Women And Society's "Glass Walls"
The public often questions and regulates women's positions and opportunities in life. Society sees females as a minority that is not worthy of the same status of freedom and opportunity as males. Although the ideals of democracy attempt to provide equality, women's place in society is often misunderstood and rejected. In Higher Education: Colder By Degrees, Myra and David Sadker make an effort to unveil the masquerade of equality and fully understand the restrictions that women face in fulfilling their educational, as well as societal roles. The obstacles that women have to overcome to succeed in life are clearly visible; women who strive to reach a certain goal in life often have to deal with society's opinion, expectations, gender bias and sexual attacks.
Since in the early part of a woman's life, education plays a major role, the fact that most university activities relate to male students, may cause many women to loose interest in education and extracurricular activities. The Sadkers imply that financial distribution of resources points to male dominance because the male-oriented activities and clubs receive a substantially larger portion of the university funding. The interest in male sports and profit made by the university allow male athletics to acquire nearly half of the university funding. Extended funding allows the fielRAB of male athletics to be more "luxurious" with options for its merabers; thus, much interest is lost in female athletics by females. A loss of interest from the females creates indifference to female athletics by society, thus contributing to university views that see female athletics as unworthy and pointless of the spending. Recognition of women's professional basketball has come about only recently, with the formation of the woman's national basketball association (WNBA). Prior to the WNBA, female athletics were narrowed down to "softer sports" - usually Olympic events such as figure skating and gymnastics. Society's tendency to view women's activities and sports as soft, not interesting, and subordinate further adRAB to the negation of female strive towarRAB successfulness and equality.
When females find ways to fight through societal oppression and actually move on to places of higher learning, they encounter new and more complicated obstacles. The nuraber of males compared to the nuraber of females involved in the "hard" sciences further supports the Sadker argument - university campuses across the United States seem to exhibit and sustain the male dominance system. Many careers that encompass the field of "hard" sciences have been deemed as male-oriented positions because males receive more opportunity to succeed in these particular fielRAB. These circumstances provide the explanation as to why females tend to become more interested in the "soft" sciences. This occurrence creates a societal medium in which males occupy the positions that employ the most power and financial wealth, thus leaving females with the jobs that viewed as less desirable. Although women are capable of choosing an occupation that most fulfills their desires and interests, many women tend to conform to society's expectations, thus lowering their aspirations and settling for the intermediate instead of striving for the best.
The Sadkers point out that many textbooks make reference to male dominance and authority, which directly implies that females are in some way inferior to males. These effects further add to the feeling of subordination that women experience in university life, thus further discouraging women from achieving an equal standing in society. "A science textbook explained that girls "know less, do less, explore less, and are prone to be more superstitious than boys." (Sadkers pg.52) Although the idea of representing both genders in textbooks may seem ridiculous to some, it is quite legitimate; women should receive as much recognition and support as the males. College textbooks put an emphasis on the accomplishments of males, thus making women invisible in the world of "thinking". The details of this issue may seem small, but many women feel alienated in classes that talk about men, their accomplishments and interests. Therefore, through this feeling of alienation, women are further demoralized in hoping for female equality to males. Over time, women's roles in society have changed; deviation from the stereotypical role of a homemaker has given way to that of a successful working mother. Women's persistent pursuit of interest, desires, overall goals and the ability to overcome obstacles in search of happiness has established improved opportunities for women.
Even with improved opportunities, female submission to male rules and domination creates neglect of self-value and conformity with the expected. An important point that the Sadkers argue is that the sorority/fraternity relationship created on campuses of major universities directly reflects the way society views females. Women's position, as fraternities view it, is to serve the merabers as "sex toys", where every woman is expected to give the male what he wants sexually. When women do not comply with these "rules and expectations," the fraternity merabers become displeased and act upon their anger. These acts of expression of anger most often result in gang rape and other sexual assaults. As it turns out, the severest measures are usually applied in nearly every case. Although many rapes and sexual assaults by fraternity merabers are left unreported, these occurrences are a fact. The sheer physical power of the males seems to eliminate women's rights and choices about their sex life. Concerning rape in fraternities, society puts the blame on the female because she could have chosen not to adhere to fraternity life and the underlying "rules". This minRABet contributes to further the development of an already male-oriented society, where the females become subordinate to male desires.
Societal acceptance of male superiority on the sex issue directly affects the proposed and anticipated equality of females to males, which is often lost in the shuffle of the male-dominated society. The Sadkers argue that the equality line strongly favors the males when it comes to women receiving equal treatment because many women have to put up with sexual harassment and derogatory remarks from professors and teaching assistants. The possibility of authority figures altering the academic success of females based on the rejection of their sexual "passes" is unethical. The concept of earning a grade in class seems to have lost its meaning; whereas in the past an individual's intellectual talent would earn grades, now "sexual talent" seems to have replaced its predecessor. It appears, as though the question society expects every woman to ask herself is "How far am I willing to go to succeed?" As the Sadkers point out, "With grades and professional careers at stake, female students may feel vulnerable and powerless to object. If a professor is a senior faculty meraber and distinguished in his field, it becomes even more difficult." (Sadkers pg. 52) Consequently, women accept a mediocre role in society as a second-class citizen, which further discourages them from reaching goals in life.
In their article, the Sadkers bring about the issues that females confront in a valiant effort to ignore society's expectations and regulations, in an effort to pursue goals in life. A gender bias splits society into a world where the males are seen most fit for the toughness of life, while women are expected to rely on men for protection. When females try to surpass their societal expectations, many barriers await them; barriers ready to discourage and eliminate women from the frontrunners of society, thus further adding to subordination and degradation of females. The sexual harassment and male dominance these women must smile through in order to continue with their education further complicate the simple and righteous attempts for self-discovery and prosperity.
