#feministfocus

[feministfocus]

Blurryface

by Zoe Larkin

The blesséd Photoshopper, the god of image, turns the woman’s history into blur. Grey hair, and smooth.

As the features fade together, I wonder how anyone could possibly think that this looks better, that it could ever be beautiful to be fronted with the back end of a digital pencil, that it is better to slide skin like gelled hair pushed back, to pretend that each individual strand was never its own author, wear your face like someone else’s, like plagiarism of the promise of the past, like a story rewritten in the laptop of the self-appointed deity, of the very last god.

[feministfocus]

Remembering – and Honoring - the History of Hatpin Feminism

by Helena Donato-Sapp

I had an English teacher once who always told our class that when we started reading a new novel we were “entering the grand conversation” of that book.  People had studied and commented on the text way before we were born, we were entering the conversation around the themes in the novel now, and others would continue to enter the “grand conversation” of that book in the future.  I’ve always liked that framework.  One thing that is important to me as a 13-year-old feminist is that I learn about the history of feminism.  How do I honor what has happened before me?  How do I acknowledge the struggle that gives me privileges today? 

My family and I came across a story about hatpins.  The hatpin was introduced in the mid-1800s and its purpose was to do away with the awkward and clumsy bonnet strings that women had been using to keep their hats on.  Women considered the hatpin a kind of liberation from the bonnet strings because it made wearing their huge hats a bit easier.  They would use these steel pins to secure their hats to their heads.  The hatpins were about nine inches long and really sharp so that they could push easily through hats and fabric.  They were really pretty and often made of jewels. 

Hatpins came into fashion around the same time that urban industrialization occurred. Women were moving around more because of public transit, going to large department stores, and such.  Also, at that time, men just didn’t quite know what to do with women who were traveling alone, as it had always been the “proper” thing to have a male companion travel with you.  Men thought only sex workers traveled alone.  Men would catcall, leer, and even grab women without their permission. 

Many of these empowered women had already joined the suffrage movement and were not about to stand for being publicly molested just because they wanted to walk about on their own.  They referred to these men as “mashers” and they began to fight back by attacking these mashers with, of all things, their lovely new hatpins!  So, from around 1910 to 1920 there was what some male politicians referred to as “the hatpin peril” and they even started passing laws to limit the length and sharpness of hatpins.  The women were applauded by many for standing up for themselves and that is how the little hatpin accessory became a symbol of empowerment. (Source: https://historyofyesterday.com/the-women-who-fought-sexual-predators-with-their-hatpins-cedb0b563754)

My parents had a hatpin or two that used to belong to my great-grandmother.  I loved them immediately because of this historical story that we had read.  I wanted more of them.  It just so happens that our family loves to go to flea markets and antique shops and yard sales and so we began to look for more hatpins.  As luck would have it, they are everywhere and they are really inexpensive because nobody wears them anymore.  Below is a photo of my collection of hatpins that I’ve gathered so far.  I think they are quite beautiful.  We find them for around five dollars or so and it has been easy to build a small collection.  People today don’t wear hats like in the old days, but we still found a way to use them.  I have two dads and they wear them in the lapels of their suit jackets, which is how I display them too.  What is fun about it is that people always comment on the hatpin to me and then I get to launch into the history of feminism.  I will probably collect these for the rest of my life.  And I especially love that my collection is rooted in the history of women's empowerment.

[feministfocus]

The Gruesome Selectivity of the Coronavirus

By Neha Shetty

On March 11, the World Health Organization officially declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. While this declaration is a grim confirmation of the widespread and deathly impact of the virus, we must also consider the social and racial effects of what seems to largely be a medical problem to most. The coronavirus has revived dangerous myths about race as well as animosity against minority cultures such as Asian Americans. 

These attempts to rebrand the virus as the “fault of the Chinese” or even as a “Chinese virus”, are merely attempts to shift attention away from the lack of an official response. Furthermore, we must consider how this virus disproportionately affects minority groups medically and socially. For example, African-Americans, who live with significantly higher rates of health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, may be at a larger risk of contracting the virus and becoming severely sick from it. 

