remain “the one” and women remain “the others” (Simone de Beauvoir).
Works Cited
Beauvoir, Simone de. The Second Sex / Simone De Beauvoir. Vintage Books, 1974.
History.com Editors. “Women’s History Milestones: A Timeline.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 26 Feb. 2019, www.history.com/topics/womens-history/womens-history-us-timeline.
Sosa, Madison. “Gender Pay Gap Analysis.” Electronic Thesis or Dissertation. University of Toledo, 2018. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. 15 Jan 2021.
Well done Matt! I really enjoyed your post. I was really struck by a line in the Beauvoir reading that stated that women have basically accepted being the “other” in regards to dominant sex. Despite my passion for gender equality, I often find myself reverting to social construction of gender roles more often then defying them. Do you ever think there will be a time where men and women are truly equal?
Hi Matt! Thank you for this context presentation. I liked how you highlighted that this goal of equality has not yet been met but that strides are being made. I think the information that you gave about employment was very helpful in illustrating this point. I also think that it’s important to consider not just the systemic measures of this inequality, but also the ways in which this functions in our every day lives that we cannot measure so quantitatively. These include the ways that men and women are treated differently and the connotations gender carries in our daily interactions.
Good job Matt! This was super interesting to read as a woman myself and just really puts a perspective on the differences between the sexes and how we are treated kind of unfairly in some contexts. I really enjoyed how you brought up the unfair wages between the sexes because that has been an ongoing problem for quite some time now and a change is needed. I definitely agree that things are slowly starting to change for the better between the sexes but still need improving!
Matt, you did a wonderful job pointing out an issue that has continually been present in our community. I feel as though this is a touchy subject due to the fact that when people say try and point out unequal situations many get offended. I think your point can be stretched to my context presentation by when women accept being the “other” that makes them mens “desires” to be more and better than women come true. Or vice-versa. It is very interesting how things can be tied together, and provides us an alternative view. You can take a situation like this where we are talking about not equal wage or treatment of each gender, to showing that it is people who do this to themselves in everyday activities and thoughts. There are many times we don’t realize how we compare ourselves to others.
The analysis in the last paragraph, I thought, was very thought provoking. The fact that the wage gap can be attributed not only to discrimination, but also to career choice is almost ironic. I would like to assume that part of the reason that career choice factors into the wage gap is ultimately due to more discrimination against women. Unfortunately in today’s world there are many fields of work that are still male dominant. Because of discriminatory roots, even today women may find that they have fewer career choices available to them, further proving that they are discriminated against. I think it is great that you shed some light on career choice on top of discrimination as it clearly exposes more problems within the realm of gender equality.
Great post Matt! I think you did a great job relating what is happening in our world today, to the reading. The second paragraph was interesting when you mentioned reasonings for the wage gap and how it exists.
Very well said Matt! As we all know, gender equality has been an ongoing issue since the beginning of time. For example, the Declaration of Independence only considers the rights of men, excluding women children saying that “all men are created equal”. However, as Matt mentioned, the framework of our country continued to shift in a positive direction in 1920 when the right of women’s suffrage was adopted. Although we are still struggling to achieve an equal wage between men and women, we have made great progress from the time of our founding fathers. Additionally, with gender inequality comes the mindset of women only working in a certain profession, while men work in another. This is evident in men vs women sports programs. There are overwhelmingly more televised mens sports, than women’s sports, which also formulates the “men are more athletic than women” stereotype.
Very insightful post, Matt! I liked how you introduced your post by mentioning the recent advances in gender equality. I think one of the biggest and most recent steps towards gender equality that you mention is how Kamala Harris is going to be the first female Vice President. As I read the rest of your post, this sentence stuck with me throughout and I began to ponder the many ways this new title can lead to the progression of gender equality. What are some of the ways the first female vice president taking office will affect gender equality?
Great job on the post Matt! I enjoyed reading your article, and I thought it was eye opening when you mentioned how women are still being discriminated against in terms of wage gap. I also liked the fact that you included the comparison from Simone de Beauvoir about how men are still considered the “One” and women are considered the “Other.” It really puts the problem into perspective when talking about society.
