Monday, June 15, 2015

"Gender" Essay Reactions

Below, you should respond to one or both of the gender-themed essays:  The Case for Birth Control by Margaret Sanger and The 2012 Address to the Australian Parliament by Julia Gillard .  You should not write formulaically, and we should be able to hear your own unique voice in your response. 

58 comments:

KayraR1221 said...

Kayra Reyes: Julia Gillard and Margaret Sanger, both iconic feminists, bring light to the realization to the fact that despite the many advancements and the social progress we have encountered when looking at women’s rights, women still continue to be stereotyped and restricted from certain opportunities to educate themselves and participate in society. In the early 20th century, Sanger, as a nurse, noticed the continuing difficulties women faced with the lack of access to birth control in a time when people faced much poverty and disease, a time no one wanted to have their children be raised in. Due to the lack of access to birth control, women were either forced to have a large number of children they struggled to care for or risk their lives in getting an unsafe abortion. Sanger became aware of the thousands of deaths due either to unsafe abortions or to infants facing illness and how women of wealth had considerably less children due to their access to this birth control poor women were restricted from using. As a woman, aware of the risks of these dangerous practices, Sanger decided it was time that something was done about this lack of knowledge. Women needed to be respected equally, despite their social standing, and be allowed to have knowledge about their bodies and ways to control their nature in order to save themselves a life of misery. Similarly, Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia, despite working in a high position in government, still encounters sexism and stereotyping, thus limiting her ability to have full respect and attention from her audience. Gillard faces a conflict with a fellow politician who due to his sexist remarks, puts down women as if they were only meant to do housework and not be able to work in a higher position in society. This fellow politician is seen by Gillard as a hypocrite who one day is sexist and expresses it openly and a women’s advocate the next, protesting against sexual harassment. At this moment, Gillard becomes aware of the hypocrisy in government and how these people that are clearly abusing of situations and changing their arguments when it seems most convenient are being allowed to place their input in government when they should clearly be removed. Both these women have identified the lack of respect given to women and the minimal care payed to women’s rights and abilities in society for which they both work to surpass.

Mitchell Santos said...

Despite the advancement in laws and medical procedures, the world still fails to see the opinion of women and their roles in society being far superior than just repopulating the world and pitiful labor. Feminist Margaret Sanger communicates through her essays how women endure the burden of raising children and minimal wage jobs. Through the point of view of a woman and how she sees the world around her, it clear of the lack of benefits and resources women have and the action needed for them to have a better life experience. Through seeing women abort and many of them being rich and using abortion at a high risk of death. Sanger places this opinion as a way to reveal the right for every woman to be able to have the choice and abort her child based upon necessity and not being judged by her actions. Taking not about this being set in a time that was in the past, clearly today many women feel oppressed and hated for having abortions and taking away the life of unborn individuals. the message is clear and concise Sanger seeks through methods of expressing a point of view that reveals the everyday struggles of women and the needful action needed by society in granting protection rights that help women around the world so that their opinions and lifestyles are protected.

Unknown said...

While reading The case for Birth Control Margaret Sanger ,1917 and 2012 Address to the Australian Parliament by Julia Gillard both educated women express their concern over Women's rights and the way they are treated. Sanger as a nurse became aware that women are not fully educated about their own bodies and therefore suffer because of the lack of birth control and the conditions they live in. Sanger makes us aware of many statistics that reveal how many women have lost their lives trying to raise a family or going through a process of an abortion because they had fear and,no support in a pregnancy. Sanger opened the first birth control clinic to help women. Women should be able to make their own decisions and not be forced into pregnancy if they do not feel prepared because only them have to go through a long process during 9 months of pregnancy. As I continued reading Sanger article she convey the idea that not only women need more education about their health , but they also need more support from men and the government laws. Women should receive resources and support from society. Women should be able to receive a fairly money wage and be able to obtain the job they like to pursue without being judge , or force to do something they don't feel comfortable with. Women should be free , and protected therefore Sanger wrote this article to help women have a better lifestyle through a organized,and educational way of the things that are available such as birth control for those women that do not desire to have children and do not risk their life's trying to raise a family in harsh conditions. Sanger as well expresses how those women who choose to have an abortion should not be criticized because only they know why they decided to take that decision . Julia Gillard was the prime minister of Australia had a job in Australian politics,but she did not have the support from her peers she periodically experienced sexism and misogynist which is hate or dislike towards a women. There is a lot of stereotypes towards the capacity of women and how women should only stay home, and take care of kids but that is a wrong mentality because women are capable of making a positive change in the world . Gender should not represent what women or men are capable or able to do.We are all equal.

Ann Perez said...

Margaret Sanger believed that women should be informed about birth control. Growing up with many siblings and in a small home she knew of the struggles mothers has when having babies. During this time period many believed that birth control was a sin and that you are expected to have babies. She later in life became a nurse and throughout her career she became more informed about birth control. She was surprised to see that many mothers were happy to know their baby died in labor because they weren’t capable of taking care of a child. Margaret Sanger made it her first priority to educate woman about birth control she was certain the amount of abortions would reduce by introducing birth control. She advocated that woman should be allowed to make their own decisions about when they should have babies, they should be in control of their own body and not be forced by their husband or society. In the “2012 Address to the Australian Parliament” by Julia Gillard was a form in protecting women, she is sating how Tony Abbott should not be in control of the parliament because he ,is not an example model of which they are looking for. In this speech Julia Gillard ensures that women are deserving of their own rights but will not move forward with Abbott’s continuous sexism remarks. If we want to change sexism, that Abbott needs to realize that people like him are the reason why change isn’t being made and that the people present open their eyes to the reality. Both of these women in these essays address very important issues regarding to women and they seek for an immediate action to occur. I agree with the way they approach the issue and ask for immediate action showing that there shouldn’t be a line defining gender, that whether it is a woman or a man the decisions being made should not be based on that but on the evidence. That sexism is a huge issue that most women face and it is important to bring light into the situation in order to seek for a change.-Ann Perez

Unknown said...

While reading both "The case for birth control" Margaret Sanger,1917 and "The 2012 address to the Australian Parliament" by Julia Gillard; both want to make the change in how women are viewed. Sanger to make sure that young ladies aware of what their body is capable of. Sanger Felt like it was her responsibility to inform girls because there have been many situations where women are not able to bring a child to life because they couldn't take care of it. She has noticed that the United States is the only country that has a high number in abortions and large in deaths of women. Instead of woman being ignorant she wants them to demand the right so they could be considered free. A lot of woman are suffering and a really bad conditions where they are not able to take care of their family properly; so she feels that the government should provide that help to them but knows that they willn't. So she later on created her own clinic to help women leave healthier lives but also prevent unsafe abortions. Julia Gillard starts off with disagreeing with Tony Abbott because he goes into the stereotypes that women should only be used to do housework. Also goes into saying how misogynist cannot be allowed in the high office because then woman will be targeted. She hates Politicians say things that target woman and nobody I was in anything they just let it happen. Women should be given way more respect because we are capable of doing the same things that men can do. Gender shouldn't be the factor that bring them back from speaking there mind because we are all no different.

Unknown said...

In one way or another, men are all misogynistic and sexist. Some are just better at hiding it than others. Whether it on a small scale like just believing women are not AS good as men in certain aspects of the world or on a large scale like believing men and women belong in two separate categories: the what is “manly” and the what is “girly,” gender is something that has always and probably will always cause conflict. No matter how many times women have proven themselves to be equals to men, they are still called out as the lesser and weaker gender. Women are not as strong as men. Women are not as smart as men. Women are not as fearless as men. There are so many things that are deemed more acceptable for men to do then there are things deemed acceptable for women, but when a woman is able to do something just as well as a man, they are not taken seriously in that field or any “man” deemed field. Gillard’s speech called out the hypocrisy in men. Men of power and prestige still believe in the power of man and the obedience of women. Pointing out ones misogyny and sexism when you are doing the same thing only shows that some men are more open about their opinions and more accepting about them then they let on. Gillard basically called out the wrong doing of both men. She taught them that women are not going to take the abuse from men and that being “catcalled” and discriminated against is something that will be in the past. As a feminist myself, women truly are better than men or at least their equals. The idea that women are not on the same level as men is something that is quickly becoming outdated. Men need to learn to accept the future.

