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OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 10/15/11

Exposing The Pink Collar Ghetto: When Women War Against Other Women

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As an example of women conspiring against other women, picture the last time you got on an elevator at work. Three other women who appear to be friends and co-workers are also on the elevator. One gets off at the next floor, and as soon as she does and those doors close, the remaining two immediately begin to engage in negative conversation about their recently absent 'friend'. When in the elevator, just make sure you are always the last one to get off. Warring against other women...

The ethnic separation seen in the Pink Collar Ghetto is another way in which women keep the walls of the ghetto intact. Observers often note that a racial divide is readily apparent in the workplace. Hispanic women lunch together, Asian women take breaks with each other and black women, as well as white women, participate in self-imposed segregation. Occasionally the groups will socialize with each other, but rarely. The use of native languages when members of specific ethnic groups are together makes those from outside the group uncomfortable and excluded. While some may believe that this trend is not damaging, they are wrong. Unless women, regardless of ethnic background can be inclusive and unite, the workplace will always be disjointed; the ghetto will remain intact.

 

The War Against Reproductive Freedom: Sperm Are People, Too?

The definition of the Pink Collar Ghetto originally confined itself to only economic inequities, but throughout the years, the walls of the ghetto have grown taller. Reproductive freedom is now a key component of the ghetto. Many who fight to enslave women are themselves members of the Pink Collar Ghetto. Instead of women fighting to eliminate the ghetto, they battle to keep the ghetto in existence. Religious differences are behind many skirmishes fought by women against women. The fight for reproductive choice is a religion-based argument, but becomes much more than just a disagreement. Instead of advocating for choice and freedom of religious belief, some women, mostly conservative evangelical Christians, desire to impose their views and lifestyle choices on everyone around them.

These women have rules for marriage, family planning, contraception and abortion. Because their convictions are so strong, they will not tolerate contradictory beliefs. Don't want more children? Too bad! Other women will fight you every step of the way. Choice? Only if your choice agrees with evangelical mandates and beliefs...

The fight for reproductive freedom has been waged for many years and will continue to be a holy crusade fought by women against women. Conservative and evangelical Christian women position themselves on the front-lines. In spite of the fact that many of these crusaders have had abortions themselves, once post-abortion they miraculously see the light, and then seek to eliminate choice for all. Most recently, these same women have begun the heavy-duty all out assault against the availability of contraception. Why? Because contraception is contrary to their religious beliefs, so it naturally follows that if these women are opposed to contraception, no one should be granted access.

Women who are against abortion and contraception seek an end to Planned Parenthood, by any means necessary. They know that Planned Parenthood does much more than offer low cost or free abortions and contraception. They are fully aware that Planned Parenthood saves lives with cancer screenings and women's health exams, but those lives are not important to them. To these 'pro-life' crusaders, the only acceptable outcome is an end to Planned Parenthood. Women who may die as a result of undiagnosed cancer or HIV AIDS will simply be collateral damage. Unwanted or unplanned children born as a result of forced childbirth will be protected by society only until they are born. After that, they are on their own. The "pro-life' movement is, in reality, little more than a "pro-birth' movement.

The U.S House of Representatives led by the GOP has spent much time fighting against reproductive choice. They have sought to redefine rape, end the availability of all abortions, as well as tighten the availability of birth control. Misogyny at its best! Maybe the GOP is convinced that sperm, like corporations, are people, and therefore have rights that supersede the right of a woman to make her own reproductive choices. It is unbelievable that women stand by and allow Congress to control any woman's uterus, much less the uteruses of all women. Women are so incapable of reasonable thought processes that they cannot be allowed freedom over their own body parts? When women are silent on this issue, they become participants in the war against women. They perpetuate the Pink Collar Ghetto.

Gay and lesbian rights are also a part of the anti-choice war that seeks to enslave women, with conservative women insisting that homosexuality is a sinful choice. Any opinion which does not fall into line with the accepted conservative religious belief system is to be silenced, either through legislation, intimidation or force. It is not enough to be opposed to homosexuality, the conservative evangelical woman will not only pray away the gay, she will make sure that equal rights for homosexuals are legally eliminated, if at all possible. Women warring against other women...

 

The Cultural and Social Divide That Breeds Gender Inequity

Women make up slightly more than half of the American population, yet they are under-represented in all elected positions, the majority of high power jobs in the private sector, and even in law enforcement. The ramifications of this under-representation are significant.

In the realm of criminal justice, women sentenced for the same crimes as men are treated more harshly. Just one such statistic that hammers home gender inequity in the criminal justice system is the average prison term given for killing a spouse or significant other. On average, men convicted of killing their spouses are sentenced from 2 to 6 years in prison; women convicted of the same offense are sentenced to 15 years. In most cases of females killing their spouses, concrete evidence of spousal abuse is presented at trial, but the women are still convicted and the sentences imposed are still far greater those given to men.

A second area that is worrisome and that should outrage women is the way in which rape is treated on college campuses. While the criminal justice system for the most part is finally beginning to treat rape victims with some dignity, colleges and universities are doing their best to silence and intimidate victims. Colleges, even major universities, are pre-disposed to hiding and covering up rapes on campus. Numerous research projects have come to the same conclusion: Women raped on college campuses are discouraged from pressing charges against their abusers. The victim is portrayed as the abuser while the real abuser is protected. The collegiate 'justice' system victimizes women again, so much so, that a significant number of rapes on campuses nationwide go unreported and unprosecuted.

Finally, allowing domestic violence to continue without uniform protections is another significant barrier to equality for women. Statistics demonstrate that one in every three women in the United States will be abused, but punishment for the abusers and even shelter or justice for the victims is at best, inconsistent.   Shelters for battered women are few and far between and many times even when a victim has obtained a legal restraining order barring contact by the abuser, police are slow to react or enforce the order. Women victims are ignored, until it is often too late.

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Jillian Barclay Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

I am an 'older' progressive; a holdover from the hippie generation. I have raised 3 children, am a proud grandmother, and an outspoken political junkie. I have worked in the healthcare field for 30 years, both for insurance companies and for the (more...)
 
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