Ain't I A Woman?

21 October 2015

Then and Now
Expo 1213 - What is Work?

Maddy Payne

IN her speech "Ain't I A Woman," she addresses many of the gender issues she faced while working, some of which are still extremely prominent today.  Sojourner Truth poses the question "Ain't I A Woman?" and then goes on to describe the stereotypes and unequal treatment women receive.  It is extremely interesting though because she presents the typical woman as someone who "needs to be helped into carriage and lifted over ditches."  However, she also states "Nobody ever helped me into carriage, or over mud puddles," signifying there is more than a gender issue here.  Truth notes that, in addition to women being considered the weaker, lesser gender, race also plays a big role in how she is treated by society.  She is both a minority of genders and races -being a woman and African American.  

In the second stanza she calls out "Look at me Look at my arm!" indicating that her work is a man's work, her arms are like a man's arms and yet, is she not a woman? She even goes as far to say that she has plowed, planted, and gathered into barns and "no man could head" her.  In addition to work, she also bears the lash as men do, but is she not a woman? Women are supposed to be carried over puddles and placed into carriages; yet, she is being worked as hard as a man and lashed, too.

The only identification she mentions about being a women is giving birth to thirteen children, most of which were sold into slavery.  Even then, she is not truly allowed to be a (woman) mother because her children are taken from her.  

Moreover, some men around her state "a woman can't have as much rights are a man cause Christ wasn't a woman."  Truth replies by asking "Where did your Christ come from?"  The answer: God and a woman.  Truth's poem addresses more than the gender inequality, but also racial inequality and the effects of it. Women are given little respect and credit in society and women of color are given even less. 

Today, the racial inequalities in society are still present; however, they are are a lot more subtle. Gender inequalities however are still seen today especially in the workplace. 

Sidenote:

Gender inequality today is demonstrated in-

- Sports

- Pay (job wages)

- Politics 

- Types of jobs 

If women were paid equally a lot of social problems would be decreased. 

Sources: 

Copyright © Sojourner Truth, 1852 & Erlene Stetson (Speech)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ariel-smilowitz/for-us-women-inequality-takes-many-forms_b_7064348.html (Image)

Sexual Harassment In The Workplace

20 October 2015

Helping or Hurting? 

Expo "What is Work?" 1213

Maddy Payne

It is interesting how training and programs that specifically work to lessen the differences and unfair treatment of women in the workplace at the same time heighten the gender issue.  In Kim Elsesser's article, "How Sexual Harassment Training Hurts Women," she addresses the issue of gender inequality and sexual harassment and how businesses and companies are trying to solve it.   

In her article she presents an interesting scenario where a male executive will ask a fellow male employee to get coffee after work in comparison to the same male executive asking a fellow female employee to get coffee after work.  In the first scenario, no one would think twice about it or question whether there was anything more than friendship between the two; however, asking a female would cause a lot more suspicion -whether it be the male executive is hitting on her or if he is using his position of power to sexually harass her - regardless if the action was simply getting coffee after work and talking.  

The training programs and awareness programs for sexual harassment in the workplace are in a way creating a larger barrier - a "sexual partition" - that hurt women in business. Some men are so cautious that they will not schedule one on one meetings with their female employees.  This causes a lack of connection between workers and a lack of connection between bosses and their employees; thus, leaving the company separated and extremely disorganized.  

However, would this issue be as prominent if there were more female CEOs and bosses in the workplace?  It is interesting to consider because sexual harassment in the workplace usually makes people think of a male CEO or boss using his position of power to enable him to sexually harass his female employees -the woman unable to do anything because he is her boss and she needs this job.  

Would it be safe to add sexual harassment training in the workplace to the list of the issues that make up this glass ceiling that is keeping women from breaking through and obtaining high authority position in businesses and companies? 

I am not sure... 

Source: http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/06/16/10-things-you-need-to-know-if-youre-sexually-harassed-at-work/

Background information and Citations:

Kim Elsesser is a psychologist and the author of "Sex and the Office: Women, Men, and the Sex Partition That's Dividing the Workplace."

Elsesser, Kim. "How Sexual Harassment Training Hurts Women." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2015. Web. 20 Oct. 2015. <http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-elsesser-sexual-harrassment-training-20151009-story.html>.

Image from: http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/06/16/10-things-you-need-to-know-if-youre-sexually-harassed-at-work/