As the coronavirus continues to exponentially increase in numbers, medical professionals and government officials have urged people to stay home. However, many low-income individuals cannot afford to stay home for months on end. For many, this quarantine represents skipping meals so kids can eat, moving to places that require less rent, selling family heirlooms and other painful experiences. Along with these adversities, the harsh reality of living in America for some entails little to no access to healthcare, living paycheck to paycheck and working multiple jobs. In fact, a recent report from the Federal Reserve found that 40% of Americans cannot gather 400 dollars to cover an emergency. With realities like these, those living in low-income communities are hardest hit by disasters such as coronavirus, in which it seems as if all economic and financial growth is being stalled. In the current situation, frontline workers face the tough choice of deciding whether to stay home and lose money or work and risk exposure. While states and community health departments are attempting to curb the effects of the outbreak by shutting down schools and instituting stay-at-home orders, low-income families are scrambling to find food and resources that they would have normally had access to at local elementary schools and child care centers. 

The prison system has a disproportionate number of individuals of color, due to a combination of racism, unequal access to education and other discriminatory factors. Due to the close proximity of people in prisons, the coronavirus can be easily spread. People of color are also more likely to face unsanitary conditions and neglect inside prisons and detention centers. Low funding in these centers has led to hospital closures and lower preventative and damage-control measures in regard to the spread of the virus.

In low-income communities, families cannot afford large houses and must live in close quarters with multiple individuals. This situation can also lead to an exacerbation of the disease. Coupled with the fact that low-income communities, which many times comprise communities of color, have little to no access to quality and affordable healthcare, the coronavirus epidemic will more heavily impact towards those least equipped to fight it. 

What these difficulties illustrate is how underprepared the country is to address the societal problems that plague low-income communities in times of difficulty. While these problems barely skim the pain, anxiety, and grief that these communities are facing, it is important to still address them and look for paths forward. The NAACP has laid out a multitude of policy recommendations to reduce the impact of the coronavirus on communities of color. They include adopting policies that increase access to childcare and healthcare, advocating for the establishment of paid leave and routine testing for workers, ensuring data collection for the Census through online enumeration while extending voting hours, and advocating for an equal standard of sanitation, safety, health and education for communities of color. Government responses that don’t address social and racial disparities can cause irreparable harm to our communities. It is imperative that we understand that we don’t get to choose who gets the disease, but we can choose how we support those who are most likely to be affected.

References:

“Coronavirus and Our Communities.” NAACP, www.naacp.org/coronavirus/.

“Race Forward Statement on the Coronavirus Emergency, Official Response and Its Impacts on Communities of Color.” Race Forward, 5 Mar. 2020, www.raceforward.org/press/statements/race-forward-statement-coronavirus-emergency-official-response-and-its-impacts.

Vesoulis, Abby. “Coronavirus May Disproportionately Hurt the Poor-And That's Bad for Everyone.” Time, Time, 11 Mar. 2020, time.com/5800930/how-coronavirus-will-hurt-the-poor/.

Ross, Janell. “Coronavirus Outbreak Revives Dangerous Race Myths and Pseudoscience.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 19 Mar. 2020, www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/coronavirus-outbreak-revives-dangerous-race-myths-pseudoscience-n1162326.

[feministfocus]

Why Generation Z is Prepared to Stay Inside during COVID-19

by Divya Ganesan

Empty shelves line the walls of grocery stores. Families fight for the final rolls of toilet paper, desperation in their eyes. The streets are silent and empty. Schools across the country are closing. The leaders of our nation have declared a national emergency. A virus has infiltrated. We are on lockdown.

As I read this introduction, I am reminded of the many dystopian future novels I obsessed over as a kid. These descriptions could have been taken straight out of Veronica Roth’s Divergent, Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games, or even Lois Lowry’s The Giver. Sadly, this is not the case. The virus that has infiltrated our country is COVID-19 and this dystopian future is not, in fact, fiction, but rather the reality of our global pandemic. 

My name is Divya Ganesan and I’m a high school junior living in the Bay Area, in California. The governor of California has declared a shelter-in-place, home quarantine, as the number of confirmed cases reaches 1500. In my county alone, there have been 263 confirmed cases and 8 deaths. What once felt like a foreign head-line has now become the daunting reality of high school and college students like me around the world. 

