Discrimination of Women Throughout the World
Discrimination of women in the world is still a very real problem. Even though we have made huge strides against it here in America it is still devastating throughout the world.
The United Nations Women's Treaty was implemented a few decades ago was supposed to give women an right to take part in their nations political and public life but that hasn't changed much. In many countries women are still unable to purchase their own property, vote or even wear what they want. In Africa there is still female genital mutilation. Throughout Asia, the former Soviet Union, Latin America, Africa and central and eastern Europe trafficking is still a huge problem.
It is estimated that over 700,000 people are trafficked each year although it is not known exactly how many are women. Most of these women are trafficked for sexual exploitation. The most disturbing is that in parts of the Middle East, “honor killings” are still practiced. These killings can be brought on by women engaging in homosexual acts or sexual acts outside of marriage, wanting to end or prevent and arranged marriage or even dressing too provocatively. In Turkey, there is no protection for women being abused, there are no shelters or help for women in these dangerous circumstances.
In Saudi Arabia women are not allowed to drive. Yemeni women are some of the least empowered women in the world. In Nepal if a woman is raped or assaulted the perpetrators are not punished, they aren't even arrested. These are all examples of extreme discrimination of women throughout the world but we can find more subtle examples of discrimination here in the United States. Even though females have higher education rates and work more than men in the same profession they still get paid less in America.
There is still a twenty percent pay gap between men and women working in the same field. There has however been progress. The pay gap has decreased since it was 28 cents on the dollar in 1988 to now being 11 cents on the dollar in 2007, but in 19 years the only decrease was 17 cents. If we can keep shedding a light on the discrimination of women throughout the world we can hopefully change things for the better.
