De La Torre 1 Alejandra De La Torre John Kubler English 114A 22 October 2013 Womens Rights?

Rights are based on legal, social, or ethical principles; one such principle is freedom to choose ones reproductive privileges. Rights are the fundamental rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people. Does this really exist in todays society? In our society today, the rights for both genders are not as equal as it seems. Men seem to have a privilege over women. Males have always had the right to fight in combat, while females have been fighting for their rights (Clift 1). Rights are meant for each individual to have the same freedom especially in the United States. However, there is an imbalance of power between the sexes. Men have always been seen as the more dominant figure in a heterosexual relationship. As a result of the unequal gender rights, women have a harder time in society because even many decades after the womens rights movement women still dont have all the same privileges that men do. Simone de Beauvoir, a highly known French writer and feminist, mentions in The Second Sex the differences seen in both genders. She shows the earliest forms of a feminist view of the unequal right between both genders. She begins with the human being, comparing the physiology of men and women. For instance, both men and women differentiate in muscular strength. Women have fewer red blood cells, and a lesser respiratory capacity than men (De Beauvoir 1). De Beauvoirs primary thesis is that men fundamentally oppress women by characterizing them on everything like an object. From the very beginning of her discussion, de Beauvoir identifies the economic struggles of female subordination and the roots of womans liberation. Only in work can she achieve autonomy. If woman can support herself, she can also achieve a form of liberation. In

De La Torre 2 The Second Sex, de Beauvoir discusses the logistical hurdles woman faces in pursuing this goal. It shows that even in the earliest years of the womens rights movement, all the differences between both genders are very distinct. The title Second Sex gives off the sense that women are referred to as the second sex because men were always seen as the dominant figure at the time. When it comes to women fighting in combat it was not allowed for many years. The 1994 policy called the Direct Ground Combat Definitions and Assignment Rule banned women from small combat units and gave branches of the military (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard) the power to restrict women from certain positions (Clift 1). Women usually went as nurse or a more famine type of job. They were never believed to have the strength or willpower of men. Today, women account for 14 percent of the nations 1.4 million active-duty military. According to the lawsuit, 238,000 jobs across the armed forces are off-limits for women (Lemmon 1). These statistics prove that women do not have the same rights as men. I believe there is oppression of women in the military because the men dont think the women are capable of what they think is a mans job. However, in January 2013 Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who served during the Obama administration, announced in a press conference at the Pentagon that he ordered the ban against women serving in combat positions to be lifted (Clift 1). In the conference room it was believed that lifting the ban would be the right thing to do. Panettas decision was a result of a lawsuit filed by four female veterans, along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), demanding that women be allowed in combat. The four female veterans believe combat exclusion is unfair and outdated, based on stereotypes, inhibits promotion of servicewomen and ignores the realities of the modern battlefield (Lemmon 1). It is said that if the enemy doesnt make a distinction; neither should we (Clift 1). The move Panetta announced opened up tens of thousands of

De La Torre 3 additional jobs, allowing women to compete for higher positions and promotions previously denied them (1). Many argued that some of the jobs would be too difficult for women. For example, special-operations elite groups like the Delta Force, are highly competitive to begin with, and have really tough physical requirements (1). Although, some may say that women dont have the physical or mental strength to go through war. In war you witness people dying in front of you and being able to shoot as someone to protect your country. This causes a lot of mental stress. It requires a strong minded person to go through that and dont go crazy. Men would argue that women are not strong enough mentally and can break down crying in the middle of combat. The reality is that not even men are able to handle going through war. No one is mentally ready to go through that traumatic experience. There are men coming back from war with post-traumatic stress disorder that go on a killing spree. If men cant handle being in combat either, then why should men have the right to go? Similarly when it comes to sports, both male and female have different leagues. Why cant women compete in the same league as the men? In regards to Lindsey Vonn's attempt to convince them to allow her to ski with men and limit her to only compete with females, I believe that she should be granted her request. Lindsey Vonn is the best female skier is the United States. There should be no reason why the best in the womens league should not compete with men. She is the best women skier in the United States, which means she could be better than some of the men. This shows an imbalance in the powers of the sexes because for sport authorities they want the best woman and the best man but not the overall best. In the article, Men, Women and Speed. 2 Words: Got Testosterone? author Gina Kolata explains why men perform better in regards to physical strength and speed. She begins to explain the impact testosterone has on our bodies and how "...the hormone affects everything from muscle size and strength to the size of the heart to the amount of oxygen-carrying blood cells in the body

