Notwithstanding, sexual assault not increasing because of the draft, sexual assault is a rising trend. Since 2006, sexual assaults have increased sixty-four percent in the U.S Army and those numbers only reflect the cases which are reported (Burk, 2006, p.241). And the worst part is, that even under such circumstances, women have poor access to the justice system. This is yet another example of the lack of equality. Martha Burks (2016) also states that the biggest reason why there is little justice for these cases is because most females who are sexually assaulted must follow a chain of command and report to their commanding officers. Their commanding officer has the discretion to seek criminal justice and whether, the offenses stay on record. …show more content…
Consequently, female veterans undergo a lot of pressure and trauma and as we know, veterans can suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and may need medical help to cope with the disorder. Unfortunately, this is yet another injustice for women as they do not receive the necessary services that are needed. There needs to be help for female veterans who face all the challenges in the military. The cultural values have shaped the way that educational and military institutions run their policies, but these values have been so far fetched that it has influenced the political platform. Long before the lack of equality existed in educational and military platforms, it existed within political regimes. Women do not have equal rights under the constitution. Specifically, under the 14th amendment, women are not protected as they should be. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia claims that the amendment does not protect against discrimination on the basis of gender or sexual orientation (Terkel, 2011). He also states that this is because at time when congress was proposing the 14th amendment, in 1868, that people did not think of sexual discrimination, that could be because in that time frame, it was not something that was recognize as it is today. Nonetheless, the comments made by the judge were shocking. The 14th amendment states “ No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States’ nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction equal protection of the laws” (Terkel, 2011).
The change we need begins with policy making. The Equal Rights Amendments seeks to provide protection to all citizens regardless of gender. Written by Alice Paul and introduced in 1923, looks at three sections. First, that the equality of rights shall not be denied by the United States on the account of sex. Second, Congress should enforce the provisions of this article and third, the amendment should take effect two years after the date of ratification (Francis, R., Hager, B., 2013). Alice Paul, recognized as the leader of the suffrage movement, presented the amendment because she believed that it was the necessary to introduce equality in the Constitution especially after women received the right to vote in the 19th amendment ( D’Ambrioso-Cornell, 2016). Though it was passed in the House and the Senate by the required 2/3 majority, in 1982, the deadline passed and it fell three states short of the approval (D’Ambrioso-Cornell,
2016). The ERA is one of the most important initiatives that favor women’s equality. Because the Constitution indicates that all people ought to be treated fairly and have an opportunity to achieve life, liberty and pursuit of happiness; then, the ERA forms a statement of principle. Equality between women and men is an essential right that belongs to everyone (Corell,2016). It is not just a women’s issue, it is a human issue. The discrimination against women continues to perpetrate society and it continues to limit the justice that women should receive for the cases against them. Discrimination has been lingering within all social institutions like the educational system as mentioned above, or the military. The Equal Protection Clause which is found in the Constitution does not guarantee protection to women from sex discrimination. Cultural shifts are taking place in society because many individuals understand the drive to equality. According to the National Council of Women’s Organizations, in 2012, a study showed that 91% of people thought that rights should be equally distributed between men and women. Yet, in 2001, 72% of people thought that the Constitution already guaranteed rights to all people (Francis, R., Hager, B., 2013). We have made some progress, by 2015, women were 57% of undergraduate enrollments (Burk, 2016, p. 216), but that does not mean that the issues do not remain. Even after women accepted into universities, women face even more issues after graduation including their pay for the work they do. The pay gap is affecting families all around the nation because it directly affects women and their paychecks, it also directly affects the men because the family, overall, receives less pay (Burk, 2016, p. 107). There are some factors which are causing the pay gap. Job segregation is one of the most influential factors in the gap because some jobs are usually held by one gender more than the other. “Women’s jobs have traditionally been seen by society as less valuable than men’s job though the job requires the same level of skills, effort, responsibilities and working conditions” (Burk,2016, p. 110). Conservatives suggest that the reasons for the pay gap is because women choose to work less or because women seek for jobs that are less risky, but according to experts, sex discrimination is the only explanation to the pay gap (Burk,2016, p.111) The laws are not being applied equally. Men can work in jobs that pay better or may work the same jobs as women and still earn more. Moreover, the factors that are driving both ends of the shifts of sexual discrimination are based on cultural values. The United States has come a long way. On the side which describes women as only able to get pregnant and get married, there is a very conservative factor in place. A lot of individuals see these values as traditional and ethical. Their own perspectives shift the way the view these political issues on equality for women. On the other hand, feminism is one of the biggest factors that is driving the shift to equality. Feminism is the understanding that both men and women ought to be treated equality and as we understood, equality must take place as according to their specific needs, what we know as equity. Both men and women face their own issues and have their own specific circumstances which society has so long rooted in the minds of people. Men are viewed as strong and providers who should not be open about emotions and those needs must be accounted for ,but women have suffered a lot more and their issues and circumstances are never met accordingly. Women have faced discrimination with countless of issues including: violence, reproduction, workplace, educational, the pay gap, military, child care etc. The issues that women face affect every area of a woman’s life. This course, Women in the Law has reinforced what I already knew prior to the class. As a woman myself, I understand the inequalities that take place in our society, but I think education on specific movements and concepts is essential. What I have learned in the course is that it women’s inequality is not just an idea, it is a reality that has been shaped by the cultural values put on society. Society has failed to truly convey a message of equality for women. It is important to understand how the women’s voice has been hushed in many scenarios and how leaders such as Alice Paul have managed to get society to improve on their views. The policies such as Title IX are improving these cultural views and helping women’s issue become a human issue. Because of policy makers who support women’s issues and professionals who dedicate their careers to illustrating what an equal society should like, is why we are culturally shifting. We have come a long way, the cultural shift to true equality is occurring.