Unknown said...

Throughout this article I agreed with a lot of Julia’s actions. For example I understood her need to call out Abbott even though Slipper said the exact same things. The difference in the two being that Slipper did not use the situation for “political purposes”. Over time this article became more about men’s overall actions towards women, not only socially, but politically as well. With this article I also noticed similar words being used again and again. For example words like misogynistic and sexist/sexism. However despite these strong words against Slipper and Abbott, Gillard never used the word feminist to explain her or explain her reasoning for calling out both men. Not that she needed a reason for her actions; Slipper and Abbott were wrong for their actions and should be reprimanded. In my opinion Gillard did not explain herself as being a feminist because some people reading the article would say that she is biased in her views, making her ineligible to take a stand. I agreed with all of Gilliard’s points and I believe that Gillard took a great risk in calling out these men. Being the first female Prime Minister Gillard I believe that she understands the women who struggle in positions such as her own and take it to heart when men like Abbott say that women are not suitable to be in politics. Both Slipper and Abbott are disgusting and their actions should be called out. Gillard, being the educated woman that she is, made an argument without siding with Slipper or Abbott and made a detailed article calling them both out. I do think though that despite Gillard not taking a stand with them is based on another reason as well. Both men are wrong but one is not more wrong than the other. Sure one can decide based on their own opinion and Slipper or Abbott’s actions, but siding with either man would just be wrong. People cannot decide between the two when they are both wrong.

Unknown said...

I found that both articles regarding gender were all for the empowerment of women and I loved that! Both Sanger and Gillard are very inspiring yet I seemed to like Gillard's article just a little bit more. Gillard is very smart, articulate and your typical empowering feminist. Throughout her argument against Abbott for being a sexist and misogynist she used her smart words and argument to prove that he is just a dirty, sleezy male politician. Abbott had no proof or significance to point out that Gillard is a sexist or misogynist, I believe he was just jealous and mad that Gillard had a high and respected position in politics. Women have always struggled throughout the years to prove to society that they could do anything just as good as men could and that they were also good for stuff outside the old norm of being a stay at home housewife. The rise of feminism is now greater than ever, and with women proving to society that they can be something great like a firefighter, doctor, astronaut and politician, it just proves that women can do anything they set their minds to. Gillard just publically shamed and put Abbott in his place because that is what he simply deserved. Gillard believes that Australia needs a truthful and serious person to rule the parliament. It is time for a change and that time is now.

Erika Ruiz said...

Society has classified the ideal woman to be a stay at home mother who, cleans, takes care of the children, and cleans. Men on the other hand, are suppose to be the muscle, they have to be strong and provide for the family. Because of this men see themselves superior to women. However, women should be able to take control of their lives and decide how they want to live it. I agreed with what Margaret Sanger said in her essay, women should gain knowledge about birth control. Men should not be allowed to hold so much control over them. Women, just like men, have the right to make their own decisions. The lack of knowledge about birth control puts women in a dangerous position. Being aware of birth control can save women the trouble and pain. I found it shocking to know that the women who got pregnant were filled with joy to know their baby was born dead. I also found the fact that women are seen as "machines" appalling. Women are just as capable as men, just because you are a female does not mean you lack ability to do anything. Margaret wants to empower women so that they can help themselves. Birth control should be taken advantage of because of the benefits, all women should be allowed to have those benefits. Society creates so many stereotypes that discourage women, even though they are more then capable of accomplishing any dream they may have. I truly believe that all women have the right to determine their future and should therefore be informed of everything they have available to them, and not let others decide for them or force them to submit to them.

Unknown said...

While reading, "The Case for Birth Control" and "2012 Address to the Australian Parliament", Margaret Sanger and Julia Gillard,feminist , both express the idea of women's choices to be taken more serious...Men are now idealized as the superior ones since it is the men who "carry" the family. Of'course the men are the ones presented as the individual whom works and brings food to the table, women on the other hand need to take initiative and provide for themselves as the man does not have the right to make the choices. Women can take the initiative and start making decisions for themselves by informing themselves on more of the knowledge of birth giving."Is she to remain a producing machine? Is she to have time to think, to study. to care for herself? Man cannot travel to his goal alone", this clearly signifies it is the effort that both put in which makes the effect, instead of being only seen as a "producing machine", with more knowledge acquired to the women and man this can really help in the decisions made. Women have the key to their own future but it takes effort from the individual.I was surprised that women wanted to have a abortion or were happy to have a miscarriage because in reality its still a human being who's life is being ended. -Alberto Rivera

Unknown said...

Woman have always been considered less than men in many ways; politically, mentally, and physically are a just a few examples of how women have treated as less than men. In the essay of “The Case for Birth Control” by Margaret Sanger, she was a woman who fought for the knowledge of birth control. Sanger found it unreasonable that only the woman of higher class had the privilege of knowing a way to prevent unwanted pregnancies and even how to seek safer abortions than those women who were less fortunate. Sanger worked as a nurse to help those the women who were less fortunate than the rest until one day she had this case that changed her life forever. Sanger was tired of women being treated as “producing machines” and the “drudge” that they were, so she stopped working as a nurse in order to try to spread the spread the knowledge of birth control so that women all over the world can decide themselves when they think they are prepared enough to raise their families as they see fit. This essay stood out to me the most because Sanger was trying to help out the women who could not help themselves to have a better life. Through this essay, she successfully shared her knowledge about birth control and helped many women know that there are ways to prevent abortion. Julia Gillard’s speech about sexism and misogyny does not shock me as surprising due to the fact that women have always been considered as well especially when it comes to political issues. Gillard was simply trying to seek justice for being treated unfairly in the office simply because she is a woman. For a long period of time, women have tried to prove themselves to be more than looks and beauty and a stay at home women, but how can they if men keep on putting them down for simply trying? Or never even giving them a chance.

Sofia Velazquez said...

Both Margaret Sanger and Julia Gillard are both very passionate when it comes to speaking about what they stand for. They both use personal experience to push them to do what they have always viewed as correct. For example, Sanger becomes an advocate for women’s right to abort not only because she believes it is right, but because she sees how not having control over their own uterus has affected women’s health and the people surrounding them. Gillard also speaks up about her opinions when she sees that people are just saying that they support women’s rights to gain the support of women. She sees hypocrisy and double standards about the subject and decides to put people in their place. In both stories, I think that the women are correct. It is unfair for men to expect women to just give birth to their children and for the women to just stay home and cook and clean. Both men and women are humans, and all humans deserve the same rights. If men are able to leave the house, educate themselves, work, or even stay home if they choose to, then women should have the choice too; they shouldn't have to fight for what they deserve. The woman is the one that has to deal with the things that come with being pregnant for nine months, so she should be the one that decides whether she wants children, not be forced by men and society. Gillard’s approach was also very powerful because she makes her audience question the Leader of Opposition’s true purpose. To back up her claims, she gives the audience proof. She mentions many instances in where the Leader of Opposition did things that do not match up with him claiming that he supports women’s rights. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but an opinion is more respected when the person has evidence to back up what they're saying, which is what both of these strong-minded ladies do. - Sofia Velazquez

Unknown said...

I enjoyed reading both essays from both Margaret Sanger and Julia Gillard being that they are very passionate about their stance about gender equality. Even though the fight to end sexism and gender inequality has greatly shaped our world as we know it and women have been exposed to a plethora of opportunities due to numerous women's rights movements, it is evident that there is still more work to do. In Julia Gillard's essay, "2012 Address to the Australian Parliament", she mentions Malala Yousafzai, an inspiring and ambitious teenager from Pakistan who was shot by the Taliban because of her continuous fight to ensure that women can be able to acquire the same education as men. It is very disheartening to hear that because someone was born a woman, something that we are unable to control as human beings, they are not given the same rights and respect as men, proving my point that there is much more work to do to end these repugnant views towards women that are impeding us to be free to do as we please. I would like to focus on Margaret Sanger's essay, however, "The Case for Birth Control", because it brings to my attention that during the early 1900's, where women inferiority was still at its zenith point even though there were numerous women's rights movements occurring to amend this situation, it was very alarming to read that women were not even given the right to choose when they wanted to have a child, bringing unwanted and neglected children into the world.It angers me that many women, especially the lower class, were ignorant about contraceptives or simply denied them. Due to this, women were birthing a surfeit amount of children without acquiring the financial needs to raise and support these children! Women should not be denied contraceptives, better yet, women should not be denied other basic necessities. It is imperative that woman like myself and all continue to fight for our natural born rights and to end our inferiority to men.

