Learning about gender and women’s concerns

LOGARTA

In attempting to guide grade 10 students in learning about women’s issues in Contemporary Issues Class, I was fortunate to have the January 2017 special issue on “The Shifting Landscape of Gender.”

In discussing gender gaps, it has been revealed that: “A decade of data shows that equality is closest to being achieved in health and education — 10 countries have already reached that. But women still lag behind economically and politically: Not a single country has reached parity in those areas.”

“A country’s income level isn’t always a predictor of equality. Some rich places, such as Japan, South Korea and Kuwait rank in the bottom of the index overall, while the Philippines and Nicaragua are in the top 15.”

Another article asserts that: “Ensuring education, protection, and equal opportunities for the world’s 1.2 billion girls is key to solving some of the planet’s most pressing problems from the cycle of poverty to the spread of HIV/AIDS. Yet despite the gains in access to education, health care and employment, more progress is needed to put women on an equal footing with men.”

Some disturbing figures in this article follow. “Suicide is the leading cause of death for ages 10-19 globally. Worldwide maternal mortality is the leading cause of death for older teen girls, but suicide outranks it in Europe and much of Asia. The suicide rate for older teen girls in many Asian countries is twice the world average.”

Regarding teen pregnancy: “16 million girls 15-19 years old give birth each year; equal to 10 % of all global births. Ninety-five percent of teen births are in low and middle-income countries with the highest rates in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.” The Philippines has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Southeast Asia.

“120 million girls around the globe have experienced sexual violence. Worldwide, one in 10 girls under the age 20 has been forced into intercourse or other sexual acts. Girls and women who’ve endured such abuses are at a higher risk of domestic violence and exploitation in the sex trade.” Clearly many challenges remain not only for women advocates but for all of us who want to build better communities, better lives, and improved futures for our children.

Anne-Marie Slaughter in “Our Evolving Sense of Self” quotes Chip Brown: “Boys are urged to be aggressive and tough ‘so they may fulfill the classic duties to procreate, provide, and protect.’ Watching our sons be twisted to fit society’s expectations of men, even when those men wield power, can be as frustrating and counterproductive as watching our daughters be denied the ability to fulfill their potential.”

In the issue, there are six pages of photographs of males taking care of their babies. In Sweden, males are encouraged to take care of their babies. “Sweden’s program has allowed parents to split 480 days of subsidized leave to care for children and earn bonuses according to how evenly they split the leave.” Johan Bavman photographed fathers taking care of their babies, as he had done. He declared: “It’s gone unrecognized that this really hard work, something women have always been doing.” His 45 portraits of fathers on leave are offered as role models “so men can see the benefits of being on leave.” “Taking long leaves with his children has made him a better parent. He hopes his photography project will inspire more fathers — and more countries — to give the idea a try.”

The photographs and the article “Parental Leave on Dads’ Terms” are very beautiful, refreshing and very liberating!