Global Feminism (Yes It will be Needed for a Long Time)

The Penguin Atlas of Women in the world is an excellent starting point for the justification of the necessity of Global feminism and feminist. After looking at the maps, there is one clear trend: Women are below men in almost all aspects of life. Across the globe, they make less money, have less access to resources, often have to work harder, are discriminated against and are often forced to subjugate to the demeaning societal roles imposed by men.

Some of these disparities in gender equality are due to culture, others have stemmed for hundreds of years, and some are due simply to the media's portrayal of women as sexual objects for men. In many third world and developing nations women are often expected to stay home and raise a family. Even in such nations, where women work just as hard as men they often never have equal status in society. They cannot run for political office or be in positions of power where they have the ability to change their status because of their sex. Some divisions are religious and have spanned for long periods of time. This was the basis for the basis for the Taliban's oppression of women and girls in Afghanistan. The first two problems appear across the globe in less developed nations and can be partially attributed to a lack of access to education and the need to live a life based around fighting for the necessities of life (food, shelter, clean water, supporting children, etc...) The third example of media is more prevalent in developing nations. Women are sexualized as objects in media which leads them to be viewed as lesser objects by many men in society. This can be linked to lower wages and higher costs. Women have to spend more in the same professional jobs as men. Their clothes have to be in style. Makeup, Hair, and many other expenses often lead them to have to spend more than their male counterparts while usually earning less.

Global Feminism is needed to help change cultures and systems that have been in place for a long time so that women can enjoy the same equal status as men. In westernized nations the same is needed to stop sexualizing women to help them get a status equal to men. As long as such disparities exist the need for feminism exists regardless of where it is on the globe. Women have been oppressed for too long, they deserve equal access to education, healthcare and politics. When such basic needs are equalized, they themselves by embracing positives and boycotting negatives, have the capacity to equalize their status in society.