In 1996, Captain Derrick Robinson, Sergeant Delmar Simpson, and Sergeant Nathanael Beech were arraigned for their suspected involvement in one of the biggest sex scandals the United States Military had seen. According to CNN, between these three men, charges of rape and adultery were pending in a huge case of sexual misconduct against female soldiers at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland (CNN, 2996). Following this incident, the United States Military took it upon themselves to open a telephone hotline to encourage the reporting of similar harsh crimes. Furthermore, the spike in reporting influenced extensive research to examine the prevalence of rape against women soldiers in the U.S. Military (Titunik, 2000). This paper will explore the dynamics of rape against women soldiers in the military and the research done on its prevalence.
In 1923, the Equal Rights Amendment was drafted by Alice Paul and subsequently introduced to Congress. Paul and the National Organization for Women began campaigning for its passage in 1967. In 1972, Congress passed the ERA and the states began to evaluate it for ratification, with a seven-year deadline. It garnered the support of 22 states in the first year, but the level of support slowly dwindled as time went on. The opposition against the ERA was headed by Phyllis Schlafly, the leader of Stop ERA. Opponents were effective in persuading states to abando...
Federal laws and regulations contain many loopholes, are inconsistently interpreted and may be repealed outright (NOW 1). Many supporters claim the Equal Rights Amendment is needed "to clarify law for the lower courts, whose decisions still reflect confusion and inconsistency about how to deal with sex discrimination claims (Francis 2). There is a supporting theory argument that "an amendment to equality would absolutely shift the burden away from those fighting discrimination and place it where it belongs, on those that deserve it.... ... middle of paper ... ...
In August 18, 1920, the U.S. Constitution Granted U.S. women a right. That was the right of vote. In American history women had no right to vote or be part of government. They were born to be at home and do the house choir and motherhood. They had no right to educate or go out, thus the 19th amendment was approved that gave the women the right to vote (Matthew, 2017). Having the right of votes for women was not easy. It was given to them after years of fighting and struggling, after fighting and protesting so long for their rights they were finally victorious. Women in America were finally given their rights. One of the most important freedom given to women in 19th amendment is their rights. This essay will investigate how women were given the right to be equality, the right to vote and be part of government, and also, how this amendment affected the lives of women.
In the surveys they have referenced in the article, it displays military sexual trauma increases among women during and after military deployment of unwanted sexual contact in recent years. The authors have recruited and conducted of twenty-two US servicewomen telephone interviews from May 2011 to January 2012 to participate a qualitative study with or without their MST experiences. They asked the participants questions regarding about MST during deployment and other factors which are disturbing their reporting and accessing to services against the perpetrators. The issues of sexism, high stress levels, and failed military leadership contributing factors which put these servicewomen in jeopardy of MST. Some of the interview women said that servicewomen do not report MST due to lack of support from peers, unreliable confidentiality, stigma, and other barriers. The interviewees feel more comfortable opening to medical care services after deployment in the United States that grips with sexual assault cases than throughout deployment around the world. The participants have suggested to improving the MST services: by increasing awareness, prosecution, investigation, cultural shift, and independence service providers. The interviewees recognized that Military se...
What is date rape? Is date rape different from rape? In a traditional date, a man and a woman meet for dinner and hope that it goes well so they can continue to see each other. In some cases, things go terribly wrong causing law enforcement to get involved. According to Paglia, all women have want men want. Thus, we must be extremely careful when meeting someone for the first time, as we do not know if we can yet trust. We cannot trust that they will not place a drug in our drink when we go to the restroom. Some may argue that men should be taught to never to that to a woman. But shouldn’t a woman be taught to not leave a drink unattended during a date or during a party?
