The World Around Us: Women in the Middle East

The World Around Us:

Accepted Abuse of Women in the Middle East

In the 1920's, the United States made history by passing the Nineteenth Amendment allowing women to vote, a right that was previously foreign in all 50 states. This was the first time that society in the US validated that women are intellectually equal to men and were able to make an educated decision without male representation. We have made strides since then and our society, arguably, is non discriminative when it comes to gender. That is not the case all over the world. When one thinks about the places where gender is most unequal and when one thinks of where women are treated the most unfair, they may think of the Middle East. Middle Eastern population takes up about 3% of the entire world's population and their dominating religion, Islam, represents almost a third of the world's population at an astounding 31%. So Middle Eastern/predominately muslim countries are often the point of focus when presenting the notion of gender inequality which is exactly why it needs to be addressed. 

According to a UN report, 99.3% of women report being sexually harassed with 96.5% of them saying that the harassment was physical. Being in public is much more dangerous and unwelcoming for women in the Middle East and in Northern African countries than it is for a woman in the United States. Women are often accompanied in public with their families and are often seen going out alone; it is said that persuading women to stay home is for their own protection. Ironically, while they are home, women face the most danger. More than 40% of women reported abuse in their own homes and due to the laws set, they have little ability to press charges against spouses who may be abusing them. In situations of rape, women are looked down upon. Not only are they often blamed but they can even be punished under law and encouraged to marry the man who inflicted the heinous act. 

The United States:

Hillary Clinton, Women, and Why I'm Not With Her

    Hillary Clinton made history this election by becoming the first woman to be a major parties nominee for the position of United States President. There is immense power in this position and her candidacy has limitless benefits through obtaining this title. Clinton has reaped every benefit she possibly could and wasting no time doing so. Looking at hillaryclinton.com, it is clear and evident that Hillary Clinton is a voice for women across America. I mean she plaster's all over her campaign that she is an advocate for women who have been trampled by male dominancy in this country. She shares that as secretary of state she assisted in the founding Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, and recently as Senator from New York she "championed access to emergency contraception and voted in favor of strengthening a woman’s right to make her own health decisions." Due to her involvement in the U.S. delegation to the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, she prides herself in "making women's rights a cornerstone of US foreign policy." All seemingly admirable, right? 

        Looking back into Hillary's past, controversy arises. Her motives are unclear and her new found passion for women's rights leads to mass suspicion. In her previous campaigns she had openly spoke of being opposed to same-sex marriage stating that marriage is meant to be between a man and a women. She was openly opposed to abortion in her past as running for the republican nomination and now whole heartedly supports "a women's right to choose." While she had the audacity to say that in situations of rape, a woman had the "right to be believed" she, when multiple accusations of sexual assault were made against her husband, threatened and tormented the women. According to The Washington Times, Eileen Wellstone accused Clinton of sexually assaulting her in 1969. According to the Daily Caller, legal secretary Carolyn Moffet accused Clinton of sexually assaulting her in 1979. Elizabeth Ward Gracen originally told friends that Clinton had sexually assaulted her in 1982. Flight attendant Christy Zercher, who worked on Clinton’s plane in 1992, allegedly accused Clinton of exposing his genitals to her and grabbing her. Sandra Allen James, a former DC fundraiser, allegedly said Clinton invited her to his hotel room and then sexually assaulted her in 1991. Paula Jones famously filed a sexual harassment claim against Clinton after he allegedly exposed his private parts  to her and demanded that she “kiss it.” Hillary is reported to have stated during Bill Clintons 1992 presidential run "Who is going to find out? These women are trash. No one is going to believe them." Would a serious advocate for women belittle a sensitive topic such as sexual assault? Private investigator Ivan Duda claims that after Bill lost his second race as governor, Hillary told him, "I want you to get rid of all these b****** he’s seeing . . . I want you to give me the names and addresses and phone numbers, and we can get them under control.” Hillary was reported thereafter to have taken matters into her own hands and did just as she said she would. In 1993, Kathleen Willey allegedly reported Bill Clinton for sexual assault. She claimed shortly thereafter that detectives hired by Hillary had throated her, her children, and killed their cat. Juanita Broaddrick who accused Bill of raping her also claimed to have been harassed by Hillary. Hillary's consistent record of despicable behavior should lead to questions about her reliability. 

       While she claims to have made  women's rights a cornerstone of US foreign policy she has accepted tens of millions of dollars from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman which all have laws against women's freedom and even against LGBT rights. 


       So is Hillary really a true advocate for women, or is she using the delicate subject of gender inequality to drive her campaign to victory? Would having her in office be a step in the right direction for the women's rights movement or would it be an impulsive, uneducated and bias decision to put such a corrupt person into office? These are decisions that citizens of the United States need to make, and women need to put extra thought into.

Entry One

When discussing who dominates the world: men or women, it is easy to agree that the notion that men are considered superior to women in most cultures is widely accepted. Gender is a social topic that currently has a commanding influence on the media. From controversial matters in the United States such as same-sex marriage, the male to female wage gap, and transgender bathroom policies to much more radical circumstances like women not having the right to drive or get an education, being punished for being sexually assaulted, and ultimately sharing very few of the rights given to men as shown in middle eastern countries, we deduce that gender is a critical subject in our day and age.

 When I think about the topic of gender, I generally distinguish two subtopics in my mind: what is going on in the United States and what is going on in the world around us. Over the course of this semester, this is how I will address this matter. I will also attend to the effect that it has on the world we live in today and my views on the conversation at hand. 

About the author...

My name is Joanie Howland, I'm a senior in high school and have a great love for all sports. I have three siblings, 2 brothers and one sister. My friends and sports take up my free time. I'm always energetic and smiley.