Always at a Disadvantage
"What goes unsaid is that women might be more ambitious and focused because we've never had a choice. We've had to fight to vote, to work outside the home, to work in environments free of sexual harassment, to attend universities of our choice, and we've also had to prove ourselves over and over to receive any modicum of consideration."
This statement from the essay, How We All Lose demonstrates how women have consistently, throughout history and into today, been at a disadvantage. Men take for granted the fact that they have always had the right to vote, they've always had the ability to go to college and go to work; women have never been that lucky. We've had to constantly fight for our rights, nothing has been given to us.
Men have always had the power. They are the ones who originally made all the rules and women had no choice but to follow them. History has been a constant game of catch up where women have had to prove themselves time after time to even be considered by men. Men got to dictate whether or not women could vote, they got to dictate what jobs we could and couldn't have. It's ridiculous to see that women have to constantly show their worth otherwise they'll lose countless opportunities whereas men get to simply have whatever they want because they're a man and we're not.
Men so easily take advantage of the fact that most things in life are given to them. They don't have to fight for their worth or prove their value as it's just assumed that they're capable and competent enough to perform all these tasks. Women don't have that luxury. When women to finally gain the same opportunities as men, they have to make sure that they're not only performing those tasks well, but exceeding those expectations because those opportunities they've fought tirelessly to have can so easily be taken away from them. Men are given leniency if their performance is subpar whereas a woman's subpar performance can be seen as an ineptitude and a reason to be let go.
Women ultimately, deserve to be seen as an equal with a man. If a women has to battle for her rights so should a man.
This statement from the essay, How We All Lose demonstrates how women have consistently, throughout history and into today, been at a disadvantage. Men take for granted the fact that they have always had the right to vote, they've always had the ability to go to college and go to work; women have never been that lucky. We've had to constantly fight for our rights, nothing has been given to us.
Men have always had the power. They are the ones who originally made all the rules and women had no choice but to follow them. History has been a constant game of catch up where women have had to prove themselves time after time to even be considered by men. Men got to dictate whether or not women could vote, they got to dictate what jobs we could and couldn't have. It's ridiculous to see that women have to constantly show their worth otherwise they'll lose countless opportunities whereas men get to simply have whatever they want because they're a man and we're not.
Men so easily take advantage of the fact that most things in life are given to them. They don't have to fight for their worth or prove their value as it's just assumed that they're capable and competent enough to perform all these tasks. Women don't have that luxury. When women to finally gain the same opportunities as men, they have to make sure that they're not only performing those tasks well, but exceeding those expectations because those opportunities they've fought tirelessly to have can so easily be taken away from them. Men are given leniency if their performance is subpar whereas a woman's subpar performance can be seen as an ineptitude and a reason to be let go.
Women ultimately, deserve to be seen as an equal with a man. If a women has to battle for her rights so should a man.
I completely agree with you that women and men should be treated equally; that should go without saying but for some reason, society has never been able to figure that out. But I think one thing we have to be careful about is what Roxanne discusses in Peculiar Benefits. While it is important to look at where women have come from and struggled against, while still looking at what we still must accomplish, we also must understand the privilege of our own and of others. As she says, no one benefits from Suffering Olympics, if we can stop sizing up every other person's privilege in life, we may be able to collectively use our privilege to make life better for everyone.
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