Hey Matt, I was intrigued by what I was reading and the information that you were presenting. It was revealing how through past events women have fought for their placed and still to the present there is still discrimination in certain areas. As well for how there is a perspective point of view within the presentation that would make an unbalanced form between them and how this can lead to problematic situations down the road that needs to be resolved. Finally, with the first female Vice President within the mix within the overall aspect, this would be a huge mark that could lead to the eradication of discrimination or a very lower point of it.
Good job Matt! You did an excellent job on this context presentation. I liked how the first paragraph spoke of progression being made for gender equality, such as the first female vice president taking office soon. This idea contrast well with the material in the second paragraph, which shows that we still have a lot to accomplish and overcome before true equality is reached.
Hi Matt, I enjoy reading your post! You excellently cast a doubt about the inequality between women and men. The content you expressed is specific. For example, you can explain the inequality between men and women in today’s society from the difference in wages between men and women. In last year’s class (ENR 2300), I learned about the wages of men and women in the United States. A specific chart was given in the class. The chart showed that men’s wages are much higher than women’s in different academic qualifications. This can be well connected with the inequality problem you mentioned in the article. And you also used the example of a female vice president who is about to take office to illustrate that the issue of gender equality is gradually improving. At last, Thank you so much for you wonderful post!
Hi Matt, great job with your post, it was very intriguing. The way you set up the post was very well done. I liked the way you first spoke of the progression towards equality, but then in the second paragraph wrote about where our society continues to fail in producing equality between sexes. What ways can the males and females together become “one” instead of “the one” and “the others?” I am thrilled to have a female as the Vice President, but it definitely makes you question why has our country taken so long to give females this position of power, and furthermore why has there never been a female president?
This topic is pertinent to the time in which I type this. The first female Vice President just took the oath of office in Washington. Leading up to Jan 20th, this achievement has been highlighted as a milestone for women of the United States. Understandably so, this will further help in the fight for gender equality in American politics. VP Harris’ new role will help politicians and American voters “realize the reciprocity of their relations” (Simone de Beauvoir) as stated in your post. With gender, race, religion, and etc, comes perspective. This perspective will, in turn, represent more people across the nation. Thus, enriching policy.
While this topic is not a new one that I’ve read about, it’s always interesting the see the progress that is being done to eliminate boundaries and to give everyone an open opportunity. It’s also important to realize where we are currently failing so that we can discuss ways to improve the future for others. This post grasps this perfectly and was enjoyable to read.
Hi Matt! I found your post very interesting. I enjoyed how you pointed out how the rights and power of women have been increasing, as shown by the first women Vice President. While it is true that the rights of women have greatly increased, as you pointed out there is still a way we must go until we reach true equality. I thought your point that men need to learn and respect the equality of women as a very important point. I feel like some men in politics desperately need to understand this in order for there to be true equality for men and women. Do you think that there will ever be a time where all men can put aside their toxic masculinity and egos, and admit that women and men are equal?
Hi Matt!
I really enjoyed reading your post. You made many statements that left myself thinking about gender roles and equality in my own life. I have always viewed a relationship between a man and woman as the man makes the money and the woman takes care of the house. I think this has stemmed from growing up watching Disney Princess movies and reading books about how the prince saves the princess. Also, my own parents displayed this to me. My dad has always worked full time and my mom works part time to help cook, clean and take us kids to school sports. I think today, it is more common to see stay-at-home dads and working moms. However, I still struggle to change my unconscious view of the classic family as having a working father and stay-at-home mother. Do you have any unconscious thoughts about gender that simply are not true?
Hi Matt! I was very interested in reading what you had to say for your context presentation this week. It is hard to see the struggles that women have had to encounter through the ages, and I think it is important to point out that there is still inequality in some areas today. I liked how you pointed out that there is a wage gap in today’s society. As a woman being part of a STEM major, it is easy to see the difference between some of these inequalities. It is important to point out like you mentioned that today the first female Vice President of the United States took office, which encourages women to strive and fight against the discrimination. It is a step in the right direction!
Matt, I felt this post was very enlightening. I agree with the belief that there is still inequality between men and women today. However, as mentioned, there are surely several accounts of improvement towards equality. I appreciate your use of modern instances of gender equality, such as the soon to be first female vice president. The incorporation of the Equal Pay Act in the post helps with demonstrating the length of the present journey to gender equality. I believe there are remaining steps in effectively changing history’s traditions of placing women below men. In the past, what do you feel was the most imperative step towards gender equality?