Unknown said...

Why has it become increasingly difficult for women to just to be seen as equals to men? Why should one gender be superior to the other? All these questions yet nobody can seem to understand that women deserve to be seen as equals to men and not be categorized as the inferior gender. Tony Abbott was no doubt a misogyist and a sexist and Gillard has every right to say, that Abbott will never change. Abbott says thing about women that makes them seem inferior to men, "if it's true that men have more power generally speaking than a women, is that a bad thing?" Abbott says these things not in the past, but recently so the case of him being a changed man is false because he continues to offend women and belittling them in society. He talks about the modern role of a women is to be a house wife, he makes it seem as if that is the on,y thing women can surmount too. Women have always had to fight for their equality, but the double standard that Abbott is doing is unjust to these women. Abbott is incapable of change as Gillard says through her article and he he will no doubt continue to act in this way in the future.

Anonymous said...

Gender, the type of rule we should classify ourselves with according to society. Gender plays a big role into getting certain jobs or things you would like to accomplish. if they job seems as it should be done only by men the job will be done by men because of the society we will live people tend to think women can't be as strong or capable of accomplishing a mans job which is a false stereotype. but same goes for men, if a man would like to become a cupcake baker it don't seem "right" to society because he should be fulfilling manly jobs and not girly jobs. also there is a stereotype for women that all women should be at home and taking care of the kids and not having to do anything else because they have to clean,cook and take care of the kids while the man goes to work. sometimes men believe otherwise believing there should be equality as you can get a job and so can i. and i start to feel when the discussion of staying home while the man works is not always what the women wants she will still do it to keep him happy but what about her happiness. women have always had a struggle to have a voice to the public and stand up for themselves but a new wave has occurred in 2015. feminism is starting up stronger then ever and women are not taking no for an answer we are starting to push for equal wages as men and push to be respected in work environments and to push stereotypers of women out. and also a man can do whatever he pleases in his life they can pursue any field they like- Sarieyah Orellana

Unknown said...

The article, " The Case for Birth Control", was the most interesting to me for many reasons. This article not only talked about a highly debatable subject of birth but it also introduced the idea that social class being involved when it comes to specific knowledge. The idea of birth control and its methods have been explained and debated which methods are better than others but what really made me angry with the idea that the elite Americas are the ones who on average have greater knowledge. I truly care for knowledge and hope that everyone across America and all other nations have access to it, but the sad reality is that's not the case. In my opinion, I believe if everyone had knowledge about personal health, wealth, and self improvement concepts the world will be much more different. Homelessness would decrease, illness will decrease, and many more factors will decrease as well like debt because people will have the knowledge to stop these things before they occur. However, as we all know knowledge is for the most part concentrated in the hands of the rich because they can afford the best of the best in any subject. relating back to this article it showed me that even when there is an obvious negative occurrence there can be a change made no matter how big, which Sanger did.

Unknown said...

The idea of gender, and gender norms has always been something I loved discussing. After reading these essays, I started to question the borders between the two genders, rather than just agree with all that they said. Gender norms have a tendency to constantly point out the differences between man and woman. The first question that is relevant to my claim is: are there really boundaries between the two genders? When thinking of masculinity, I often associate qualities like toughness, the color blue, and hard labor jobs. When thinking of femininity, I think of light colors, office jobs, and delicacy. All of these qualities have been formed due to society placing labels on the two genders. Society has confined gender and gender norms to an extreme where if one gender were to possess a quality frequently associated with the other, they would be questioned and considered “abnormal”. By having these classifications and gender norms, it is clear that the boundaries between man and woman do exist in everyday life. Margaret Sanger perfectly identifies this by claiming that women are still held to “bondages” and calls out if the “State has a better right” to make decisions about child birth. She clearly points out how man and women differ in “the Nature of Laws”. Julia Gillard also emphasizes how in recent times, men still feel the need to degrade women. “I was offended when the Leader of the Opposition stood next to a sign that described me as a man’s bitch” she claims, and then later points out the “hypocrisy” her own Parliament experiences. Although both women help me recognize the borders men and women have, they also made me wonder if these borders could ever be crossed? Are these borders even relevant? The borders helps with society identify the unknown because the idea of not knowing is what drives the fear inside humans. As the human race, we want to know things, we want to learn things. We categorize to understand and interpret, and this has led to the creation of gender. We put things in place in order to distinguish the differences, but who would have ever thought our obsession with classifying would turn into a world filled with a giant gap, the two species precarious to cross it? This is not to say that classifying is wrong or immoral, but it is clear it can be risky when trying to go against conformity to live in world where man and woman can truly be equal. -Bianca Carrizal

Unknown said...

2012 Address to the Australian Parliament
While I am not familiar with Australian politics the backgroundth information made the subject at hand easier to understand. Today in U.S feminist issues and woman rights such as the closing of the wage gap have been central to the presidential election. Hilary Clinton in particular has been associated with women's rights, which can be traced to her speech at the fourth UN world conference on women 20 years ago. I loved the speech from the firsr paragraph in which Gillard does not hesitate to call Abbott out his hypocrisy in regards to feminism. Four words "he needs a mirror" , and she turns around the criticism Abbot has made over Slipper towards Abbott himself. By recounting recent events in which Abbott has spread misogyny, Gillard reduces Abbott's credibility and increases her own . By conforming and embracing the notion that men are better leaders than women and more powerful , Abbott clearly contradicts the ideas of reducingducing sexism in society which he previously had. To his point I noted that women are just as able to lead and the fact that they only have a 19% representation in thr US for example when they constitute half of the population, is a huge problem in it of itself. It is a "bad thing" afterall. Abbott's opportunist character acts when it is fitting, when he can call out others for the same acts he commits. Further he fails to ask for forgiveness and does not acknowledge his own faults. I noted that Gillard incorporates a negotistion technique , setting a third party. Gillard goes on to explain the offensiveness off the texts at hand and leaves it to Parliament to make the best decision. The ending of the speech is more powerful than the beginning because Gillard affirms that double standards when it comes to gender will not affect Parliament and notes that Abbott has ignored her speech and is counting down the time until a woman stops talking.

Unknown said...

2012 Address to the Australian Parliament
While I am not familiar with Australian politics the backgroundth information made the subject at hand easier to understand. Today in U.S feminist issues and woman rights such as the closing of the wage gap have been central to the presidential election. Hilary Clinton in particular has been associated with women's rights, which can be traced to her speech at the fourth UN world conference on women 20 years ago. I loved the speech from the firsr paragraph in which Gillard does not hesitate to call Abbott out his hypocrisy in regards to feminism. Four words "he needs a mirror" , and she turns around the criticism Abbot has made over Slipper towards Abbott himself. By recounting recent events in which Abbott has spread misogyny, Gillard reduces Abbott's credibility and increases her own . By conforming and embracing the notion that men are better leaders than women and more powerful , Abbott clearly contradicts the ideas of reducingducing sexism in society which he previously had. To his point I noted that women are just as able to lead and the fact that they only have a 19% representation in thr US for example when they constitute half of the population, is a huge problem in it of itself. It is a "bad thing" afterall. Abbott's opportunist character acts when it is fitting, when he can call out others for the same acts he commits. Further he fails to ask for forgiveness and does not acknowledge his own faults. I noted that Gillard incorporates a negotistion technique , setting a third party. Gillard goes on to explain the offensiveness off the texts at hand and leaves it to Parliament to make the best decision. The ending of the speech is more powerful than the beginning because Gillard affirms that double standards when it comes to gender will not affect Parliament and notes that Abbott has ignored her speech and is counting down the time until a woman stops talking.

