What Is a Woman?

Women are the backbone of the society, bringing forth their best efforts in the fields of art, science, medicine, politics, business, education and many other professions. They are equally talented in every field, and have proven their mettle as leaders and managers.

Women have come a long way in the last seven generations. The changes that have taken place in family life, religion, government and employment are nothing short of spectacular. The progress made by women in the corporate world is also awe inspiring.

Despite all the advancements, the fight is not yet over. Several women face societal barriers that can limit their potential and rob them of their dignity. Women are still paid less than men and suffer from discrimination. In the not-so-distant past, American women did not even have the right to vote or work, and many had to stay at home to care for children and the elderly.

A recent discussion on a radio show featuring Matt Walsh, host of the Daily Wire podcast The Alphabet, raised the question: “What is a woman?” Walsh’s take: “A biological woman has XX chromosomes.” In other words, an adult female human being. This definition is accepted by most people. It’s not the kind of definition that invites handwringing analysis and debate about what it means to be a woman, as it is for most rambles about the meaning of “ewe” in relation to the “what is a ram” question.

But what is a woman, as far as social and cultural identity goes? Merriam-Webster defines a woman as “an adult human female,” and this definition is echoed in most English dictionaries. But the word has been defined in myriad ways throughout history: positive and heroic (virago, zamazim, Amazon) to negative and derogatory (strumpet, wench, minx).

In addition to being biologically a woman, we are socially and culturally a daughter, sister, mother, wife, worker and a role model. This combination of roles, while challenging, is a part of the definition of being a woman. Some of us embrace it and savor the experience, while others reject it or find that the labels do not align with their sense of self and choose to live in a different gender or undergo hormonal or surgical interventions that change their bodies’ innate sex.

I would love to be able to give Walsh a satisfactory answer to this question. But defining what it is to be a woman is an endlessly fascinating exercise that draws on the ideas of sexologists, professors, philosophers, activists, counselors and physicians. It is an endeavor that is inherently intergenerational and reflects the fact that there are as many different ideas of what it is to be a woman as there are women themselves. The best we can do is honor those diverse views and celebrate the diversity of what it means to be a woman. I hope you’ll join me in this effort. The future of the planet depends on it.

Women’s Rights Are Human Rights

Twenty-five years ago, Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered a landmark speech at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. Her words were greeted with cheers and applause, but the energy in the room was focused on a single phrase: “Women’s rights are human rights.” It wasn’t just a slogan or a slogan of the day; it became one of the most enduring and influential ideas to emerge from the event. Today, the idea that women’s rights are human rights is widely accepted and even considered mainstream.

But many challenges remain. Women still face obstacles to economic equality, despite the fact that in most countries women make up half or more of the workforce. Women are more likely to live in poverty than men, and are less likely to have access to land, education, technology or natural resources. And they are more likely to experience violence at home or in the workplace, including rape and other forms of sexual assault.

In some areas, governments have made progress in addressing these problems. Angola, for example, criminalized sexual harassment in the workplace. Benin removed restrictions on construction jobs for women, and Burundi mandated equal remuneration for work of equal value. And in a record number of countries, women are now allowed to vote.

But a majority of Americans surveyed say that a lot more needs to be done to give women equal rights with men. And this is true of both women and men and across all parties. Among those who think that the country hasn’t yet come close to achieving gender equality, 77% say that sexual harassment is a major obstacle. A substantial share also cites the different expectations society holds for men and women, the “mommy track” for women, and lack of women in leadership positions as key obstacles.

Women also report facing a wide range of other barriers to equality. A plurality point to family responsibilities as a significant factor, and about a third name the lack of women in leadership roles or government and military positions. About a quarter of those surveyed mention that they believe that women don’t work as hard as men, and nearly a third point to pay discrimination against women as an issue.

Regardless of these and other obstacles, most of the public remains optimistic about a future in which women have equal rights with men. A median of 94% across 34 countries surveyed by the Pew Research Center think that it is important for women to have the same rights as men, and 74% say that this is very important.