The youth today faces a unique challenge with the global pandemic. With high functioning immunity, we generally don’t fear extreme symptoms, mortality from the virus but instead face the burden of becoming a transmitter, endangering the more vulnerable in our communities. As a 17-year-old, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and disillusioned by the situation at hand. Besides the disease itself, it feels as if we have been cheated out of essential experiences. The class of 2020 mourns the loss of Senior prom, graduation, and the final days with their classmates. The class of 2021 stresses over the fate of AP, SAT and subject exams as they begin the process of college applications. All students alike feel the profound effects of a lack of in-person social interactions. Personally, I worry about the quality of my education. I am grateful to have the opportunity to attend online-classes where my teachers have worked hard to reform the curriculum into an online format using platforms like Zoom and Google Docs. Yet, still, class time is lost, content must be cut, and the privileges of wifi, computer access, and a safe learning environment is not accessible to all students. 

Despite these changes in education and socializing, I truly believe that my generation is fully equipped to face the threat of this pandemic for the following reasons:

#1 - We thrive on technology.

Gen Z, which has been coined the term “iGen”, has not known a world without the iPhone, internet, and computers. While millennials and baby boomers have had to adapt to using new technology, we have grown up using Facetime and Google Hangouts. My education has largely been centered around my laptop, Google Docs, and Schoology. Our generation is largely criticized for our obsession with technology. In this situation, our familiarity with these tools has given us the ability to create, learn and connect in whatever ways we want.  

#2 - We connect through social media.

Whether it's Snapchat, Instagram, and Tik Tok, our generation is connected on a level much larger than person-to-person interactions. Why see your friends in person when you can use the Houseparty App to mimic a group hangout? Why limit your relationships to people who live near you when you can sustain international connections through Instagram and Snapchat? I have seen my community unite through social media. On Instagram, we have started positivity challenges, encouraging teens to take pride in themselves. On Tik Tok, we have learned to find humor during this situation, connecting over shared struggles and experiences. Fitness, celebrity, and foodie influencers alike have taken to their platforms to encourage people to move, be creative with ingredients, and stay home. 

#3 - This isn’t the last crisis we have to face. 

That’s right - I’m talking about climate change. I saw a joke on Tik Tok the other day making fun of the “boomer” generation for scolding teens about staying at home to save their lives while refusing to make sacrifices to improve climate change, something that directly affects our lives. Growing up with the responsibility of addressing the imminent danger of climate change has given us the same mindset with which we can apply to our current situation. We have already been willing to make sacrifices and institutional changes to save our environment and we can make those same sacrifices to benefit public health.

We are not powerless. We are not doomed. We are ready and COVID-19 is no match for Generation Z.

Sources:

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/03/20/map-coronavirus-cases-in-california-by-county/

[feministfocus]

#RapeCultureIsWhen

By Neha Shetty

Harvey Weinstein now settles for the persona of a frail man, beaten down by society and the so-called “feminazis”, who hurl at him with insults.  From “MeToo” hashtags, to op-ed articles, and swear-word filled rants (as actress Zoe Stuckless did when she saw him at a rising actors event). While #MeToo has allowed millions of victims of sexual abuse to stand together and connect in a place of solidarity, others believe that the #MeToo movement has given rise to some imaginary larger-than-life mob of feminists, now loose from patriarchal shackles and preying on undeserving men. In fact, it is this idea that Weinstein, and many other rapists before him, such as Bill Cosby and Jeffrey Epstein, use to pander sympathy from those who don’t care to have an opinion, don’t want to be associated with the word “feminism”, or are skeptical about rape accusations.

This is exactly where our culture has gone wrong. 

