Main Page: Women

Problems That Women Face

Being bombarded with unrealistic and objectified images of each other in everyday culture is probably the most widespread problem that women face in the twenty-first century, but alas, it's hardly the most serious one. Not that anyone cares what I think, but I think feminists should spend more effort fighting these problems and less effort protesting for unlimited abortion rights. I've listed these by what I consider to be increasing order of disturbingness (which doesn't necessarily equal severity). You can stop reading at any time, but remember that ignoring these things doesn't mean they aren't still happening.

Sexual Assault

We all know that women are at much higher risk than men of being sexually assaulted, and we all know this is wrong. For years I couldn't grasp the enormity of the problem and I didn't weigh in on it much because I didn't see what it would accomplish for me to announce that I don't support rape either, other than virtue signaling. I would love to personally remove every rapist from this planet, but I can't. Still, I want to at least be on record as saying that I acknowledge the problem and I'm so sorry. I hate that women have to live in fear. In case anyone missed the memo - obtain consent before doing anything. Consent is verbal, enthusiastic, non-coerced, sober, and can be rescinded at any time. A woman (or a man) is never to blame for being assaulted, regardless of what she was wearing, where she was walking, or what she'd been drinking. I can't believe this still needs to be said for some people's benefit, but it does. Treat the accused as innocent until proven guilty, but take all sexual assault allegations seriously. Believe victims and get them the help and legal recourse they need. Do not blame women for being raped. It doesn't matter if they were drunk, scantily dressed, and/or walking in a dark alleyway. Rape is the fault of rapists. Period.

Pornography

Pornography fuels the most profitable industry in the United States and probably many other countries. I realize that women aren't the only ones objectified in pornography and men aren't the only ones who view it, but this page is about women's problems. So with specific regard to women, pornography exacerbates the same problems caused by the objectification and sexualization in mainstream film and advertising. By selfishly and artificially divorcing women's bodies from the reality of their souls, it also harms interpersonal relationships and can even kill love. Of course many people are resistant to these unpleasant truths because they think reality is determined by what they find convenient. Their logic goes something like this: "I enjoy pornography; therefore anyone who says it's unhealthy is a Republican prude who just wants to ruin my fun." The people who said tobacco was unhealthy were mocked too.

More disturbing yet, not all pornography is created equal. Some of it doesn't marely treat women as objects, but as objects to be abused, humiliated, and raped for the viewer's gratification. Men who would be sick to their stomachs and/or blinded with rage if they saw a woman being treated this way in real life have no problem jacking off to it when it's "just pretend". It's disturbing that human beings are even capable of finding such things sexy. But of course, the porn actors and actresses all choose that profession, so they're having a great time in real life, right? Maybe some of them are. But many of them, men and women alike, feel trapped in an industry that makes them completely miserable. Their self-esteem is through the floor. Several of them have diseases, several of them have committed suicide and several more turn to drugs. The Pink Cross was founded by an ex-porn actress to help these people get out.

Abortion

Since many strive to keep the abortion industry free of pesky regulations, standards, and oversight - all in the name of "choice" - botched abortions sometimes pose a greater threat to women's health than they did when the whole practice was illegal. Beyond that, and notwithstanding they may sometimes be medically necessary, abortions in and of themselves are often psychologically damaging and cause depression or other mental health issues. A woman's body is simply not designed to nurture an infant partway and then have it abruptly removed, leaving altered hormone levels in its wake. That's a simple biological fact. Abortion is unnatural and unhealthy. I think that's why many impregnated rape victims choose to give birth (although, as I've stated elsewhere, I do believe rape is a justifiable reason for abortion).

Women receiving an abortion are 160% more likely to be readmitted to the hospital for psychiatric depression than women that deliver their babies. In one study of five hundred aborted women, researchers found that fifty percent expressed negative feelings, and up to ten percent were classified as having developed "serious psychiatric complications". Studies within the first few weeks after the abortion have found that between forty and sixty percent of women questioned reported negative reactions and within eight weeks after their abortions, fifty-five percent expressed guilt, forty-four percent complained of nervous disorders, thirty-six percent had experienced sleep disturbances, thirty-one percent had regrets about their decision, and eleven percent had been prescribed psychotropic medicine by their family doctor. Strange that pro-choicers never talk about these things.