This story is just the latest chapter in a long and sometimes contentious tradition of tireless women’s activists who fought for change, often against great odds. Their work should be celebrated, and their accomplishments recognized. The stories of their efforts are a reminder that, in the end, democracy is for everyone, not just for those who can afford it. It’s time to take this message to the next level, so that the rights of every woman are respected and protected.

The Global Problem of Gender Inequality

The world’s gender inequality is a real problem that impacts people’s lives and the ability of nations to grow. Gender equality is the right of all individuals to be treated equally regardless of their sex or gender, and gender discrimination is when one sex or gender is routinely privileged or prioritized over another. This is an issue that disproportionately affects women worldwide, and is rooted in history going back to the dawn of civilization in most cultures.

While there are countless reasons for why women are still held back in many societies, the most fundamental reason is that we are still living in a patriarchal society that places men at the center of the social hierarchy. When women are not fully empowered and given a voice, the rest of the world suffers.

This is why we need to continue to fight for the rights of every person to be treated fairly, and this must include men as well. The goal of gender equality is to remove the disadvantages that arise from patterns of biases that are based on differences in biology or psychology, or in culture and norms.

These biases often lead to unfair treatment. They can be harmful to all people, whether they are women or men, and this includes gender inequality in education, employment, health, economic development, political participation, and violence. Fortunately, we have seen some progress in all of these areas — especially in developing countries. But, a close look at the available data shows that progress has all but stalled in the last few decades.

A major driver of this slowdown is the fact that women are more likely to be working in less-than-desirable jobs compared with men, particularly when they are unpaid. This has been the case for decades and remains the case today. While there have been some improvements in terms of women’s representation in the workforce, there are still far too few women in managerial and technical occupations. And, even after accounting for educational achievement, there is no explanation for why progress toward closing the gender pay gap has all but stalled in the last two decades.

In addition, girls are more likely to be denied access to education and to drop out of school. This has huge implications for their future incomes and career prospects, and it contributes to higher poverty rates in these societies. Gender inequality also limits girls’ potential for leadership and influence. Investing in girls’ education can increase economic growth by up to $28 trillion, according to the McKinsey Global Institute.

The bottom line is that the root causes of these problems are complex, and the solutions will require a holistic approach that addresses the rights of all people to be treated equally. This is why the United Nations launched an international commission to examine these issues and propose policies to address them. As you will see below, the resulting report makes a number of recommendations.

The Root Causes of Sexual Violence

Sexual violence is an issue that affects all people regardless of age, culture, faith or gender identity. Whether it’s rape, intimate partner abuse, stalking or other types of sexual violence, the root cause is power, control and hostility. Understanding this helps us focus our prevention efforts.

The term “sexual violence” refers to any type of unwanted behaviour that includes physical or psychological pressure, coercion or manipulation and does not have consent. It can be perpetrated by someone close to you, such as a partner or ex-partner, or it could be committed by a stranger who approaches you in public. Sexual violence can also be used against people who are vulnerable, including children, the elderly and disabled people. It can take many forms, such as:

Survivors of sexual violence are often subject to stigma and discrimination which can prevent them from seeking help and reporting their experience. This can be especially difficult for women who have been subjected to sex attacks or gang rape, as it is believed that they must have somehow invited the attacker. The victims may also have friends or family who refuse to support them, and even blame the victim for what has happened.

This is called victim blaming and is a form of sexual assault and harassment. It suggests that the sexual assault is the victim’s fault because they were dressed provocatively, drinking or using drugs or were out at night alone. The ICRC condemns this stance as part of a culture of gender-based violence (SGBV).

It is also important to note that sexual violence and harassment is not just about “sex”, but can be any behaviour of a sexual nature that causes the person to feel upset, scared or ashamed. This can include any kind of unwanted sexual attention such as groping, body slapping or sending images of a person’s private parts.