A close look into our country’s history and its patriarchal values reveals the truth of our system. Even as early as the 17th century, Lord Matthew Hale, a judge in England, warned jurors that rape charges are “accusations easily made and hard to prove and harder to be defended by the party accused”. He also advised that the victim’s testimony should be cautiously examined. In the past few years, it has become clear that this same sentiment has been passed through the legislative branch, cementing in our culture as time passes. Harvey Weinstein, after being accused by over 80 women,  is still on trial and may not even go to prison. Bill Cosby was finally imprisoned after more than 60 women came forward with allegations of abuse and harassment. Christine Blasey Ford continually faces death threats while her rapist, Brett Kavanaugh, is now a judge in the highest court in the land. The case of Jeffrey Epstein, which describes allegations against a man who sexually assaulted more than a hundred underage girls through a network of abuse and power-dynamics, was dropped after Epstein’s supposed suicide while in jail. Brock Turner, who raped his unconscious victim during a party, was released after serving half of his six-month sentence. If anything, these instances blare the message “Don’t report your rape!”. 

Throughout our country’s history, rape has rarely been deeply investigated, prosecuted or punished. Sexual assault is joked about. It is a crime thrown to the side when many voters make decisions on what candidate to vote for. It is almost easy to get away with. Out of every 1000 instances of rape, 13 get referred to a prosecutor and only 7 cases lead to a felony conviction. Last year, more than 20,000 women decided not to proceed with a rape investigation. 

The way that rape is treated in this country, and in most other countries, is despicable. If a victim wants to get a rape kit done, they must not wash, eat, drink, change clothes, or clean up any mess. They must provide every possible piece of evidence proving that the rape wasn’t consensual. In most cases, the victim is thrown questions like “What were you wearing?” “Were you drinking?” “What is your relationship with your accuser?” “How often do you have sex?” and other questions. Victims are forced to relive their nightmares and share intimate details of their sexual and personal lives, as well as removing their veil of privacy. Not to mention, the trauma that comes with speaking out, places an almost unbearable mental load on the accuser. One of Cristine Blasey Ford's most powerful quotes echoes this sentiment exactly: “Apart from the assault itself, these last couple of weeks have been the hardest of my life. I have had to relive my trauma in front of the entire world.” 

Rape culture, in essence, tells people to not be raped instead of teaching people to not rape. It manifests in victim-blaming, normalizing sexual violence, glossing over sexual assault with terms like “sexual misconduct” and through the hyper sexualizing of women and girls. If we are to truly revolutionize our system, we must start by believing and supporting victims, standing in solidarity with those who speak out and those who are shouldering their burden alone, calling out rape culture, and protesting fervently against a legal system that doesn’t do justice to survivors of rape and sexual assault.

References

“What Is Rape Culture? | WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre.” WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre, 19 Mar. 2019, www.wavaw.ca/what-is-rape-culture/.

Bowcott, Owen, and Caelainn Barr. “Half of Rape Victims Drop out of Cases Even after Suspect Is Identified.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 10 Nov. 2019, www.theguardian.com/society/2019/nov/10/half-of-victims-drop-out-of-cases-even-after-suspect-is-identified.

Hagerty, Barbara Bradley. “American Law Does Not Take Rape Seriously.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 29 Jan. 2020, www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/american-law-rape/605620/.

Hesse, Monica. “Perspective | #MeToo Voices Aren't Too Biased for the Harvey Weinstein Jury. They're Necessary.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 14 Jan. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/metoo-voices-arent-too-biased-for-the-harvey-weinstein-jury-theyre-necessary/2020/01/13/ef642496-32f5-11ea-9313-6cba89b1b9fb_story.html.

Moore, Suzanne. “Rape: Why Isn’t Justice Being Done?” The Guardian, The Guardian, 22 Oct. 2018, www.theguardian.com/society/2018/oct/22/rape-why-isnt-justice-being-done. Accessed 5 Feb. 2020.

[feministfocus]

Narratives Matter: Language and Social Power Structures

by Amalinalli Martínez-Hahn

What information do people exchange unknowingly? Is it possible that we communicate messages and ideologies that we don’t mean to, or even agree with? Recently, research has uncovered the numerous ways in which humans reflect and perpetuate aspects of our culture (specifically negatives ones) through the structure and usage of our language. 

For instance, researchers Michela Menegatti and Monica Rubini demonstrate this in pointing out that “there are many more English words to refer to men than to women, although the number of expressions to refer to promiscuous women is 10 times greater than those to refer to promiscuous men” (Menegatti & Rubini, 2017). Our culture promotes emphasis on the promiscuous qualities of women more than that of men, and it’s reflected in our language. 

