Look Twice

Sweet...I love science

clipped from greatergood.berkeley.edu America that is moving past traditional racial divisions and prejudices, it's probably safe to assume that all of us harbor more biases than we think. More recent research shows that our prejudices are not inevitable; they are actually quite malleable, shaped by an ever-changing mix of cultural beliefs and social circumstances. Old-fashioned racism and sexism were known quantities because people would mostly say what they thought. Blacks were lazy; Jews were sly; women were either dumb or bitchy. Modern equivalents continue, of course—look at current portrayals of Mexican immigrants as criminals (when, in fact, crime rates in Latino neighborhoods are lower than those of other ethnic groups at comparable socioeconomic levels).

To be a feminist again.
Going to the book store tonight was refreshing. Reading through the essays and looking at the books on topics I love was great. For one, it reminded me of why I identify as a feminist.

Ahhhhh, to be a feminst.
So to understand reproductive justice must come first the understanding of injustice. For women injustice when government and societal structures impede on the thing closest to you, your body.

People agree that rape is an injustice. Rape is the most intrusive bodily violence. Not only is it an assault on your body, but it is an assault framed on sexuality because of the nature of the organs that are involved.

A survivor of sexual violence come to recognize they are a sexual physical being.

Rape is also an exprience of your body being controlled by another person. This loss of control is unplesant and society and laws are sympathetic to this. But there are laws and a history that also intrude upon women's bodies, like rape.

The lack of reproductive health care and especially the lack of comprehensive sex/sexuality education and family planning supplies like birth control, and safe abortions, are things that women must fight for. They must fight for it in a system that has only included women in positions of legislative power since August 18, 1920. Only 24% of Congress is female and have female bodies they must care for.

Women are considered an oppressed group because they are not given the power to (equal power as men) to control their own lives. Women have more opportunities then they did in the past, even what I have the opportunities to do is far greater then my mother. But today, even with the opportunities that are increasing there is not equality. Even when a woman does get a traditionally male position (like in the sciences) we are still making only 77% of what a man with the same experience and qualifications does. The reasons for this are not blatently misigomist, but there are social pressures for behavior that impede women. Most of these pressures are throwbacks to the history of women's position, not about individuals' lackings.

Even in the historical female responsiblity for family planning has become politicized by men and sciences through laws. What was a taken-for-granted as logical choices for women, decisions about their own bodies, is still being fought for.

This is why I am a feminst.