Jasmine Campuzano said...

The constitution was built to respect the citizens of the U.S and grant them rights that allowed them to live in the U.S without a leash. But how is keeping specific information from women not violating the citizens rights? Women were put in a society where they are viewed as a machine that keeps this world populated and in the governments favor, receive money for each child. Is this not considered an abuse in someones private life when they are being kept from information than can benefit their families. Working class women are like pets in this universe who are being tamed from certain realities while the wealthy people are given the information the middle class needs. Women do not only produce children on a day basis it takes 9 hardship moths to have a baby but then again a child is expensive. A person is given in information when the women has already been grated the news of becoming mother, but many large families who are mainly middle class women want to prevent their bills from going up. How is this thought to stop the process of continuing to having babies wrong? A couple should be allowed to make their choices in when they are ready to have kids and given the opportunity to admire each other and grow economically stable. Birth control was made to help ladies and help them prevent them from following the traditions of producing babies and populating the world. This world is full of people and citizens who split in half with those who are economically stable and those who struggle. Margaret Sanger sure did make a difference followed by others for her essay was written in 1917 and know in 2015 all people are given the information needed, well most of the time. Although birth control has still continued to be viewed as going against religion or others beliefs it has still been advertised. Poverty continues to exist but by time women have slowly been respected and appreciated. Women are not baby machines they can have babies but shouldn't be kept away from information that will help their family. Just because a women decides to use birth control doesn’t necessarily mean they don't want a child, she probably just want to wait for the right time. But every women has a choice on having babies or not having babies society can not take away their choice for they have the right to control their life. Marat Sanger has truly inspired me and allowed me to compare and contrast but also understand the change of society is slow but patience will grant all citizens no mater the gender their peace with stereotypes.

Unknown said...

Gender is how society classifies people in order to decide which is better or more dominant than the other. In almost all of society women are viewed as weaker or less than men. Why is that? Is it because women are not as strong as men? Or is it because women cannot do the same things that men can? The answer is because of society and the way many of us were raised and how we perceive women to be different than men, weaker than men. Julia Gillard’s 2012 Address to the Australian Parliament enhances the way the way some men view women by pointing out all the disrespectful and degrading comments that have been made towards Gillard. Women are almost always being made fun of or downgraded for the way they attempt to bring themselves to be equal to men. Both Margret Sanger and Julia Gillard how shown us that women deserve to be given equal opportunities, not because they are women but because they have to work twice as hard to gain the respect of men and continue to thrive on the goal of “freedom.” Margret Sanger wanted freedom for women to be able to be knowledgeable on the opportunity of birth control and Julia Gillard wanted freedom for all women to be able to do something without having sexist or misogynistic comments thrown at them. Gender shouldn’t be something that defines us, it should be something that unites us in an equal and acceptable way.

Unknown said...

Women are just as equal as men are and should be able to make their own decisions about motherhood. While I began reading, "The Case for Birth Control" by Margaret Sanger, in 1917 I disagreed with Sanger on saying "She has sacrificed her life to populate the earth" because I had the thought of a woman having to sacrifice to be a mother, to not bring a child into this world. Thinking of my own opinion that it is a great joy to bring happiness into this world while become a mother but then as I kept reading I understood that not every women has the resources and opportunities to give light to a child when they can't even take care of them self in this poverty. Not every women are fully educated about stopping so many children's death, their own children. Many women are forced to have a family and worry about when is the last day they will be able to take care of their babies. When they bring a child into this world they have a higher risk of death than living. Sanger's first priority was to fight for women's rights and demand for working women to have the same knowledge as rich women. Sanger states that women should take a step into "her freedom" making people realize that without birth ccontrol not only will children be born alive but they have the chance to die within a year as well as their mothers dying ike the experience that Sanger went through. Women should have the same equal rights as they please with their bodies and if that means not bringing light into this world so that shouldn't be a problem. Not every family can be taken cared of, especially the poor. If "aborting is a disgrace to a civilized community" then birth control is a demand that every women should be able to obtain. Women are just as empowering as men and they have rights that need to answered to. Sanger was a feminist that fought for their rights and succeeded.

Unknown said...

Gender plays a big role in society today. There is a lot of sexism going on and stereotypes about women. In social media girls are expressing their opinions on why they are not allowed to wear clothing that they would normally wear because it is a distraction to men and boys in school. This makes women and girls feel attacked for wanting to express themselves in different ways. The fact that a woman who is the prime minister of Australia was being disrespected by a man because of his misogynist and sexist comments makes me feel offended personally because it shows that no matter how much power a women could have, they will still be disrespected by men and not taken seriously by them. In "the case of birth control" women, more specifically, poor women were not allowed to know about birth control. how are women supposed to be taken seriously and be treated with respect when they are not given any? Women who do not know about birth control are bringing babies to the world that they will not be able to take care of because they are working women and have a low pay. Women are bringing in children that they cannot care for because they do not know about birth control and it was illegal to inform women of the working class about birth control. Some women have to abort their child themselves because it is not an option and/or it is too expensive. This ends up making these women risk their lives to try and not have another child. Which also shows the lever of respect that there is for these women. if women cant even be informed of ways to take care of themselves then that is cruel to the female population because it takes away their freedom and knowledge of birth control and ways to keep them alive and healthy. -Giselle Garza

Unknown said...

When I finished reading both readings, I realized that both essays deal with the empowerment of woman. What I also found interesting is that in both readings there seems to be a stereotype in the role of woman. Meaning that in the reading about Sanger, she was talking about the way that woman are suppose to have children and need to have them no matter if they want them or not. The other thing is that they need to have lots of those kids as well. I find this as a stereotype in the way that woman NEED to have children because they are woman. It is not a matter of fact that if they want children then they can have them, it is that they need to have children. In consequence, many unborn children are dealing with the consequences. With this woman should be able to have the birth control pill just like Sanger said because woman get to decide when and how many children to have. That is how the role of woman is seen in this time. In the other hand, Gillard was arguing about also deals with a stereotype that woman tend to bump into. The difference with this is that what Gillard was trying to argue had nothing to do with the birth control issue. What Gillard was arguing was the role that woman played in the government. This issue arose when things that Tony Abbott said offended her. Some things that Abbott said was that Australia could not trust her because she was a woman and woman in Australia were suppose to be housewives and were incapable or running a country. Finally, in both of these reading woman have a certain role that they need to play in a community, but most woman disagree with the role that they are "suppose" to play.

Rubi Almonte said...

Gender is still an issue in our society now days. On the essay of Margaret Sanger The Case for Birth Control where she starts to stand up for woman believes and their health care. Women were always on second choice for society and they would always have to sacrifice their body and education to bring lives into the world and support their family. Women are so hard working and dedicated that they don’t thinking so much about themselves mostly if they are from a lower- class family. The only women that were able to know a little bit on how to take care of themselves and their sex life were the higher-class people, but even though they had a chance many of the problem still occur that society aren’t not caring on how a woman’s birth and after birth can affect her later on if she doesn’t take care and rest the way they supposed to. Bringing them into a risk of many infections and diseases and can even cause death upon them. But even after that why are women seen as the weak one when in reality it’s the opposite? They work double what men do and suffer more yet are still strong enough to put that suffering aside and keep going and supporting her family no matter what comes her way.

Unknown said...

Both of these essays show how society has placed women under men. The first essay shows how society places knowledge only to those who honestly do not need them, but to the people who did not have any means of providing for there family. They had to live in fear that every time they showed the love that they had for each other or enjoy the pleasure their bodies could give them would bring a death to their family. Women had to go through intense labor and unsafe abortions to bring a stop to the inevitable death of their children. I can see why the women chose the abortions over the labor because if their child was born it would hurt more than the abortion because they would blame themselves for the death of their child. It was not their fault. The fault lies within the cruel society that believed birth control was inmoral and that women were only their for breeding. Men did not realize that they were not going through what women went through in that time. They did not have to go through the pain of an abortion that was at that time unsafe and even close to death if one wrong thing went through. The fact that they denied women a right to their bodies and mind was disgusting. They let women die and endure the pain that came with the death of their infant child. Society also did not help because most of women's husbands worked jobs that payed absolutely nothing. Now with the second essay, I was incredibly proud of the woman's speech because she had no mercy for the misogynistic man. She called him out with all his double standards. She told everyone what they needed to hear and to not believe his sudden change of heart into trying to be supportive of women's right but not really supporting it. I believe that there have been advances in women's rights but not enough when in modern time women do not get payed equally as men, where women have to deal with assault and not having their assaulter be dealt with most of the time. I hope that in years to come there can be changes, but as it seems there are misogynist everywhere and unless we can have their minds changed out of the sudden it will be a hard battle to fight, in order to gain the equality that women deserve.