I enjoy reading your post, and the theme of the wrting course I took last semester is about the equality between male and female. It is true that the gender discrimination has been relieved a lot these years, but in many occasions, discrimination leads to lots of problem. It is true that there exists the such problem of gender inequality; however, I believe that there must be something which only can be done by women, since male and female have different qualities which make men and women do well in different areas.
Hi Matt! I really enjoyed reading this post, and I found it really enlightening. I just had a couple questions about one of your statements in the last paragraph. You said that it is actually both discrimination and career choice that contribute to the wage gap. I was wondering what your thoughts were as to the connection of those things. Do you think the fact that men and women tend to choose different career paths might have some roots in discrimination itself? What are your thoughts?
Matt, this post really made me understand and contemplate more about men and women’s discrepancies and differences. I really appreciated that you were able to discuss this topic while still approaching everything in a respectful manner. It was very refreshing. I also liked how you incorporated a current issue of the men VS women wage gap and the similarities and differences of today’s society compared to the text. I can tell that you thoroughly immersed yourself in the text and really put in the time to gain your thoughtful perspective on it!
Good work Matt! I think the part that stuck out to me the most was the last line of your article which was a very powerful way of saying that you don’t believe that men and women are truly viewed as equals yet. Your analysis of how the wage gap can primarily be explained two ways (by both discrimination along with the career choices of men/women) is very thought provoking. It brings up the question of how much can the wage gap be described by each idea, there probably isn’t a “right” answer to this question but it’s interesting nonetheless.
Matt you did a good job with your analysis on discrimination against women and applied it to our current times very well. The way you showed the correlation between the discrepancies of mens and women’s wages as well as career choice was very interesting to me.
Nice post Matt! I thought you did a great job of tying the reading into you post and citing multiple different short quotes. You make a great point about how men and women are not 100 percent equal in today’s world. Highlighting the wage gap is an excellent example of how we see this gender inequality in today’s workplace. I also thought you made a great point when you said that men need to learn to respect women’s quest for equality. This is true now since some men still insist that there is no equality today’s world. This was a great post!
Hi Matt!
I really enjoyed reading your response. I liked how you briefly outlined the history of woman working towards equality. I also agree that men and woman are not treated equally in today’s society, but it can be reached if everyone chooses to learn from and respect one an other, that is so true! Lastly, your example of inequality due to the gender wage gap we are currently dealing with today is something very important and needs to be addressed more often. As a pre-health student, I am well aware of this wage gap and I believe the only way we can end it is if we talk about it. Well done!
Great post Matt! I liked the quote you used from de Beauvoir about reciprocity in the relationship between men and women. I think this understanding shows how strides have been made in the past to bridge the gap between men and women, and has led to things like the 19th amendment. However, like you said, there is still a lot of inequality and we need to try harder to fight discrimination that still exists today.
Hi Matt! You did a great job on this context presentation. I’m really happy to know that women have gained more power and rights in America. And the example you use, the first female Vice President, can really show that huge improvement has been made to reach the goal of gender equality. And your second paragraph also tells us that inequality still exists through the fact of the wage gap. Well done!
Hi Matt, thank you so much for the post. I think as you said, men and women (as well as other things like nations) tend to “realize the reciprocity of their relations”. However, I think what’s worth mentioning is I think there’s still a really long way to go for humans to achieve that goal. Take me, for example, I come from China and I really still feel like I’m a “stranger” after living in the U.S. for more than one year. I think the situation is hard to change completely and fundamentally.
I like the source you use for claiming “the conclusion is drawn that it is most likely a mixture of both discrimination and career choice that have led to the gap in wage between men and women”. I think it’s true there’s space for us to make men and women more equal. But we must recognize that although women are as important as men, the two genders have their differences. So we need to be aware that the equality of men and women might not really be totally equal in everything. It might be rather equal in a dynamic way.
Matt, thanks for your post again. It’s really helpful in the sense that it helped me to think more about the materials.
Hi Matt! Really great post. As a woman who prides herself in not conforming to normal gender roles, I’ve always been passionate and vocal about how women are not any less valuable or important in any aspect of society than men. I love the fact that you pointed out how men and women are not totally equal in society even though there have been recent efforts to improve this. A lot of people turn a blind eye to the fact that there is still gender inequality in our world today. Much like your example, I’ve always found it ridiculous how some people say that the wage gap is not real when it is a 100% proven statistical fact. I also love how you included that the first female Vice President has just been elected. Whether you like her as a politician or not, it is still a big step for women in America. It shows that women can have high positions of power as well.
