Earlier in the semester, my Intro to Women’s and Gender Studies class required me to complete a series of activities, one of which was to host a dinner party with friends to discuss gender issues. Since hosting dinner parties isn’t something a college gal like myself typically does, I booked a study room, bought some donuts, and invited anyone in a large service organization I’m in to join me in an open discussion of our experience with gender, sexism and everything in between. A great group of passionate people showed up, and, from the conversation, I was able to extract a few issues that seem to be affecting the women of JMU.
1. Being a woman in a male-dominated major is hard
One of the participants (a Business major) noted an activity with a new group in class where it seemed as though her suggestions were being ignored in favor of those of her male counterparts, even though none of the group members knew each other prior to the activity. These cases of (probably unconscious) discrimination are very real for women pursuing traditionally male-dominated careers.
2. There’s a whole lot of period-shaming going on
This is (unfortunately) not a surprise since many people (even some of us who get periods) hold the belief that this function of the body is gross, suggesting that there is something wrong with the female body. One participant recalled a time when a female friend’s male roommate approached her about throwing her feminine products away in the trash, claiming that this was an unhygienic practice. This silly notion forces a feeling of inferiority on women.
3. Lots of people believe in equality but do not define themselves as feminists
This is one of the most frustrating things for a feminist to deal with. We’ve all heard someone say, “I believe men and women are equal, but I’m not a feminist!” It’s important to respect people’s choices but also to inform people about what feminism really is, rather than the stigmas associated with it.
4. Offensive gendered language is not K—especially from woman-to-woman
A recurring theme throughout the conversation was that girls need to stop tearing each other down with the use of female-specific explicit language. All of the participants in this talk agreed that it is never okay to use or tolerate the “C” word.
5. People are not happy with the way we discuss Hillary Clinton
No matter what you think of Clinton’s political platform, the group agreed that the scrutiny she faces based on looks is unacceptable. One participant overheard someone describe Donald Trump as “honest” and then Hillary Clinton as “not hot”.
Other issues discussed included: feeling pressured into having sex due to societal expectations, gender norms dictating how people look and dress, catcalling and unwanted attention, and more.
Though the sample group I interacted with was definitely not large enough or random enough to be a perfect representation of the JMU population, these issues seem to be ones that will resonate with many women on our campus. If considering these problems brings you down, think less about the (sometimes overwhelming) weight of the issues and more about the ways your actions can lessen that weight!