Katie Cloud WRT-120 Dr.

Bacon 10/6/2011

Gender Analysis

In the fight for equality, women say constantly how much they are being discriminated against. They like to make it seem as if everything goes against them in some way. Of course the stereotype that all women should be barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen is a widely known and absurd stereotype. However, when you take a closer look at the situation, men are actually being discriminated against more than women. The reason it doesnt seem this way, I think, is because generally, men are not as open about their emotions as women are, therefore they wouldnt want to complain about a small issue. The issue at hand is not a small issue though. In a perfect world, neither sex would be discriminated against, and all things would be equal. In my opinion, part of the reason equality is not present in our society is because men are still considered dominant figures. In a should be equal world, they still hold up the standard of being womens warriors and that theyre superior to women. In order for equality to take place, we need to see exactly how men are being discriminated against. Its time we saw their side of the story. Once a man turns the age of eighteen, he has to register for the U.S. draft, otherwise his voting rights, along with others, may be revoked. Is it really fair to have men thrown into battle against their own will while women sit at home? While there hasnt been a draft in over 40 years, it is still plausible for this system to be put in effect. Women want it to be an equal society, but when the thought of being thrown into the draft along with men, many times they will take a step back because the thought of holding such high expectations frightens them. Women do have the choice to enlist in the army and such, but they are not required to, whereas

Katie Cloud WRT-120 Dr. Bacon 10/6/2011 men are. Why are women not being forced to register for the draft? Going by the Selective Service Law, it only refers specifically to men to have to register. In order for women to be forced into it as well, the law would have to be amended. This issue has been reviewed twice, once in 1981 and the second time in 1994, and both times, conclusions were not reached, and women are still not forced to register. This is being followed by the same guidelines of why women are not being placed in the front lines of battle. It has been decided by the Department of Defense, however, to review the issue every so often due to the amount of women constantly joining the military. Equality must take place in an instance like this by either having all men and women forced to register for the draft, or nobody be forced to register for the draft. Neither sex should be segregated as the tougher sex by being forced to be heroes. As men are considered the tougher sex, they are also thought of as bad parents. Too many times will you see a family argument consisting of the wife telling her husband he is not a good father, whether it be because he works too much and doesnt spend enough time with the child, or because she just may not have any other kind of comeback. Neither reason is fair, nor reasonable. As a custody battle goes on, the judge will look at whether one of the parents is or is not fit to care for the child on their own, if either parent has any kind of illness or habits that will harm the child, and depending on the age of the child, will see which parent the child has more emotional ties to. From personal experience, I know sometimes it is absolutely a better choice for the mother to take full custody of the children. Many times, it is beneficial to the father-child relationship. However, this does not mean the stereotype that women are better parents than men should take place. Too many times will people see from TV shows, read in books, etc., the character of the father portrayed as an overworking, uninvolved figure in the family household. This is an unfair judgment to all men. The stereotype is well known and broadcasted worldwide,

Katie Cloud WRT-120 Dr. Bacon 10/6/2011 and it is wrong to just accept it like there is no problem. No two family situations are the same, so it is unfair to judge them all the same way. Typically fathers will not receive full custody unless the mother is very unfit to care for the children. Yes, the mother has the greater physical bond with the child, but does that really mean she has the greater emotional bond with the child? In my opinion, it truly is not fair to say men are bad parents, only basing it upon the statistics of child custody arrangements. I know my father was not the best at first, but over the years our relationship has grown fonder and fonder. People change, and it is not fair to generalize men in a way we would not like to be. Many people are under the impression that men are not able to take a paternity leave from work, and some people are highly outraged by that. However, men are allowed to take a 12week paternity leave. Men and women have the exact same rights in this case - whoa, equality? Awesome! By law, under the Family and Medical Leave Act, both men and women are granted at least a 12-week unpaid paternity leave when they just have a newborn. Even though men can take this leave, many men are either unaware or too proud to take the leave. Men assume they will be given less respect by their coworkers, both male and female, for taking the leave or even possibly lose their job. Usually, only women will take the leave because its the mothers place to take care of the child just after giving birth. If a man were to take this leave, he would have to fulfill the same requirements as a woman by applying for the leave at least 30 days in advance. Some jobs will even pay men to take the paternity leave to help the family out. Not all men are so lucky to have a job like that though. The men that work hard to support their family that get teased and ridiculed for taking a paternity leave are the ones I personally feel bad for. They should not be feeling as though its a cowardly or womanly thing to do. Parents are parents, whether theyre the mother or the father. Both sides count in raising a family, and

Katie Cloud WRT-120 Dr. Bacon 10/6/2011 people need to see that more. Men should not feel as though they must second guess their decision to take a leave to help their family out just because of their peers. They should not have to worry about the possibility of being fired or ridiculed for wanting to help their new family out in a time of need. Men are also very much discriminated against by saying they are rapists or child predators. Too many times will you hear on the news or read in the newspaper about an older man molesting a young child or a woman being raped by a man in a back alley, etc. What about the flipside of the story? Sure, it may not be as common an occurrence as the former, but it does in fact happen. People say that it is impossible for a man to be raped by a woman. This is not true, because there are many ways that a woman can rape a man. She can possibly drug him or even force herself upon him. It is often thought that a man cannot be raped because he will not be aroused if he does not want to be. However, he can become aroused against his own will due to nerves and other factors. All in all, he can in fact be raped. So why do we always hear stories about women being raped by men? Men tend to be too embarrassed to say anything about the situation, as if they will be stripped of their manhood. This is a ridiculous statement, yet it is very true. Men will feel as though reporting to the authorities about him being raped by a woman, he will more than likely feel weak because he was overcome by a woman. It is ridiculous for men to feel this way to an extent. He should feel secure reporting a crime such as being raped just as he would feel safe reporting his car being stolen. It is unfair that our society tends to protect women more in this type of situation rather than men. We should be equal in every aspect of everything - I mean, thats what our society is pushing for, right? Equality should not be a negotiable topic in our society. Women keep pushing for the same rights as men. Theyre finally obtaining these rights, but now men are becoming the

Katie Cloud WRT-120 Dr. Bacon 10/6/2011 victims in everything. Is this fair? Not at all. Men and women need to be treated and respected equally every second of every day, and it should never be any other way.