The purpose of this essay is to discuss the issue of rape and sexual assault in the military. The number of attacks for rape and sexual assault in the military are at an all-time high. Women have recently been allowed to fight on the front line. While this may be a huge achievement for women-kind, for this woman, it is a very scary thought. I am a junior at Texas Academy of Biomedical Sciences; a school geared towards students wishing to enter the medical field. I may be forced to join the military one day if a war breaks out and women are needed to protect the country. I would be happy to serve my country if I did not have to be scared of my fellow soldiers. Rape and sexual assault are major issues in the military and have been for many years without much effort to decrease the attacks. I am suggesting that unless the rape and sexual assault issue is fixed, the amount of people joining the military, specifically the women, will decrease greatly.
Immediately after its passage by the Senate the Suffrage Amendment was signed. Guest was limited to representatives of that National American Woman Suffrage Association. Women have the same rights as men, because of the 19th Amendment. The 19th Amendment was formed in 1878, but didn’t pass until 1920. For 70 years, women fought for this law to pass. Women were treated as second class citizens. Women wanted the same rights as men, regarding their gender. August 26th is the anniversary date of the Nineteenth Amendment. It is called Women’s Equality Day.. The Amendment was brought to congress over women suffrage. These women fought for their rights for 70 years. Finally getting the amendment ratified on August 18, 1920.
Every semester, a student attending a college campus will have at some point experience some inappropriate, unwanted attention. There is always someone at school who tends to make someone uncomfortable, be it through eye contact, persistent advances, or just uncalled for innuendos. Of course, we do our best to ignore it, or to just report the bothersome activity, but that can only do so much without someone finding a way around such things. Someone is always going the extra mile to get what he or she wants, even if it’s at the expense of the victim. We can’t turn a blind eye on our friends, our family, or our associates in these dark, sexual assault situation. Campus sexual assault is a problem with plenty of factors regarding it.
Sexual assault is defined as a type of behaviour that occurs without explicit consent from the recipient and under sexual assault come various categories such as sexual activities as forces sexual intercourse, incest, fondling, attempted rape and more (Justice.gov. 2017). People often become victims of sexual assault by someone they know and trust (Mason & Lodrick, 2013) which is conflicting to the public’s perception and beliefs that offenders are strangers. Women are the main victims for sexual assault and are 5 times more likely to have been a victim of sexual assault from a male (Wright, 2017, p. 93). Men are victims of sexual assault however only 0.7% of men, compared to 3.2% of women, experience some form of sexual assault which highlights how vulnerable women are compared to men. Sexual assault is publicised and exposed in the media, however is often
The US Military has a long history and jaded history of issues with sexual assault. The number of women sexually assaulted in the US Military is 5% higher than that of women in the ficivilian population; there are an estimated 20,000 sexual assaults on women service members each year. This is not, however, a strictly female problem; it is estimated that nearly half of...
What is sexual assault? Sexual assault is, “any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and attempted rape” (Sexual Assault).
Ever since the currently Proposed Equal Rights Amendment was created, there has been conflict about weather or not it should be approved. For almost a century, the side that supports the amendment have fought to get it officially put in place. One person writes, “Since 1923, activists have been trying to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, which states, ‘Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex’” (Document B). This provides an example of how the ERA would establish a basic idea with a very simple set of rules and end up making a big difference when
Sexual assault is an offense that plagues many U.S. citizens. Although some studies show that rape is on the decline, other studies report that the phenomena actually occuring is that less rape victims are reporting the crime. In fact, approximately 68% of sexual assaults go unreported to the police according to the U.S. Department of Justice in a National Crime Victimization Survey from 2008-2012. It is common knowledge that rape victims are usually severely traumatized after the event, which leaves them susceptible to various emotions such as shame, anxiety, numbness, fear, denial, and guilt. Because of this, many rape victims decide to repress their experience and let it go unheard. However, not only does this prevent them from healing emotionally,
In an advertisement published in Vogue Paris in February 2009, Steven Klein photographs fashion model Lara Stone in a manner that brought much controversy to the world about women and violence. In the photograph, a fashionably clad woman in lingerie is forcibly held down by a naked man, while a police officer poses suggestively on her legs and points a gun in her face. This advertisement seems excessively violent for a fashion magazine that young girls and the majority of the mainstream world idolize. By condoning and making the type of violence that is popular in fashion magazines ‘cool’, people begin to recreate the scenes in these photographs in real life because they are constantly exposed to it. Furthermore, this constant exposure to violence