Unknown said...

In both short essays, the idea of Gender was focusing more on Women and the idea of how the higher power (Government) prevents women to have control of their lives and own power. In “the case for birth control” the freedom of women was prevented by the ignorance of birth control. When I started to read this, I thought she was wrong for thinking children was a burden to a women, but as I read that “large families and poverty go hand in hand,” I was able to understand Margaret Sanger more because I have witnessed the idea of poverty in a large family. When there is a large family in front, a women is unable to pursue her dreams of maybe working, researching, or even learning beyond her knowledge because she has to stress over how she will take care of her children. A women who does not desire to have children but is unaware of birth control led her to do choices she wished not to have like abortions; this is because she is at the wrong time and difficult moment to take care a child. A women is later then judge by society or even the male gender because other decisions, but nobody knows the reason she did it. Women have more things they need to worry about than men and they are usually the ones who get more targeted on with sexism and misogyny. In “Address to the Australian Parliament,” Julia Gillard took a stand for all Australian women in the high power of the government especially when she was offended by a high men. The government feels like they are high and society can have the right to offend the opposite gender, but that is unacceptable. Julia argued for this injustice just like I would if I have heard those sexist comments. No one has to right to talk about either gender. They each have their differences and should be valued. -Jennifer Gomez

Unknown said...

I believe that women should always have a choice in what they do no matter what being that I am one too. Being told that we aren't allowed to do something because we don't have permission will only drive us to fight for the right to and being told we aren’t as great at something as a man will only drive us not only to be just as great but to do way better. In the Margaret Sanger “The Case for Birth Control” the idea of freedom was constantly brought up. Sanger strongly believed that giving the lower working class the same access and right to birth control just like the upper class would do be very beneficial to not only the women but the society as a whole. I do agree with Sanger’s idea that giving women would allow them to have more freedom in making their own decisions in like whether or not they decided to have children or would rather wait and go to school and get an education for themselves so they are able to give more to society rather than making it suffer because of the rising number of families that have to depend on government assisted programs. In the 2012 Address to the Australian Parliament Julia Gillard talked about how her boss would commit acts of misogyny and sexism against women in the little comments he would make here and there but was never really called out for his inappropriate comments because of the powerful he was in and believed it didn't matter because it was true and wanted to make sure everyone knew that. He said these things because he specifically tried to bring women down because they were considered the weaker gender and wanted to make them afraid and hide instead of willing to have a strong voice and fight back but that was not the case with Gillard.

Yosely Arteaga said...

I completely agree with the message that Margaret Sanger is trying to send to the public audience in "the case for birth control". Margaret Sanger is trying to explain to the people that birth control should be for everyone who wants it instead of it being restricted. It is a fact that if the size of a family increased then the amount of income declines due to all the expenses of the family, while on the other hand if the size of a family is kept minimal then the size of their income is stable or increases because they were aware of there strengths and weaknesses financially. Women are the "machines" who have to carry the baby in their womb for nine months and then deliver this beautiful human being into the world. Women who have birth control can be sexually active without the worry of having a baby or not on accident. They are able to produce a certain amount of babies and then putting their "machine" to a stop whenever they want to because they have the right contraceptive to help them do that. On the other hand, women who do not have birth control are living a very difficult life. The reason for it is because the law will not give birth control out if a woman can not afford to have it. This obstacle that women are giving are forces them to complete drastic activities in an effort to stop the production of another human into the world. The moment Margaret Sanger's patient died due to her second attempt to a "self-abortion" really made me think about the unfair treatment due to financial hierarchy. I agree with Margaret Sanger on birth control because I believe that all women will truly be free when they are all treated with the same amount of respect and given the same opportunities as everyone else no matter the financial differences.

Amy Truong said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Amy Truong said...

I like how Margaret Sanger questions "[What] is America's definition of morality?" because it is true that the wellbeing of women and men in the long run during the early 1900's was not a proper concern of the government. The main argument against birth control and abortions is that it is immoral to essentially take the life of a human being before it actually has a chance in the world. The issue with that argument is that how is it any better to bring babies into an environment where they will be another economic burden on their parents and therefore, die of neglect and poverty? With this, I agree with Sanger's statement that it is more moral for women to have only children they want and are able to care for than to continue having unwanted children, who will most likely not receive the amount of care they deserve. The fact that the lower class women did not have access to the appropriate resources they had a right to emphasizes how the government did not prioritize how withholding this essential knowledge was dangerous to these families' futures. Women must overcome, not just forever submit to what nature tells them to solely do what they were created to do and nothing else. A woman should not feel like her only purpose in existing is to be a source of population growth, instead be able to have an equal chance to achieve just as much as a man can. But even these days, there is still frequent representation of how women are inferior to men, which leads to there being additional pressure for women to have higher expectations for themselves in order for men to take them seriously. Statements like "you're tough...for a girl" and "this is no place for a lady, this is a man's territory" are what insult and contribute to low self-esteem many women. On the other hand, there is also a certain level of expectations for men to uphold as well. For instance, "not appearing weak or too sensitive," because these are seen as "feminine emotions." Although there is not an actual law that restricts each gender from behaving outside of what society expects them to, the media and social judgement heavily discourages girls and guys from exercising their freedom to fully express themselves however they please, without any fear of rejection.

Unknown said...

Throughout history and even presently women have faced adversity. Always being neglected equality,respect,and basic rights. In the case for "Birth control" by Margret Sanger, she express's that there a little ways to help women control the amount of children women have. She also correlates the more children that these families are having the more likely they are likely to live in poverty. Women should be able to have control over the own bodies, and be able to control the amount of kids they have. Instead of letting these women overwork themselves, and killing themselves;birth control would only help it would prevent these women from going to the extreme to prevent these pregnancies. Birth control would be an option for those who would like to control the amount of children they have, and those who want to have children are not being forced to take these preventive measures. There,s nothing wrong with Women wanting to have control over their own, and their own health. In "2012 Address Australian Parliament" by Julia Gillard, as prime minister she should be treated with respect and if she were a man she would be able to get that respect. Instead she has to deal with Misogynist and, sexist remarks. She has every right to be offend by Abbott's remarks against women. Powerful people like Tony Abbott should have more common sense then to make these sexist and misogynistic remarks. If people like Tony Abbott still have power and influence then all fair treatment and respect toward women is diminished. There needs to be more powerful women like Julia Gillard that bring awareness to that fact that women are less respected and are not as taken serious as men. Instead of saying these sexist comments Abbott needs to realize that ,Julia Gillard is not going to be give up just because of what he said she's going to keep pushing for the respect she deserves. Women are just as Hardworking and just as deserving of success as men, and Julia Gillard has the right to bring awareness to the difficulties women face, and the sexist and misogynistic comments that she has to deal with.

Unknown said...

Gender inequality is another major issue in the country we live in. That women are not strong enough, smart enough or capable of doing a mans job. In many countries women are view as a key to growing and making a family, having kids or in some cases a temptation to others. why are women on seen as a house wife, or trophy wife something showy and nice to have and hold. A women is as strong, smart and capable of anything a man can to. There is no such thing as a superior gender, everyone should be equal and treated the same male or female. In "The Case for Birth Control" Sanger is trying inform all the women of their choices and opportunities in having children or not having children and the different paths they can take to avoid having kids or unwanted children. She expresses what people find moral and immoral and that she would be considered immoral for educating them in what they need to know as women. I do believe that our society is corrupt with gender issues along with many other but how do we expect to solve any of those if women cant be respected and treated equally to man.