Hello Matt, I think you did a wonderful job comparing and relating the reading with present reality.
One particular segment in your blog that I found intriguing was the example of the reciprocal relationship you referred to from Simone de Beauvoir’s writing. Stripping all gender tags, “a native person being seen as a “stranger” to other native people from different lands. Over time… understand, their relationship through ‘wars, festivals, trading, treaties, and contests among tribes, nations, and classes.'” I think it is beautifully articulated and applies to every type of relationship human beings form– friendship, relationships, student-professor, employer-employee, colleague, etc. I believe bringing in gender categories was unnecessary; we’re, after all, strangers- male/ female/ other genders.
Great job Matt! This post was very well written and hit many major points relating to male and female equality here in our nation. I really like how you included a timeline of historical events related to how women have slowly been gaining more and more equality. I do however, agree that although several steps have been taken for men and women equality, men still have an upper hand. With that said, it was very intriguing when you said men remain “the one” and women remain “the other”. Overall, very nicely done.
I loved your post Matt! This is always something that is argued upon between people. This is something that I am really interested in. Recently, I have been reading Florence Given’s book ‘Women Don’t Owe You Pretty’ where she basically write about so many things women do that stem from internalized misogyny that we are not even aware of. One of those examples is hating your partner’s ex. It is so common for women to compare themselves and pick out their partner’s ex’s flaws. Very well done!
Matt,
I found your post and thoughts to be very well articulated and insightful. However, just out of curiosity was there a reason that you did not mention the much more severe discrimination women face in other countries? Im not downplaying the discrimination that happens here as I have been told by many of my female friends how terrible it is, but relatively speaking it seems far worse in other countries. My personal opinion is that discrimination against women will likely fade out on its own here in this country as the older generations die. However, discrimination against women is still ingrained in laws and cultures in many countries without signs of improvement which is where I believe our efforts against fighting discrimination should be focused.
Good job with your analysis on the gap closing between male and female inequality in our country. We have moved in a really good direction over the last century but it seems as if the progress has slowed. There is a real issue in the wage gap that does not get talked about enough.
Thank you so much! This helps me understand even better that gender inequality is something “man-made” in modern society. There are people who argue that gender inequality is caused by biological differences but I think in the modern world “One” and “Others” are the actual reason for gender inequality.
This is a great analysis piece! We can only hope that as time progresses and barriers are broken, that inequality is lessened. With recent events such as the first ever female Vice President and Congress slowly becoming more diverse, that action can be taken to reverse laws that promote such inequalities.
Great work Matt. I think your topic fits in todays society very well. I think that gender equality is very important. But I also think that there can always be things that a woman can do better or a man can do better. I think its important to know this because we were all built in slightly different ways.
Hi Matt! Thank you for bringing up the history of the progression of women’s rights. It is very neat to look back at history and see this progression. Although there is still more work to be done in establishing equality, I find it inspiring to see how far we have come. It makes me optimistic and hopeful for the future. If change is to be implemented, I think that every citizen can have a role.
Matt, good post about gender equality. I do believe that women seek equality in some respects but I disagree about the concept of the wage gap. There are many factors to consider when it comes to how much someone makes. Annual income depends on hours spent in the office, rank, the career type that was pursued, and so on. As noted in your post this could come from discrimination such as women typically being the caretakers. In practice, there is nothing wrong with that if the woman wants to spend more time taking care of the kids. It would be wrong if the employer deliberately gave a lower pay solely because the employee was a woman, but if the gap was caused because of fewer hours worked and fewer days in the office, that isn’t a bad thing in practice because if the woman chose to spend more time and attention to their child knowing she would sacrifice part of her pay and possibly a promotion, at the end of the day it is her decision to do so, I do not believe sexism causes a pay gap, I think it is a difference in lifestyle that causes income inequality. Men are statistically higher-risk individuals, which is why the car insurance rate is highest for a 16-year-old male driving a red sports car. It is also why a man’s average pay without factoring in career path, rank, and number of hours will show a “gap” in income. It is in their lifestyle that determines the paycheck. Men usually work more hours, take more risks and work more dangerous jobs that reflect income, but hold all else equal and the difference for the same job, rank, and hours worked has a negligible difference in pay between men and women.