De La Torre 4 to the percentage of fat on an athletes body..." (Kolata 1). There are certain boundaries and regulations every sport has in order to keep the athletes safe. Vonns request can be seen as unreasonable by some because she is not only inferring that women sports are not good enough, but she is not accepting that her "best" is not the best compared to the male "best." I understand she might be able to win in the race against a male; however "...[they] are genetically different..." Even if both genders are different physically, they should have the same rights to race with each other. An African American and a Caucasian man are physically different, yet they both have the same equal rights. There is no big difference in a female or male athlete. If they work for it then they should be able to compete with who they please. Likewise, in the film Crazy, Stupid, Love the womanizer character of Jacob comes off as the dominant figure between both sexes in the beginning. He is always trying to pick up girls and take them home with him. When Jacob is giving Cal lessons on how to get a girl, he gives Cal certain instructions. The instructions worked to get any girl to take home which proves that some men in this film had a way to control women. This automatically shows that in todays society the male being dominant in a relationship is still portrayed. This makes the female gender look vulnerable and submissive whenever they see a handsome male. This shows females as a bait for Jacob and Cal to pick up and take him. Most women in this movie are just used for sex like Robbies teacher, Kate. Women are shown as having no right to say no to the womanizers because they were always saying yes. By saying yes and giving in to their game the men are controlling the women and being the gender with more power. In other words, men have all the right to do as they want with their body. If they want to get a vasectomy they are free to at any time in their life. Do women have these same privileges as men do? Women are restricted the right to do as they please with their body. It should be the womans choice what she does with her body. Abortion has been a very controversial topic when

De La Torre 5 it comes to womens health. After the first trimester of a pregnancy, a mother is not allowed to have an abortion. After the first trimester the state makes the decision [that] leaves the State free to place increasing restrictions on abortion as the period of pregnancy lengthens which makes them get involved in womens rights (Roe v. Wade 1973). This means that technically women shouldnt be allowed to get an abortion during the second or third trimester because the state steps in to defend the child. The state should not be allowed to get involved because it is under the right of a woman to do what she pleases with her body. As it states in the Roe v. Wade Allows Abortions for All 9 Months article there are no reasons why the state should get involved because there are loopholes in this US supreme court decision. Specific examples of what may be considered harmful to a mothers health are the stigma of unwed motherhood, the work of child care, and the stress which are loopholes for an abortion associated with the unwanted child. Women should be able to have the right to have an abortion if they do not want their baby. It is better than letting the baby suffer while growing up in an orphanage or foster home unloved. It is a womans body she should know what to do with it, not the state. To summarize, men have more rights than women in many fields. The result of all this is to show how unequal the rights of women are compared to men. For some reason men have always been seen as dominant. Therefore they should be given the right to do as they please. There are unequal gender rights and an imbalance of power between the sexes. Little by little women are getting their rights given. For example, the fact that the ban for women to go to combat will be removed soon gives women more opportunities for a job. Also they fact that there is loopholes in the abortion law still makes it possible for a woman to have the right to do as she wants with her body. We live in America, the land of the free, yet women dont have the same freedom as men. In order to create a more perfect union, every person should be given the same rights.

De La Torre 6 Works Cited Agresti, James D. Roe v. Wade Allows Abortions for all 9 Months of Pregnancy, Not Just the First 3. JustFactsDaily.com. Just Facts, 18 Jan. 2013. Web. 22 October 2013. Clift, Eleanor. Women Get to Fight, as Leon Panetta Changes Combat Rules. TheDailyBeast.com. The Newsweek/Daily Beast Company, 24 Jan. 2013. Web. 22 October 2013. Crazy, Stupid, Love. Dir. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. Perf. Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, and Emma Stone. Warner Brothers, 2011. Film. De Beauvoir, Simone. The Second Sex, Conclusion (1949). Marxists.org. Marxists Internet Archive Committee, n.d. Web. 22 October 2013. Kolata, Gina. Men, Women and Speed. 2 Words: Got Testosterone? NYTimes.com. The New York Times Company, 21 August 2008. Web. 22 October 2013. Lemmon, Gayle Tzemach. ACLU Suit: Allowing Women in Combat is about Equality and Recognition. TheDailyBeast.com. The Newsweek/Daily Beast Company, 29 Nov. 2012. Web. 22 October 2013.