Cynthia Rodriguez said...

Gender differences have existed all throughout history and even though women have more opportunities now, they are still suppressed by gender roles and women responsibilities. Their are many people in the world that believe that women are only used to create life and take care of children, so birth control brought many conflicts for gender roles. In Margaret Sanger's "The Case Of Birth Control", Sanger demonstrates how she wants to teach women of birth control because she has seen how many women suffer with unwanted kids they cannot provide for and wants them to improve from their current situation. She learned That many of the people that know of birth control are the wealthy and not the ones in poverty witch are the women that need it the most. In addition, many women are repressed from birth contrary because they have grown up with strict gender that believe women should only have sex when they are planning to have a child and are married. These people restrict many women from being truly free of making their own choices of using birth control because it's seen as morally wrong. Men do not usually have these restrictions because they have always had more freedoms than women. Women have always been more criticized in society and by them using birth control, they may be judged and makes them less likely to use birth control. Men and women need to learn that they can each make their own decisions and should not be judged by others with the decisions they make. Women need to be educated about birth control so they can be able to make smarter decisions that will affect their life positively without being criticized by others.

Andres Olvera said...

Society often tends to view women as objects made to sell either sex or cleaning supplies, forgetting that without Marie Curie or Ada Lovelace's extraordinary compassion for their fields, we would be severely behind in science and computer programming. Sanger's "The Case for Birth Control" highlights the importance of not only teaching women about their bodies, but their potential as well. In the past, and I imagine in a few developing countries, women were primarily used for producing offspring and holding factory jobs requiring a smaller physique than that of a man. They had no knowledge of contraception and as a result, were forced to keep their children, no matter the amount, hoping for miscarriages or early death rather than witnessing their suffering. This society and mentality robbed thousands of women of a happier life, with fewer children, and the endless possibility in other areas. If Ada Lovelace were subject to this oppression, we would've discovered the possibility of computer programs through algorithms decades, maybe centuries, after the simplest mathematical calculations on an early computer. Furthermore, Gillard's address to the duplicity of Tony Abbott's stance on sexism raises questions to political appearances and beliefs. Gillard reminds Abbott of words spoken in the past, of natural patriarchy and the ability to command, that makes him a hypocrite in regards to Mr. Slipper's offensive messages. Even now, influential men, such as Nobel Prize winner Tim Hunt, are under fire for sexist remarks made at the wrong time. However, although I understand the offense and ignorance in their words, I don't think these cases should be met with large backlash. In many ways, it is simply used for the humiliation of those in the wrong through social media such as twitter hashtags that inevitably trend after major news. Rather than spend time arguing over their misconceptions, I strongly believe that women should remain focused on themselves and prove them wrong. Marie Curie, being both a woman and Polish during Russian rule, did this through her theory of radioactivity and advancement of science and chemistry. -Andres Olvera

Unknown said...

I honestly think something’s from The Case for Birth Control by Margaret Sanger should not be done for instance a parent being 23 and 25 like no .I believe a person should choose if they want to have birth control or not .It does have to do with some responsibilities for example if the parents do not have enough money of if they are having some problems .There is other instances, for instance in her essay that parents should not be allowed to have kids if they have an inheritable disease. There was actually a couple that was both with a disease and their little girl came out perfectly fine with no blindness or any complications. I do believe birth control should be allowed because if you are just having some fun why bring a child if you are not even ready to have a real relationship. Birth control also does help the women to recuperate from having the past child so they are healthy and good for when they want to have another child.I honestly do believe that it does depend on the parents if they are in good conditions to have a child but if not that is when a person should use it. But what I do not believe is that they should use birth control if they have a disease, like what if their child comes out with no disability. A child is a blessing not a curse.

Unknown said...

Both Sanger and Gillard fought for gender equality; the difference between the women was the time in which they argued for their rights. Sanger seemed to help pioneer the idea that women were more than objects for men to live off of. With providing birth control to all women, not just the wealthy, they would be able to increase the quality of life for both themselves and their children. The controversy surrounding birth control has transcended time and continues to this day. Birth control gives women the freedom to be sexually active and not have to be scared about the outcome, but more conservative people argue that it promotes promiscuous behavior. Women have the right to choose what they do with their bodies and if there is access to something that will keep them healthy and safe it should be promoted and offered. Other people should not have the right to dictate what someone else does with their body. Birth Control has become available, but to this day the same issues arise. A patriarchal society still tries to reign over women. Gillard's speech in 2012 addressed the issues in government. Abbott constantly made misogynistic comments and Gillard would not have it anymore. It is important that women speak up when being disrespected because while there has been growth in women's rights there is still a long way to go until women are not shamed for being powerful and able to make their own choices. The fact that the essays are from 1917 and 2012, yet still hold the same ideas, only prove the growth that must happen in gender equality. -Samantha Pequeno

Victoria said...

While I loved both essays, I took a particular interest in "The Case for Birth Control". In a conversation I had not too long ago with my mother, she explained that she was "pro-choice" and by that she means you have the choice to or to not have sex. Which I disagree with, while keeping myself in mind there are so many situations in which abortion might be necessary. No, it;s not 1917 and you can find a Planned Parenthood rather easily nowadays, the problem of today is the choice of an individual to abort an unwanted pregnancy. But even then my personal ideas on the subject of abortion should not matter. I don't get to vote on a law that limits another woman's choices. No matter my religion, my belief, I do not have the power to tell someone else no. Women are raped, in and out of marriage, it is a "christian duty" to submit to your husband and you don't want to have to worry even in those situations. While some will rally on the rights of the unborn child, why are we so stuck on the future of unborn children without dreams and thoughts yet? There are thousands on the streets of the United States with and without parents in need of help, love, food, shelter, just basic needs but we're fighting over a child that doesn't have to deal with that yet? One that might have to if the mother does not have a right to that decision? At that point the embryo is a parasite, and the host should be able to say i give my everything to this decision or not. It is an individual choice that neither I nor the state can take away from anyone.

Unknown said...

Gender should not mean that women and men cannot do certain things. It also should not matter that some people do not have enough money. Reading "The Case for Birth Control" showed how some people are so ignorant. Birth control should not be restricted for people who cannot afford it. Birth control prevents pregnancy and women who cannot have any more children should be informed about it. The size of a family should matter to the amount of income a family gets. The income sometimes is not enough and when the family starts to expand, the money starts to seem less. The woman and the man should be informed on how to prevent pregnancy instead of having an abortion. Many woman have risked their lives to abort a child they cannot afford, instead why can’t people who are well informed inform these ladies and learn how to get protected. When a patient of Margaret Sanger died due to the “hands of a cheap abortionist” made me realize how many people cannot go any longer without being informed about contraceptives. Being informed should not have to do with having money or not. Being informed should not matter if it is a woman or a man. -Paloma Hernandez

BennyA.Cabrera said...

After reading "2012 address to the Australian Parliment" gender inequality is a major problem in the world around us . In the passage it states that "we've heard it in places like Pakistan where politicians want to benefit from the outrage shooting of 15 year old Malala yousafzai after assasians tried to kill her for defending every girls right to an education". This qoute is a prime example of how there's gender inequality and is a major problem for women in general . I think gender inequality is a major problem is because men think women might not be as good as a man can do the job. Also, because men believe that women are not up to their standards , which is obviously in true . If we didn't have gender inequality in our world today then everything would move a lot more smoother and that would be one less problem in the world that we as people have to worry about .

Unknown said...