The vast majority of sexual violence perpetrators are someone known to the victim, either by their name or through social circles. This can be the case for intimate partner sex violence or acquaintance rape. It is thought that these perpetrators see sex as “scoring” and believe that “no” can be changed to “yes” with a bit of pressure, such as threats, manipulation or intimidation.

Sexual and sex-based violence can also occur in the context of armed conflict or disasters and in situations of mass migration. These instances are considered violations of international humanitarian law and the ICRC is working to address them by raising awareness, providing care and assistance, and ensuring that laws and policies are in place to protect the most vulnerable. Ultimately, the best way to end sexual violence and its effects is through primary prevention. This means challenging attitudes and behaviours that encourage inappropriate interpersonal interactions and instead promoting effective communication skills, accountability and respect.

How to Stop Victim Blaming

Victim blaming occurs when victims of crimes or any wrongful act are held entirely or partially at fault for the harm that befell them. Whether it is motivated by fear, lack of empathy or even by a desire to take pleasure in another person’s suffering (the German word for which is “Schadenfreude”), victim-blaming can be damaging to victims and society as a whole. It can compound victims’ suffering by shaming and stigmatizing them, and it can reduce the accountability of those who cause harm, making harmful acts more likely to continue.

While it is hard to completely eliminate victim blaming from our culture, there are many ways we can work toward a more positive and respectful response to trauma. It starts with being open to understanding how people who perpetrate victim blaming think, and then it moves onto actively challenging victim-blaming perspectives, especially when they are voiced by someone we know or trust.

There are a few key reasons why victim-blaming is so common and so damaging. One is the fundamental attribution error: the tendency to attribute other people’s actions solely to their own internal characteristics rather than a variety of external factors that might also have played a role. It is a psychological phenomenon that can be very difficult to retrain.

The other reason is the just-world phenomenon, which is the tendency to believe that everything in life is fair and that good things happen to good people and bad things to bad people. It was first argued by Melvin Lerner in the early 1960s and is a powerful force that can make us feel better about ourselves when we believe that bad things only happen to unworthy others.

A third reason is the tendency to project our own uncomfortable feelings, which can lead to a feeling of inadequacy when we see someone else being hurt, so we may try to compensate by blaming them for their unfortunate situation. Lastly, there is a strong desire to be perceived as morally good and virtuous, so some of us will attempt to justify our own victim-blaming by arguing that it is only natural that we feel this way since everyone else does.

When a loved one shares their experience of abuse with you, it takes a lot of courage to do so and it is important to respect that. If you find yourself asking questions or judging them, stop and think about what you’re doing and why. You may need to have a conversation with them about how they have chosen to share their story, what they’ve experienced and why it was never their fault in the first place.

In the end, it’s important to recognize that the way we respond to a survivor can have an immense impact on their ability to seek help and heal from the trauma they’ve suffered. Negative responses can encourage a victim to hide their experience or stay silent for fear of being shamed and condemned, which can increase the likelihood of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and suicide in survivors. However, a supportive and respectful response can help to decrease these risks by increasing empathy and healing for victims of abuse.

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Women’s Rights and Empowerment

Women have been around for thousands of years and have contributed to the development of society in many ways. They have influenced science, literature, politics, and the arts. In addition, women play a vital role in their families and communities. They often serve as primary caregivers to children and elderly relatives, and they are instrumental in helping their family cope with economic, environmental, and political changes. Women have also been responsible for running businesses, managing households, and leading governments.

Yet, women continue to face a number of challenges that threaten their personal and professional lives. In the workplace, they often face more gender bias than men. They may be paid less than their male counterparts, or they may experience discrimination because of their race, age, or sex. Additionally, many women struggle to balance their work and home life because they believe that focusing on one comes at the expense of the other. In an effort to break down this outdated stereotype, women should realize that they can excel at both their careers and families.

This is why it’s so important to support and empower women, especially young girls. In order to do this, we must educate them on their rights and encourage them to be confident in themselves. We must teach them how to navigate their unique challenges, and we should also remind them that they can overcome any obstacle that they may face.

