Society, what did you do?

“The problem that has no name — which is simply the fact that American women are kept from growing to their full human capacities — is taking a far greater toll on the physical and mental health of our country than any known disease.” -Betty Friedan

In this quote above, Betty Friedan expresses how she feels about gender and I support her and agree that it hasn't changed physically and mentally for women in the United States. What comes to mind is the wage gap and socialization/body image, these are the most striking.

What we should be asking ourselves now is how much have we changed since 1963? The answer is not that much. Society has held women activists and women as a whole back from becoming something great. The fact that there is such things in this world like the gender wage gap is just shocking. Growing up raised by only my mother, she has showed me that I can be whatever I want to be, but is there that same opportunity for my sister and for all women? No. Just look to the fact that in the United States there still has not been a woman president nor very many top government officials and it's striking. As a manager at a growing immigrant and refugee organization helping many people to find asylum in the United States, she gets paid well but who says that if she was a male with the same job, they'd make the same income?

Not only does the wage gap exist but also socialization has created a body for women to live up too. If they don't have a "model" body then you won't belong in society as someone considered attractive. This makes women strive to be a perfect image for men but it harms them mentally and physically. In American 0.5 to 3.7 percent of women experience Anorexia Nervosa in their lifetime. Also, model is magazine's usually aren't what they look like, they are covered in makeup and photoshopped to be the "perfect women". Many big businesses use this to attracted more people to any item they are trying to sell.

Overall, Women's situation for being women, hasn't changed mentally or physical. They still deal with huge issues like the wage gap, "The Gaze", body imagine and perfection. They are still not considered equal to men in man ways and we need to crack down on this issue. We need to help this issue out by not objectifying women, getting rid of these outdated social standards, and affording equal opportunity to women. We need to help this issue out by not objectifying women, getting rid of these outdated social standards, and affording equal opportunity to women.