Since the beginning of ages, women have been labeled as "house wives" and "child carers." These stereotypical labels are outrageous and demeaning to the whole women community. The reason why many follow these sickening rituals and orders, persuaded by society, are because Eve was tempted to touch the forbidden fruit, and she did. I believe this is just a trivial excuse to hold women responsible for their "rightful duties" as women. During the Second Great Awakening, women's suffrage became an issue and many like Susan B. Anthony rose against the common ideology society placed women in. In the early twentieth century, the controversy over the subject of Birth Control increased. Margaret Sanger, an advocate for the use of birth control became disgusted by the amount of ignorance Americans' had over the types of contraception, including birth control. If birth control didn't control the booming increase in birth rates, America was doomed to overpopulate and lead to poverty. Controlling your own desired body has no significance or connection to the "laws on the statue books" referred to the bible, because I believe that we own our body and honestly, we can do whatever we wish to do with it, no one is authorized to force us against our own will and body. I idolize Sanger because she took her knowledge and initiative to share her wisdoms against the ignorance America was facing, by becoming a nurse and challenging America to their own struggle: poverty. Why should a women have a child at force, with no other alternative option, if it will most likely come into the world improperly taken care of and neglected, only left to die in the hands of a mother who did not want it? If a women decides to control her body the way she wishes, let her, no one has more possession of her body than herself. As a feminist, I believe that Sangar and Gillard are women young girls should look up to because they speak from experience, truth and compassion. Women can do anything a man can if they set their mind to it. Women are free and allowed to live a life where they can do whatever they want, whenever, without the incoherent opinion that says they can't.

Unknown said...

Gender is a really big thing to me. Not everybody thinks the same way when it comes to gender. See, woman should be able to take birth control for many different reasons where it doesn't matter to anyone but the person taking it. for birth control be only given to those who can afford it is wrong. There should not be a "test" or a reason why you can not take birth control. When talking about anything controversial, it is all about information. without the facts its just ignorance and when people try to say what u should and shouldn't do to your own body don't listen because in the end of the day you are going to make the choice and its only going to effect you not the person behind the counter selling it to you. - Jackie Gonzales

Unknown said...

Gender roles and gender inequality is a huge issue that still exists in America today. It's shocking how many still feel that women are not as powerful or have the incapability to do the same things as men. I agree with the point that Margaret Sanger conveyed through her essay that women need to stay educated on birth control and should choose whether they believe birth control is right for them. No woman should be forced to yield into using birth control nor be taken from the right to educate themselves. Sanger pleads to empower women in order to make a change and help others realize that there are other options for women which are healthier and safer. Birth control should not only be used by the wealthy, but for all women who feel that they are not ready for children. Both men and women need to be informed because not all couples are stable and can afford to bring a child into this world and many do not want to go through the pain and dangers of abortion. It is saddening how despite the change that women have made,men still feel superior to women. It's time men and women start seeing that they both have the ability to admire and help each other get to where they want to be and improve the issues in the world we live in.

Ashley Hernandez said...

Gender inequality has been occuring for the past years and still is now a days. Back in the days women were seen as home wifes, which many beleived women were seen to just stay home clean, cook, and to make more family. In the article ¨The case for Birth Control¨ by Margaret Sanger got me really shocked when she mantioned her side of abortion. I have always been against abortion, because it is taking a life away and that is not fair at all. Until I read her side of how women in the lower class side end up getting abortions to not make the babies suffer by not getting the enough nutrition they should. I feel that women should have the right to choose the decsion of wether to get an abortion or not. Based off Sanger´s article, there has been many cases where women dont have the decison of not getting or getting an abortion and have to end up having the baby and due to the lack of food, the baby ends up dying. Only if our society could see how women including the once in the lower class go through so much, and do so much for their famimily, in the article it also says how lower class women are not informed of ways to prevent getting pragnant to not have to go through the struggle women in the lower class go throuh. Women are capable of lot more but i feel that our socoety just doesnot beleive in us women, but how are we suppose to prove our selves right if we are not given the same apportunites as man.

Harley Dugan said...

When I thought about the word gender I immediately go straight to the basics man and woman. Although after talking about this issue last year in intro to rhetoric, the main focus was on gender roles in our society and the stereotypes for both a man and a woman. Personally I don't care about who produces more money in my relationship whether it is my wife or myself that does not matter. Neither should the jobs we have matter either, yet we still have to understand that men and women have different body types and their are certain things a woman just cannot complete compared to a man. Now that does not necessarily mean that a man should be paid more than a woman because whoever does the job better or is higher on the spectrum deserve to be paid fairly. All the gender issues will continue just like racism, but likely to become better as we progress. Even in sports lately their has been more buzz from the potential signings of women in the front office for renown teams. Especially the NBA completing terms with a woman to help out with the players association and the CBA can eventually open up more doors for women in the future in the world of sports. Even football hiring a female referee starts up the conversation of women eventually participating in sports in general. Even after reading Julia Gillard's address, her surefire attitude justifies the problem of gender roles in general.

Unknown said...

Gender roles continue to hinder strives towards more progressive ideas and innovations. Women and men are not seen as equals which makes it difficult to try and fix social problems that only affect one gender. The essay “The Case for Birth Control” argues that women should be allowed the same freedom as men to care for both their physical and mental health by receiving the necessary information to successfully protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies. It was surprising that Sanger argued for women’s ability to enhance their learning and work on themselves as individuals. She touched on the detrimental effects of having a large family and how child bearing can lead to fatal consequences. I completely agree with Sanger when she argued that men should not be allowed to decide on something that only affects women’s bodies. They cannot possibly understand what it means to carry a child and give birth to an unwanted baby that will only suffer. I feel like there are still issues today that are handled by the wrong people. It brings into question whether the government should get to decide on issues regarding morality and gender roles. What makes them qualified or the right people to make and enforce the decision to ban certain information? Women and men should be allowed to make their own choices regarding their well-being; they should be provided with the necessary information to make educated decisions. Information and a higher level of education can be useful tools to combat the injustices caused by gender roles. I thought it was impressive how she directly called out the president on his leadership regarding this issue and how she had the courage to voice her opinion despite the possible consequences she might face.

Unknown said...

Gender roles continue to hamper rights of people and the advancement of our society. Like many other topics this one has been going on for a long time and is not something new. As mentioned in the essay " The Case for Birth Control" by Margaret Sanger women have been taken the right to advanced in society and have struggled to live a life where the could get a better job than just having kids and low paying jobs. As she went into more detail of her experiences and her belief I felt kind of sad as she told the story about how one of patients died from having an abortion. It is sad because the patient did not really have many option in her situation. She was already poor with multiple kids and when she tried to reach out to the doctor for medical help to prevent becoming ill he just ignored her. It was shocking to think that back then the poor women did not have access to birth control or any other stuff that could help prevent becoming pregnant. Also I very much disliked how when Margaret wanted to try to inform the people about how wrong it is to pretty much force women to have children that they cannot afford to feed and have them see them die. It is a cruel thing to do that to a mother and the fact that she knew it would happen and it was only a matter of time is depressing. This essay touched me because I could not imagine how many women must have felt to have to watch their child die, when they could have prevented everything from just having access to birth control.

Unknown said...

What would the world be like without women? Women are who bring life to earth and keep the circle of life going. So why does society or has society brought women down or hindered them from prospering independently and advocating for themselves? As it is evident that women pose an essential role in life, women deserve to have control over their bodied at the very least. In Margaret Sanger's "The Case for Birth Control", Margaret dresses the issue of not providing the proper education and resources for women to be able to use birth control. At the time this was written, women were only expected to be housewives and have children, and then have some more children. Having children over and over again was common and expected because if you had sex, you and a baby because there was no protection for these women. A quote I really liked from Sanger's article was " She now steps forth and demands that women shall cease producing for ignorance." As I mentioned before, women are only having children because they do not know of any way to stop a child from developing in their bodies unless they don't have sex. It is not they do not love the children they have, because of course they love the human being that they created, but in fact a mother loves their child so much that they rather he or she not suffer through life. Women of lower economic status are the ones suffering the most through this dilemma because their economic situation does not allow them to become educated on sex and birth control. These topics are topics that are not even discussed at all, yet they are things that happen everyday and are normal to human beings. Being that women and families who live in poverty are the ones who are lacking in sex education the most, they are bringing in children to a world where they will only suffer. The more the family grows, the less there is to be distributed amongst each other. It is not fair for a woman to have no control over her body because it not fair to bring a child to a life of suffering. Women, no matter economic status, should be entitled to control their body and make the decision to bring life to the world for good.

Unknown said...

