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Madison Wade

Ms. Brady

English 2 Honors

08 May 2023

Women’s Rights

Since the beginning of society, there has been discrimination, and one group that has

experienced this discrimination is women. Women earn less than men for working the same jobs,

are passed over for positions because of their gender, and are prevented from advancing ranks in

the workplace. Learning about gender discrimination in the workplace is vital because it

encourages people to elect leaders who will make progress for women in the workplace.

Meanwhile, sexual harassment and domestic violence toward women are huge problems in the

United States and around the world. Many women who have suffered such crimes are too afraid

or embarrassed to speak out. Education about sexual harassment and domestic violence is

important because it can empower women to speak out and it helps women who are suffering

know that they are not alone. To these goals, my research surrounding women’s rights around the

world covers three topics: women in economics in more developed countries, women in

economics in developing countries, and sexual harassment and domestic violence, particularly

that which affects young women.

While progress has been made for women in the economies of more developed countries,

they are still heavily discriminated against. In certain professions, women struggle to advance or

are passed over for jobs based on their gender. For example, “The Toronto Star” states, “Women
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suffer the most discrimination in male-dominated professions such as corporate businesses,

science and politics” (Still par. 2). Since these are some of the most academic job sectors in

America, the discrimination that women experience in these professions places a huge strain on

progress for women in the economy. It is essential for these jobs to be made more accessible to

women in order for women to advance in society. Another major problem for women in the

workforce is salary. Women can be paid less for doing the same jobs as men. In fact, “by the time

a woman is 65 years old, she will have made about $45,000 less than a man in the same position”

(4). This salary difference can be monumental when women have families to support.

Furthermore, the difference can be enough to discourage women from taking jobs outside the

home, preferring to allow their husbands, who will be paid a higher salary, to work while they

take care of the children. This gender gap is detrimental not only to women but to the economy,

which does not benefit from a variable idea pool when the majority of participants are white

males. In summary, discrimination in academic or STEM job sectors and lower salaries are two

major problems for working women in more developed countries.

Meanwhile, working women in developing countries around the world are struggling

with strict restrictions and sexist laws. The United Nations reports, “Of 189 economies assessed

in 2018, 104 economies still have laws preventing women from working in specific jobs, 59

economies have no laws on sexual harassment in the workplace, and in 18 economies, husbands

can legally prevent their wives from working” (Facts par. 6). Such laws that directly prevent

women from taking specific jobs or working at all not only limit the abilities of women but also

limit their confidence. Women in these countries are often complacent because it has been

instilled in them that they are the lesser sex. This makes it very difficult for them to ever take full
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part in the economy, even if they have the opportunity to do so. Similarly, sexual harassment in

the workplace, especially when condoned by the public, can permanently damage women’s

confidence. In a country where nothing can be done about sexual harassment, a woman who is

sexually harassed at her post may never return to the workforce. Another important point about

women in the world economy is that lower salaries are global. According to the United Nations,

“The gender wage gap is estimated to be 23 per cent. This means that women earn 77 per cent of

what men earn, though these figures understate the real extent of gender pay gaps, particularly in

developing countries where informal self-employment is prevalent” (10). This emphasizes that

women in developing countries suffer more from gender pay gaps because of uncontrolled

prejudices. Women are expected to take care of the children, do the chores, and do whatever it

takes to keep the household running (whether that means selling home-grown vegetables or

doing laundry for the community), which prevents them from being able to get a job with a

proper salary. This relates to my own experience with stereotypes because American girls are

expected to make themselves appealing to boys, whereas boys do not experience a great deal of

pressure to focus on girls. While it is perfectly normal for a young girl to want to be appealing,

the presence of this expectation can not only be stressful for young girls but can make them feel

limited as they may feel that they should not participate in certain activities that they think might

make them less appealing to boys. This suggests that stereotypes affect the social lives of high

school girls similarly to how they affect women in the workforce.