This is an example of the way in which sexist stereotypes and norms are perpetuated through the words that are cognitively associated with men and women, and which are used to describe them. Women are generally described as passive, emotional, and helpless in writing and conversation, through more “communal” adjectives. These include words like kind, helpful, sympathetic, tactful, warm, and agreeable. Men tend to be described with more agentic (active) terms, like dominant, independent, confident, outspoken, intellectual, and ambitious. Analyses of college and graduate school letters of recommendation indicate that language may “reinforce women’s underrepresentation in traditionally male-dominated occupations through the gendered wording used in job recruitment linguistic materials (Menegatti & Rubini, 2017).” Studies show that job applicants with letters using the agentic terms most often used to describe men are more likely to be hired than applicants with letters including the communal terms most often associated with women (Menegatti & Rubini, 2017). 

The descriptive rhetoric we are accustomed to using in reference to individuals and groups of people affect how they are represented, thought about, and treated by society. Research shows that the use of some language contributes to stereotypes because labels referring to distinct groups “automatically activate the traits stereotypically associated with the group.” A speaker’s choice of language automatically influences the listener’s cognitive processes (Menegatti & Rubini, 2017). A speaker’s choice to use stereotypically associated words alters the listener’s perception of the targeted group.

Not only can the use of language contribute to inequality, but cultural bias is deeply embedded in the literal structure of many languages, as well. There is no specific male version in any language for terms like virgin, working mother, or career woman, since cultural norms promote and enforce the domestic roles of women. There is no male version of the term “miss” in many languages, communicating that the presentation of relationship status is more relevant for women than it is for men. Gender-based linguistic asymmetricalities often establish the prototypical human being as male. For instance, feminine forms of nouns in english are most often derived from the male forms (e.g. actor, actress, hero, heroine), and are sometimes simply composed by adding a suffix to the masculine noun (e.g. hostess, authoress). Researchers find that in conversation, there is an underlying agreement that when one refers to someone with a generic term (like “person”) the subject is assumed to be male unless their gender is otherwise specified. The dangerous result is that “people perceive gender bias in language as normative and enact gender discrimination by simply following communication rules (Menegatti & Rubini, 2017).”

It’s evident that our use of certain gender-specific or stereotypical words and phrases strengthens the ideologies that put them into use in the first place. Power structures and norms are often encoded in language in subtle but ensnaring ways that cause us to unknowingly reinforce the structures it reflects through our manners of communication. By altering aspects of our communication, perhaps through the use of gender-fair expressions (e.g. “they/them” instead of “he” or “she”, or “chairperson” instead of “chairwoman” or “chairman”, etc.), we can utilize language to change how people are represented and understood, and ultimately shift structures of social, economic, and political inequality.

References

O'Neal, Dennis. “Language and Thought Processes.” Evolution of Modern Humans:  Early Modern Human Culture, Palomar College, 2006, www2.palomar.edu/anthro/language/language_5.htm.

Lepore, Ernie. “Speech and Harm.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 2010, https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/speech-and-harm/.

Menegatti, Michela, and Monica Rubini. “Gender Bias and Sexism in Language.” Oxford Research Encyclopedias, Oxford University Press, 16 May 2018, oxfordre.com/communication/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228613-e-470.

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Missing a Beat: Gender Disparity in Medical Research and Patient Experience

photo by medtruth

by Amalinalli Martinez-Hahn

A year and a half ago, my mom was driving me to work when she suddenly felt unwell. Her symptoms didn’t appear very serious, so she assumed it was heartburn or maybe the flu. After an eventual trip to the hospital, we found out my mom suffered a heart attack that predominantly affects women in their forties and fifties. The hours in which we believed she “might just have the flu” could have easily meant the difference between life and death. But how could we have known? She didn’t suddenly fall to the floor with immense chest pain, or describe the feeling of “an elephant sitting on her chest”.