For far too long, people have been using gender as a weapon to destroy each other. Unfortunately, it appears that this is still the case as the debate over what it means to be a woman continues. Right-wing pundit Matt Walsh recently released a documentary titled “What Is A Woman?” The film features Walsh asking everyone from politicians to medical professionals what makes someone a woman. No one is able to give a definitive answer, and even the cantankerous Jordan Peterson gives a circular definition of womanhood.

The word woman can be defined by Merriam-Webster as “an adult female person.” However, this definition isn’t always easy to apply in a world that is so polarized. This is especially true for those who hold narrow views of the term, such as those who are against the recognition of trans women.

This is why we must continue to advocate for women’s rights and speak out against hateful rhetoric. Every woman deserves the chance to live her best life, free of gender-based violence like rape and sexual assault, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, and more. We must remember that women are the backbone of any society, and we must ensure that they are able to fully participate in all aspects of their lives. With the support of others, women can achieve their goals and make an impact in the world. We can change the narrative and show the world what it means to be a woman. After all, a woman is so much more than a man’s wife or mother.

The Importance of Women’s Rights

In 1965, Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique, a book that ignited a movement for women’s rights. Friedan’s work helped launch the National Organization for Women (NOW), a non-profit advocacy group that works to advance women’s economic, political and social status. NOW’s founders quickly recognized that polite requests to government officials and union representatives were insufficient, and they created their own pressure group to push for equality.

Today, nearly nine-in-ten Americans across demographic and partisan lines say it is very important or somewhat important for women to have equal rights with men in this country. Democrats and those who lean Democratic are more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners to hold this view.

But there are still large gaps in views of the importance of gender equality. Among all adults, Democrats and those who lean Democratic are more than twice as likely to believe that the Democratic Party has done a great deal or a fair amount to advance women’s rights. Conversely, two-thirds of Republicans and those who lean Republican say that the GOP has done a great deal or a good job in this area.

A similar divide exists in the view of what is the most important milestone in advancing women’s rights. Those with more education are more likely to name women’s suffrage as the most important milestone, while those with less education see more recent improvements in pay and access to health care as being more important. In 26 countries, those with more education are also more likely to say that it is very important for women to have the same rights as men.

When women’s rights are respected, they improve everyone’s lives. For example, when women are paid equally with men, they have more money to spend and can provide better healthcare, food and opportunities for their children. Likewise, when women have control over their reproductive choices, they are more likely to make smart decisions about how many children they want and when they do want to have them. And if and when they do get pregnant, they are more likely to be healthy during pregnancy and delivery, which has positive consequences for the health of their babies.

Gender equality is also essential to ending global poverty. Gender inequality is the most persistent predictor of poverty, and it is largely due to lack of economic empowerment, which starts with women’s rights. When women are economically empowered, they become agents of change for their communities, nations and the planet.

As the world marks 50 years since the United Nations Conference on the Status of Women, we must redouble our efforts to ensure that women have the same rights as men and are fully able to participate in the world’s development. Achieving this goal will require deep legal and legislative changes, but it is a crucial first step. As a result of the Nairobi conference, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 5, “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls,” was established as a stand-alone goal.

The Root Causes of Gender Inequality

Gender inequality has significant implications for society and human wellbeing. It hurts women and girls, leads to distortions in economic growth, and reduces overall social welfare.

While there are a number of reasons for this, research suggests that gender bias and social norms play the key role in creating these gaps. To tackle them, policies should focus on addressing the root causes rather than merely reducing their symptoms.

This is why a gender lens is important for companies to consider when investing in the workforce and developing their talent. By promoting more women into leadership roles, it is possible to diminish unconscious biases and negative stereotypes that can impede gender equality in the workplace and hinder performance.