Sexual harassment and domestic violence are crimes that affect millions of women

around the globe, including teenage girls. In particular, harassment at schools is a huge problem

that is not going away. The Times newspaper states, “A cross-party report from the Women and
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Equalities Committee announced that more than half of young women aged 13-21 have faced

some form of sexual harassment at school or college in the past year, and almost a third of 16 to

18-year old girls say they have experienced unwanted sexual touching at school” (Sexism par. 5).

This demonstrates that harassment and violence are happening in all schools, all the time, to a

great number of young women. Therefore, every student in America is likely to be, at some

point, in a situation involving harassment or violence at school, whether they are directly

implicated or a friend is having the experience. When girls are sexually harassed at school, it can

affect their mental health a great deal for a variety of reasons: School is supposed to be a safe

place, so taking away that safety is harmful to many girls; experiencing sexual harassment at a

young age can permanently damage women’s confidence; and the high-pressure social

environment at school can contribute to young women who are harassed feeling alone and

helpless. In the novel Speak, Melinda is a high school freshman who is raped at a party the

summer after her eighth-grade year. She calls the cops, and since practically her entire grade was

at the party, many of her friends get in trouble. For the majority of the book, she does not tell

anyone the truth about what happened at the party. At a pep rally freshman year, Melinda thinks,

“I have worked so hard to forget every second of that stupid party, and here I am in the middle of

a hostile crowd that hates me for what I had to do” (Anderson p. 28). The high-stress social

environment at high school makes it more difficult for Melinda to cope with her trauma after

being raped. One way that students can help girls who are harassed, and who may, like Melinda,

be dealing with the social challenges of high school, is to promote awareness of sexual

harassment and domestic violence. In a compilation of letters published by The Times newspaper,

Mary Beth, age 16, writes, “Recently I was at an 18th and a boy was grabbing a girl on the
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dancefloor, pulling her hair back and holding her arm. She was about 15. No one seemed to care,

so I pulled her over to my friends; she was really grateful to be rescued from him. The irony was

her mates didn't seem to think it was a problem. Everyone is so used to it that it has become

normal” (Sexism par. 59). This suggests that by making people more aware of the issue of sexual

harassment, we can create a capable and vigilant force ready to help women in need. This is

critical for young people because all students are likely to be exposed to a situation in which

sexual harassment and/or domestic violence are issues and sexual harassment can be especially

difficult for high school girls to deal with.

In conclusion, there is a lot of work to be done before the world reaches widespread

gender equality. Women in more developed countries face discrimination in the workforce,

economic inequality, sexual harassment, and domestic violence. Meanwhile, women in many

developing countries experience a plethora of injustices, including being restricted from official

employment and being legally obligated to have their lives dictated by their husbands. In the

effort for women’s rights, I believe that the greatest tool that average citizens have is knowledge.

With a firm knowledge of the inequities women face all around the world, we have the ability to

make a difference through educating others. The more people who are educated about the

struggles of women and women’s rights, the less daunting it will seem to enact change for

women on a large scale. Interestingly, analyzing sexual harassment in high schools along with

the experiences of women in the workforce highlights that sexual inequality in high schools is

mirrored in the world economy. One might even entertain the notion that if high school students

extinguish sexual inequality at school, it could carry forward through their lives and change the

entire world.
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Works Cited

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. Square Fish, 2011.

“Facts and Figures: Economic Empowerment.” UN Women – Headquarters, July 2018,

https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/economic-empowerment/facts-and-figures.

"Sexism in school Harassment in class Banter at break time Abuse online GIRLS SPEAK OUT."

Times [London, England], 24 Dec. 2016, p. 26. Gale In Context: Global Issues,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A474871675/GIC?u=char12458&sid=bookmark-GIC&xid=8f4bb0f9.

Accessed 6 May 2023.

"Still a long way to go to close gender gap; What 'Because it's 2015' may mean in 2016, Editorial

Dec. 28." Toronto Star [Toronto, Ontario], 29 Dec. 2015, p. A12. Gale In Context: Global

Issues,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A438628957/GIC?u=char12458&sid=bookmark-GIC&xid=0cf2e48c.

Accessed 28 Apr. 2023.