Abuse

Many girls and women (and boys and men, but again, this page isn't about them) are emotionally, physically, or even sexually abused without anyone's knowledge. Their abusers may intimidate or manipulate them into keeping it a secret, and while it's easy to say you would never put up with it if you were them, in practice it's a lot more difficult. Perhaps even worse is when they do tell people about it and nobody believes them because the abuser is a trusted and respected figure. I knew a woman who was abused for years by her father, a respected bishop, and was accused of lying for attention when she told people about it - until he started abusing another girl too. This is unacceptable. Such claims must always be investigated no matter how far-fetched they sound. ​Also, be aware of potential warning signs from abused women, such as uncomfortable silence and excessive makeup to conceal bruises. There are abuse hotlines you can call, who in my experience can't do much of anything, because apparently in the United States if you actually call the police or do something with the crazy notion that the abuser can be held accountable for his/her actions, he/she will just get angry and start treating the victim even worse. Something is seriously wrong with this country.

Gendercide

As you read this, parts of India and East Asia (and mind you, I love India) almost seem determined to wipe females from existence, while practically nothing is being done about it. It seems to me that if the United Nations really wanted to they could be useful for once by applying international pressure and putting at least a big dent in this problem, but no. "Gendercide" per se doesn't occur in the United States, but sex-selective abortion certainly does. What's to stop it from happening? Under our current laws you don't need a reason for an abortion other than wanting it. So American girls are sometimes aborted for being girls. And guess who's at the forefront of it? Planned Parenthood. I'm so surprised you could knock me over with a feather. No, really.

Sex Trafficking

Of all the horrible things going on in the world, this is perhaps the most universally ignored. The United States spends more money on its useless drug war in a month than the entire world has ever spent to stop sex trafficking. Does anyone else find that sickening? No one likes to talk or think about the fact that hundreds of thousands of women and children throughout the world live their lives in fear and misery as they are exploited and abused by some of the most wicked people ever to stain this planet. Sex trafficking is to rape as genocide is to murder; carefully planned, widespread, and with a sick agenda. I'd like to combat sex trafficking some day, but the only idea I have is to track down and shoot sex traffickers, which for some reason would be frowned upon even though it's far better than what they deserve.

One thing we can do is support Safe Harbor laws in our home states and countries. Safe Harbor laws protect children under eighteen from being prosecuted for prostitution, which is a big deal because many if not most of them are involved against their will in sex trafficking. These laws provide them with the help and support they need to recover and lead normal lives, instead of punishing them for something they've been forced into. If your state or country is considering Safe Harbor laws, contact your representatives and express your support for them. If it isn't, contact your representatives and urge them to start. If it already has them, congratulations on living in an exceptional state or country.

According to Shared Hope International, the following are potential clues that a young person is being trafficked:

• Signs of physical abuse, such as burn marks, bruises or cuts
• Unexplained absences from class
• Less appropriately dressed than before
• Sexualized behavior
• Overly tired in class
• Withdrawn, depressed, distracted or checked out
• Brags about making or having lots of money
• Displays expensive clothes, accessories or shoes
• New tattoo (tattoos are often used by pimps as a way to brand victims. Tattoos of a name, symbol of money or barcode could indicate trafficking)
• Older boyfriend or new friends with a different lifestyle
• Talks about wild parties or invites other students to attend parties
• Shows signs of gang affiliation (i.e., a preference for specific colors, notebook doodles of gang symbols, etc.)

Female Genital Mutilation

Though the creators of the Book of Mormon musical find it funny for some reason, female genital mutilation (FGM) really is a problem in parts of Africa and the Middle East, and causes great pain and humiliation for those women who are subjected to it. First, sometimes after weeks or months of dreaded anticipation and resultant psychological problems, the labia and clitoris of a terrified young girl are removed with a razor blade or sharp rock. No anesthetic is used. Then, what's left of the vagina is stitched shut with twine, leaving only a tiny hole for sanitary purposes, and remains so until the woman gets married and her horny husband comes in and rips it open. Even disregarding the infection, sterility, and childbirth complications that sometimes result from this barbaric practice, I imagine that day-to-day existence with this handicap is enough to make most of Africa's other problems seem like trifling inconveniences.

Female genital mutilation is often considered a rite of passage to womanhood. It is supposed to prevent babies from dying in childbirth when they touch the clitoris, which of course has zero basis in fact. It is meant to create a smooth and attractive surface and to cause more pleasure for men during sex at the expense of the women. The great irony of this is that most men interviewed actually preferred having sex with women who had not been mutilated in this manner. Women, blinded by misconceptions centuries of perverse culture, are the ones who continue this tradition by insisting that it be passed down to their daughters and granddaughters. Of course, not all of them do so, and the practice is less common than it once was, but it still exists and just thinking about it makes me want to slit my wrists so I don't have to think about it.