The global commitment to achieve gender parity by 2030 is an important milestone. However, the current global crisis is set to make it much more difficult for countries to achieve their targets (World Economic Forum, 2023). The pandemic is disproportionately impacting women in different ways: the economic impacts are already visible; violence against women remains a major issue; armed conflict and climate change have exacerbated the risk of sexual and reproductive health problems and contributed to the spread of gender-based hatred; and the resurgence of male-dominated social norms has accelerated the erosion of women’s rights and safety.

Gender inequality is a complex and long-standing phenomenon, but there are many things that can be done to address it. The most important thing is to understand that gender equality must be looked at in a holistic way, considering the intersections of gender with other markers of identity, such as race, ethnicity, religion, class, ability and sexuality. Having a comprehensive understanding of the drivers of gender gaps can help policymakers and companies develop more effective interventions to address them.

A simple and powerful way to think about gender inequalities is to compare the share of people in top income brackets who are men vs. those who are women. The chart below shows available data on this measure for OECD member states and some non-members, but it is also possible to add observations by clicking on the ‘add country’ button at the bottom of the visualization.

The gap between the proportion of women and men in top income groups is large and varies by country. In addition to gender discrimination, there are a variety of other factors that contribute to this, including differences in preferences and comparative advantage between the sexes, as well as differences in human capital and family background. Nonetheless, it is clear that policies that are targeted at the root causes of these gaps can have immediate and significant impacts. This is why a gender lens is important when considering investments in the workforce and in developing company-wide diversity initiatives. By doing so, it is possible to reap the benefits of improved representation and a competitive edge in a future where gender equality will be a necessity for survival. As regulatory frameworks and transparency expectations around remuneration practices increase, companies that invest in women’s advancement now will likely benefit from lower compliance costs in the future.

Understanding the Causes and Effects of Sexual Violence

Sexual violence affects the physical, mental and emotional well-being of people around the world. It is often a form of gender-based violence, rooted in power dynamics and injustice between women and men. It can occur between family members, friends, acquaintances and strangers, and in all social settings. It can cause a range of traumas, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders and substance use. It can also impact people’s relationships with their loved ones and the community, including reducing trust in others and isolating themselves.

The causes of sexual violence vary, but include many factors operating at a local level, within families, schools and workplaces. There are also societal influences from laws, policies and norms that influence how violence is used. At the macro level, there is a prevailing attitude of male superiority and culturally defined masculine roles and expectations that can contribute to the perpetration of sexual violence.

There is a high rate of sexual assault and harassment of girls, women and children in all societies. These attacks can take place in the form of sexual touching, rape, physical assault or other forms of unwanted sexual contact, and can be directed towards a person’s gender or sexual orientation. It is important to remember that any kind of sexual violence or assault is never a victim’s fault, and that everyone deserves to feel safe.

Many people who have been sexually assaulted have difficulty talking about what happened to them. They may feel ashamed, embarrassed or guilty that they deserved it or somehow caused the assault to happen. They may also think that the assault was not a serious crime or did not involve a real injury because it did not leave visible marks. This can lead to feelings of shame, anxiety and guilt that can make it hard for victims to come forward and seek help.

It is also important to know that sexual violence can occur in many different ways, and it does not always leave visible injuries. It can include sexually transmitted infections, physical harm and psychological distress. It can lead to a lack of self-esteem, low self-confidence and anxiety, depression, substance use problems and even suicidal thoughts. The effects can also be long-lasting and have a profound impact on relationships, affecting the ability to maintain and develop intimate friendships.

It is possible to prevent sexual violence by supporting the rights of individuals and protecting communities. This can be done by raising awareness, providing education and training, addressing gender-based discrimination and promoting a culture of respect and nonviolence. There are also a number of interventions that have been found to be effective, such as psychotherapy. These include cognitive processing therapy, prolonged-exposure therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy. It is also important to understand that there are no ‘normal’ victims and that everyone, regardless of age, gender, body shape or socioeconomic status can become a victim of sexual violence. This includes people with disabilities, who are more likely to be abused and who are at higher risk of being subjected to discrimination because of their disability.