As I’ve learned since, the “standard” signs of a heart attack are those of male heart attacks. Most people, and even some medical professionals, aren’t sufficiently made aware of the differences between male and female heart attacks because the workings of the male body are the standard to which human bodies are compared (Kiesel, 2017). After my mom’s experience, I wanted to learn more about how and why this problem prevails, the practical implications, and the ideologies in which the problem might be rooted.

Through my research, I learned that though people tend to think of disease as something that affects everyone in the same way (regardless of sex, gender, and race), evidence from a recent study proves otherwise. According to a report by professors and researchers at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and the Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, women remain immensely underrepresented in biomedical research. Insufficiently included in clinical studies that inform the medical field, women are left susceptible to misdiagnoses, misinformed treatment, and physical suffering that otherwise might be prevented (Charting, 2014).

The specific findings in this study are astounding:

Though cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S., women only make up about a third of clinical trial subjects in cardiovascular research (Fackleman, 2014). Moreover, of the studies that do include women, less than a third report outcomes by sex. This lack of inclusion ignores vital factors, such as how cardiovascular disease presents itself differently in women than men, and how men and women possess critical differences in risks and probable outcomes due to hormones and other biological factors.

More women die every year from lung cancer than from any other form of cancer and yet, even when their studies include women, researchers often fail to consider or publish gender-specific factors that address the differences in frequency, pervasiveness, and survivability between men and women.

Markedly, depression is the main cause of disease burden (in the sense of morbidity and mortality) for women worldwide, and women are 70% more likely to suffer from depression than men (Fackleman, 2014). However, less than forty-five percent of pre-clinical studies on depression and anxiety are performed on female animals (Charting, 2014). A different study showed that even though women comprise seventy percent of chronic pain patients, eighty percent of pain studies are performed on either men or male mice (Kiesel, 2017).

Often, doctors do not believe women when they say they are in pain. Studies show that women who have coronary bypass surgery are half as likely to be prescribed painkillers as men who underwent the exact same procedure. In general, women are much more likely than men to be prescribed sedatives instead of pain medication and on average, women wait 65 minutes in the emergency room for pain medication to treat acute abdominal pain while men only wait an average of 49—a disturbing echo of the dismissive nature of the long-outdated concept of hysteria, these statistics demonstrate a disappointing prejudice against women, as our pain is dismissed as either psychological, irrational, and/or an exaggeration of minimal pain.

Unfortunately, all of these statistics are just the tip of the iceberg. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, “women are seven times more likely than men to be misdiagnosed and discharged in the middle of having a heart attack (Kiesel, 2017, p. #4).” Because of this gender gap in medical research, my mom and biologically female people like her suffer. The longer society assumes the male default, these issues will persist. More women will suffer and more women will die because society is failing to reach equal representation across all sectors.

It’s time to believe women, and to research all human beings. In anticipation of these changes, I will strive to live in a world where women can be represented and where women can be safe in the hands of science — where no one’s health is at risk because of misinformation rooted in the outdated assumption that one physiology fits all.

References

“Charting the Course: A National Summit on the Future of Women's Health (2014 Event).” Brigham Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 2014, www.brighamandwomens.org/womens-health/connors-center/policy-and-advocacy/womens-health-summit.

Fackelman, Kathy. “Women Remain Underrepresented in Medical Science, New Report Says.” Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, 3 Mar. 2014, publichealth.gwu.edu/content/women-remain-underrepresented-medical-science-new-report-says.

Kiesel, Laura. “Women and Pain: Disparities in Experience and Treatment.” Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard University, 7 Oct. 2017, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/women-and-pain-disparities-in-experience-and-treatment-2017100912562.

Nabel, Elizabeth G., et al., “Coronary Heart Disease in Women - An Ounce of Prevention: NEJM.” The New England Journal of Medicine, Massachusetts Medical Society, 24 Aug. 2000, www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM200008243430809.

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Paid Parental Leave: Working Women Call for Working Policies

photo by INTHEBLACK

by Divya Ganesan

Once upon a time in the 1970s lived a single version of a nuclear American family complete with a working dad and a stay-at-home mom who cared for the kids. The structure of an American family has changed but policies toward families have not. Today, the United States is the only developed country in the world that does not mandate paid maternity or paternity leave for working parents (Ingraham, 2018).