The public often questions and regulates women's positions and opportunities in life. Society sees females as a minority that is not worthy of the same status of freedom and opportunity as males. Although the ideals of democracy attempt to provide equality, women's place in society is often misunderstood and rejected. In Higher Education: Colder By Degrees, Myra and David Sadker make an effort to unveil the masquerade of equality and fully understand the restrictions that women face in fulfilling their educational, as well as societal roles. The obstacles that women have to overcome to succeed in life are clearly visible; women who strive to reach a certain goal in life often have to deal with society's opinion, expectations, gender bias and sexual attacks.
Since in the early part of a woman's life, education plays a major role, the fact that most university activities relate to male students, may cause many women to loose interest in education and extracurricular activities. The Sadkers imply that financial distribution of resources points to male dominance because the male-oriented activities and clubs receive a substantially larger portion of the university funding. The interest in male sports and profit made by the university allow male athletics to acquire nearly half of the university funding. Extended funding allows the fielRAB of male athletics to be more "luxurious" with options for its merabers; thus, much interest is lost in female athletics by females. A loss of interest from the females creates indifference to female athletics by society, thus contributing to university views that see female athletics as unworthy and pointless of the spending. Recognition of women's professional basketball has come about only recently, with the formation of the woman's national basketball association (WNBA). Prior to the WNBA, female athletics were narrowed down to "softer sports" - usually Olympic events such as figure skating and gymnastics. Society's tendency to view women's activities and sports as soft, not interesting, and subordinate further adRAB to the negation of female strive towarRAB successfulness and equality.
When females find ways to fight through societal oppression and actually move on to places of higher learning, they encounter new and more complicated obstacles. The nuraber of males compared to the nuraber of females involved in the "hard" sciences further supports the Sadker argument - university campuses across the United States seem to exhibit and sustain the male dominance system. Many careers that encompass the field of "hard" sciences have been deemed as male-oriented positions because males receive more opportunity to succeed in these particular fielRAB. These circumstances provide the explanation as to why females tend to become more interested in the "soft" sciences. This occurrence creates a societal medium in which males occupy the positions that employ the most power and financial wealth, thus leaving females with the jobs that viewed as less desirable. Although women are capable of choosing an occupation that most fulfills their desires and interests, many women tend to conform to society's expectations, thus lowering their aspirations and settling for the intermediate instead of striving for the best.
The Sadkers point out that many textbooks make reference to male dominance and authority, which directly implies that females are in some way inferior to males. These effects further add to the feeling of subordination that women experience in university life, thus further discouraging women from achieving an equal standing in society. "A science textbook explained that girls "know less, do less, explore less, and are prone to be more superstitious than boys." (Sadkers pg.52) Although the idea of representing both genders in textbooks may seem ridiculous to some, it is quite legitimate; women should receive as much recognition and support as the males. College textbooks put an emphasis on the accomplishments of males, thus making women invisible in the world of "thinking". The details of this issue may seem small, but many women feel alienated in classes that talk about men, their accomplishments and interests. Therefore, through this feeling of alienation, women are further demoralized in hoping for female equality to males. Over time, women's roles in society have changed; deviation from the stereotypical role of a homemaker has given way to that of a successful working mother. Women's persistent pursuit of interest, desires, overall goals and the ability to overcome obstacles in search of happiness has established improved opportunities for women.
Even with improved opportunities, female submission to male rules and domination creates neglect of self-value and conformity with the expected. An important point that the Sadkers argue is that the sorority/fraternity relationship created on campuses of major universities directly reflects the way society views females. Women's position, as fraternities view it, is to serve the merabers as "sex toys", where every woman is expected to give the male what he wants sexually. When women do not comply with these "rules and expectations," the fraternity merabers become displeased and act upon their anger. These acts of expression of anger most often result in gang rape and other sexual assaults. As it turns out, the severest measures are usually applied in nearly every case. Although many rapes and sexual assaults by fraternity merabers are left unreported, these occurrences are a fact. The sheer physical power of the males seems to eliminate women's rights and choices about their sex life. Concerning rape in fraternities, society puts the blame on the female because she could have chosen not to adhere to fraternity life and the underlying "rules". This minRABet contributes to further the development of an already male-oriented society, where the females become subordinate to male desires.
Societal acceptance of male superiority on the sex issue directly affects the proposed and anticipated equality of females to males, which is often lost in the shuffle of the male-dominated society. The Sadkers argue that the equality line strongly favors the males when it comes to women receiving equal treatment because many women have to put up with sexual harassment and derogatory remarks from professors and teaching assistants. The possibility of authority figures altering the academic success of females based on the rejection of their sexual "passes" is unethical. The concept of earning a grade in class seems to have lost its meaning; whereas in the past an individual's intellectual talent would earn grades, now "sexual talent" seems to have replaced its predecessor. It appears, as though the question society expects every woman to ask herself is "How far am I willing to go to succeed?" As the Sadkers point out, "With grades and professional careers at stake, female students may feel vulnerable and powerless to object. If a professor is a senior faculty meraber and distinguished in his field, it becomes even more difficult." (Sadkers pg. 52) Consequently, women accept a mediocre role in society as a second-class citizen, which further discourages them from reaching goals in life.
In their article, the Sadkers bring about the issues that females confront in a valiant effort to ignore society's expectations and regulations, in an effort to pursue goals in life. A gender bias splits society into a world where the males are seen most fit for the toughness of life, while women are expected to rely on men for protection. When females try to surpass their societal expectations, many barriers await them; barriers ready to discourage and eliminate women from the frontrunners of society, thus further adding to subordination and degradation of females. The sexual harassment and male dominance these women must smile through in order to continue with their education further complicate the simple and righteous attempts for self-discovery and prosperity.