It is sad that inequalities between men and women are still present in 2015. Women have to work much harder than men do just to get noticed or be considered successful. Women’s actions are constantly being scrutinized and misinterpreted in harmful ways while men’s actions are viewed through different lenses and are often praised for actions women would be shunned for. Julia Gillard, Australia’s first women Prime Minster, is someone whom struggled with these inequalities throughout her rule and through her campaign against Tony Abbott in 2012. She is angered by the conning claim that he is fighting against sexism when he himself is extremely sexists. Sexism is a very real issue and it is infuriating that a someone claims to be fighting for women’s rights and equality, yet turns around and establishes himself as a higher power over women. He is mocking the cause and all that it stands for. And the fact that such a misogynist like Tony Abbott won the political race and became the Prime Minster of Australia in 2013 is frightening because it shows how little Abbott’s morals were taken into consideration when people were voting. It makes me wonder how the 2016 elections will turn out because absurd people like Donald Trump can be put into power despite the fact how racists and offensive his speeches during the political race have been. Trump commenced his political race with a speech that directly targeted Mexicans, calling them “rapists” and “drug dealers”. Racism and sexism all have one group that believes that they are physically and mentally superior to other groups. Women will have to continue to struggle in showing that they are completely equal to men just like minorities in America will all ways have to struggle to prove that all races are equal and that their skin color does not determine their value.

alex gonzalez said...

In Julia’s Gillard 2012 address to the Australian parliament it is obvious how women do not get the same respect men do. In her speech she gives an example of what some men believe women should be doing when she shared a quote from the leader of the opposition which stated “what the housewife’s of Australia need to understand as they do the ironing” this shows how he made it seem that all women are typically at home doing what he would call “housewife work”. Why doesn’t he just call it work or chores I think that some men have the mindset that women are supposed to be at home taking care of the kids or doing the dishes. I strongly disagree, I believe that women have so much power but are crippled by the ideas of what a perfect women should be capable of from earlier generations. I believe this idea of the perfect women can change to a strong, intelligent, independent, hardworking, powerful figure but only if they are dedicated and work together to destroy the ideas of the past.

Unknown said...

The inequality between men and women still exists today and has existed for a really long time. Women have to try harder than men do in order become successful. Women are overlooked even though they have a important job in society. At the end of the day men and women are both humans and should be treated equally. Woman should have the choice to use birth control or have an abortion if they choose because they own their own bodies. During the early 1900s women were usually housewives who stayed home and order to take care of the children. During this time period it was unlikely for women to have a job that was not in a factory. In the essay written by Margaret Sanger in 1917 it explains how birth control was hard to receive if they were middle or loser class. The lower class was not very educated. The author argues that women should be given more freedom over their lives, and choose if she wants to be a mother. During this time period not having birth control was putting women in danger.it is sad that even today people are arguing about whether or not women should be allowed to get an abortion, and make their own choice. Sexist people still exists today. In the 2012 Address to the Australian parliament by Julia Gillard Is furious about the fact that she was being called sexist names and isn't being taken seriously because she is a woman. She uses repetition when calling out Tony Abbott about what he said about her. Even today women are not being taken seriously, and it is affecting the way they are getting paid at jobs. It is frustrating that when comparing the two essays there is a 100 year difference but sexism still exists.

Unknown said...

The well being of women today is that the struggle for inequality still continues around the globe with the huge gap for rights between men and women today. Even today as it was before women are tend to be more as sex objects to society rather than having the same rights as men bringing in huge issues on both side of the picture. Even in today’s society that women are still being inferior to men even in power. Not familiar to the Australian government and it politics, but as recent events show that the power within the parliament is still more in favor in their male politicians rather than their women’s counterpart in politics. Those women are being outclassed by men despite women being in power in the government thus proving that there is a huge quantity of inequality within the government itself. The speech with the 2012 address to the Australian parliament that in some aspects of this that the representatives are treating women lower in the parliament simply for the fact that they are female and are treated differently that one of the representative Abbott criticizes Gillard’s speech mocking her that stating himself that men are more powerful and better leader than women. Which Gillard herself counters Abbott’s criticism that he himself is contradicting in what he is saying for the fact that he is a hypocrite in what he is saying to Gillard is the exact opposite in what he meant to say.

Unknown said...


Reading the speech given by Julia Gillard made me feel the same emotion she felt at the time. She was addressing Mr. Abbott's hypocrisy with his current stance on gender equality. Gillard is publicly speaking out against Abbott and all he can do is sit there and take it. Gillard was right about Abbott and his deceitfulness even after this he was elected Prime minister of the country and began to make a fool of himself. This had me thinking of how many politicians make fools of themselves. It got me thinking about presidential candidate Donald Trump, and how he seems to keep making a fool of himself in todays news. He has publicly spoke out against an entire country and its people and is going further with making sure the division between Mexico and America is made bigger. And somehow he is still seen as a possible candidate his statements and actions baffle me and make him look ridiculous. I for one hope someone like Julia Gillard speaks out to Trump and his party to put him in his place and hopefully get him to change his plans if elected.

Catherine May said...

In Julia Gillards speech she explains how men and women don't get the same respect due to gender. Women and men are capable of doing different things. Nothing is fair and so men are going to be able to do things women cannot do and vise versa. Men and women are always going to have a problem because one is always trying to one up another, men are trying to prove they are strong physically and women try to prove they are strong mentally now in days and many people get offended and that's what causes problems. Women and men are the same in many ways but different in many ways. It balances each other out eventually.

Unknown said...

Jullia Gillards speech shows just how devoted and loyal she is to keeping equality she is outraged by the way the opposition handles their situations. She points out that the opposition makes crude comments and vulgar actions towards women then want to be looked at as one of the groups who strongly support equality. This kind of hypocrisy will not go unnoticed by Jullia Gillard. She also becomes frustrated at how he want to teach people about equality when his own group and community continuously makes sexist comments and sends vulgar pictures. When this does happen he gets that member taken off the group but Jullia Gillard explains that he only fired his once close friend and member because he didn't want to like he supported this kind of actions in his group. This speech was not just a wake up call for her community it was a way to show how the opposition just wants to look good and want to seem like he can please the entire society by changing his views with how the people want him to.

Unknown said...

Gender inequality still exists to this day, women are continued to be oppressed, we are not good enough for this, too weak for that, too delicate for anything. Sadly this is what society has made a definition for a female. Feminism is wanting equal opportunities for women in politics, economics, the work force, our culture/society in general. In Sanger's piece, she talks about how she grew up with many siblings, knows the struggle of a large family, lost her mother at a young age, and had to take care of her younger siblings. That right there is already a lot of responsibility, having to be the mother figure for the rest of the siblings. Sanger was surprised at the fact that birth control was being impeded from the poor women, and only the wealthy had access to birth control. These women had to suffer going through an abortion and it's sad because of the fact that once they heard that the fetus was dead, they were greatly relieved. The doctors could not let certain women obtain birth control due to the law. Sanger decided something should be done about birth control and women's knowledge on it which is why she studied gynecological and obstetrical nursing. Women deserve the right to be able to control birth. These large families are already going through hardships and struggles, adding more children to the family will make their situation worse. When a family has a baby, it's an amazing thing, but sometimes they do not have the sufficient things to raise another child, which is why we cannot force them to keep the baby. Women that are living in these harsh times, sometimes might even have to abort the baby through black market or themselves because they simply don't have the money to pay to get it aborted in a hospital. With that, it can lead to many diseases and then she may spread them onto the children she already has, or her husband. All women should be given the same opportunities, not just the ones that can afford it.

Unknown said...

Gender inequality has been around for years. Julia Vuillard explains how ,ugh she was offended by the leader. Harnessing women right in front of her. Society has come up with jokes like women belong in the kitchen or how women should stay at home to be out of the men's way. I find it very similar to the article about freedom in which women are still being oppressed. In some countries they are still told how to dress and what jobs they can and can't do. Many cant finish their education because it's believed that women are meant to stay home.

Unknown said...

Gender inequality is something that people have different opinions on. But whether we like it or not we all know it is something that still exists. Gender inequality is a very important topic today because as much as people want everyone to be treated equally they still treat males better than females or females better than males. Some people think that this isn't really a problem so they do not care but it is a problem because this is something that if we all work together we can get rid of it and both males and females will be treated equally and have the same rights.