United States policies have not changed to address the increase of female participation in the workforce. Since the 20th century, the participation of women in the labor force has dramatically increased. From 1970 to 1990, participation increased by 25%. However, a lack of federally mandated maternity leave has meant that 40% of medium and large companies do not offer paid maternity leave to working mothers (Ingraham, 2018). As a result, there has been a trend in women working later into their pregnancies and returning soon after birth.  Laws like the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 aim to prevent discrimination against women in the workforce. Despite this act, discrimination still ensues. The number of pregnancy discrimination charges increased by 50% between 1997 and 2011 (Elting, 2018). An estimated 250,000 additional women are not given proper accommodations at their workplace. Although the Family and Medical Leave Act passed in 1993, which mandated 12 weeks of unpaid leave, moved the United States in a more progressive direction, the policy failed to mandate paid leave.

While other countries have adapted systems like paid maternity and paternity leave to equalize the workforce, the United States lags behind in 17th place. United State economic growth has the potential for further improvement through paid maternity and paternity leave. A study in 2013 showed that pregnant women still face discrimination in the job search process (Morgan, Walker, Hebl, & King, 2013). Women are more likely to sacrifice their careers to take care of their families than male partners. A Pew Research study found that 27% of women have had to quit their jobs to care for a child in comparison to only 10% of men (Graf, Brown, & Patien, 2019). 

But how does the United States compare to other countries on paid maternity and paternity leave? What are the benefits of having paid paternity in addition to paid maternity leave? Pew Research conducted an analysis of the paid maternity leave policies of 41 different countries. The smallest amount of leave given among countries, besides the United States, was 2 months. In 19 of the 41 countries, paid leave was primarily allocated for mothers. However, the most effective leave systems mandate paid maternity and paternity leave. Studies have shown that fathers who take at least two weeks of paternity leave built a stronger bond with their children and participated more in other responsibilities like changing diapers and getting up in the night (Labor, n.d.). Furthermore, studies highlight that fathers who take childcare leave are more likely to participate in child related chores 9 months later (Nepomnyaschy & Waldfogel, 2007, p. 1)

For example, Iceland’s model gives parents a combined paid leave of 9 months where parents are given 80% of their normal salary, a stark comparison to America’s policies, or rather lack thereof (Act on Maternity/Paternity, 2000). A Gallup Survey shows that since the Icelandic policy has been instated, women have developed more positive attitudes towards promotions and management positions (Act on Maternity/Paternity, 2000).  

At the federal level, the Senate and the House have multiple bills on the table that could address paid maternity and paternity leave. One such bill is the Strong Families Act  proposed by Senators Angus King and Marco Rubio that gives a 25% tax credit to firms and small businesses that offer gender-neutral parental leave. The strategy of taxation and awareness gives employers and employees positive attitudes on the policy as they are not losing money, increases consistency between states and reinforces gender equity. 

Ultimately, a system of paid parental leave will demonstrate the merited role of women in American society: to drive the world forward.

References

Act on Maternity/Paternity Leave and Parental Leave. (2000). Retrieved May 14, 2019, from Government of Iceland website:  https://www.government.is/media/velferdarraduneyti-media/media/acrobat-enskar_sidur/Act-on-maternity-paternity-leave-95-2000-with-subsequent-amendments.pdf

Addati, L., Cassirer, N., & Gilchrist, K. (2014, May). Maternity and paternity at work: Law and practice across the world. Retrieved from International Labour Organization website: https://www.ilo.org/global/publications/ilo-bookstore/order-online/books/WCMS_242615/lang--en/index.htm

Blau, F. D., & Kahn, L. M. (2013, January). Female Labor Supply: Why is the US Falling Behind? Retrieved from http://ftp.iza.org/dp7140.pdf

Browne, J. (2013). The default model: Gender equality, fatherhood, and structural constraint. Politics & Gender, 9(2), 152-173. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1743923X13000020

Devlin, D. (2015, February 5). What would it cost to have mandatory, paid parental leave? Retrieved May 19, 2019, from Forbes website: http://fortune.com/2015/02/05/paid-parental-leave-costs/

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