The Movement of Women
Created by Leah Fraser on Thu, 04/25/2024 - 13:02
Part of Group:
A protest is a statement or action expressing one's disapproval of or objection toward something and women have been doing it throughout history. The 4B movement was first introduced in South Korea in 2019. The 4B movement is a social movement in which women in South Korea stay single to challenge the domestication of women. The 4 B’s represent different aspects of a woman’s life that demand change. As a result of this movement, South Korea has the lowest fertility rate at 0.7 as of 2023. This movement, however, is not one of the first, from the “Bachelor Girls” to The Night of Terror of 1917, the 4B movement is a wave that has been shaped by years of domestication and oppression. Women have been fighting for equality and the same opportunities as men throughout the world and have had several ups and downs throughout different periods. The protests for women’s rights have had several different points throughout history: equal stances in relationships, the right to their bodies, sexuality, violence, abuse, and political rights within the government and laws.
One way that women pointed out their rights and protested it was through writing. Mary Wollstonecraft was an English writer in the mid-1700s who wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, which spoke about women’s right to education and to destroy the system constructed for only men. Her idea for protesting continues throughout history and even in American literature.
Women during the mid-1800s found a way to protest the idea of being the “Angel in the House” by refusing to marry until they had equal rights outside the home. Suffragists like Susan B. Anthony remained unmarried since women did not have the right to own property or make legal contracts without a man.
Past literature has also found a way to incorporate themes of violence and abuse towards women. Robert Browning was an English poet and his dramatic monologues were highly known among the Victorian poets. Browning often delved into these themes in some of his works like ‘Porphyria's Lover’ which was originally published in 1836. These literary texts prompted discussions about how women were treated or portrayed in society.
1914-1945 was a time for women in North America to take over the dominant roles of men when World War I and II demanded soldiers to fight for their country. After the war, women started to realize that they wanted more independent rights and to have equality in the workforce. Throughout this period, women continuously fought and protested for equal rights to the point that The Night of Terror of 1917 was placed as a crucial part of the Women’s rights movement and protests.
Women in the 20th century were granted more support as The Violence Against Women Act (VAMA) in 1994 became a significant piece of legislation that aimed to address the violence and abuse against women that impacted society. The outcomes of VAMA were substantial and led to increased awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault.
Timeline
Chronological table
| Date | Event | Created by | Associated Places | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| circa. 1792 |
The Publication of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Mary Wollstonecraft was born and raised in London, England, and was a renowned women’s rights activist since her work is known as one of the earliest pro-women and equality for women. Wollstonecraft was self-educated and had several jobs throughout her life. She was a teacher, governess, translator for publishing, and a writer and author. Wollstonecraft strongly believed in education and that women should have the same educational opportunities as men. One of her most well-known works is A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, published in 1792, a continuation of her novel, A Vindication of the Rights of Man, published in 1790. The same year as publishing A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Wollstonecraft left England to observe the French Revolution in Paris. Returning to London, she wrote several other pieces before passing: Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, Maria; or, The Wrongs of Woman. The Wrongs of Woman was actually a sequel to A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, but Wollstonecraft didn’t finish it due to passing away and her husband, William Godwin, published it for the public. While several people, mostly women, reacted positively to her work, many women and men reacted negatively to the novel. As R. M. Janes stated in her article, On the Reception of Mary Wollstonecraft's: A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, “Most reviewers took it to be a sensible treatise on female education and ignored those recommendations in the work that might unsettle the relations between sexes” (Janes, 294). Horace Walpole, a writer and art historian, was strongly against Wollstonecraft and the work she was publishing. Walpole wrote several letters that talked poorly about Wollstonecraft and how she was a disgrace to the writing world and society. In one of the letters he wrote to his friend, Miss Hannah More, he called her a “philosophizing serpent,” and a “hyena in petticoats” (The Project Gutenberg, Letter 419). He continued to strongly go against Wollstonecraft when she published works about the French Revolution. Walpole wasn’t the only person to go against Wollstonecraft. Several magazines and newspapers also went against Wollstonecraft: the British Critic, the Anti-Jacobin- Review, the Analytical Review, and The Critical Review. The Critical Review commented significantly on Wollstonecraft’s work, stating that, “-Miss Wollstonecraft has converted this method of proceeding with the same success: reasoning on the boasted principles of the Rights of Man, she finds they lead very clearly to be the object of her work, a Vindication of the Rights of Woman; and, by the absurdity of many of her conclusions, shows, while we admit the reasoning, that the premises must be, in some respects, fallacious” (The Critical Review, 389). The newspaper about her is several pages long and continuously mocks her work and dehumanizes her for wanting women to have a right to education. When in reality, Wollstonecraft wanted women to be able to take care of themselves. As stated in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, "Educate women like men," says Rousseau, "and the more they resemble our sex the less power will they have over us." This is the very point I aim at. I do not wish them to have power over men; but over themselves” (Wollstonecraft). While there isn’t a specific line that connects Wollstonecraft to the 4B movement, there are similarities between what Wollstonecraft wanted with what the women want in South Korea and throughout the world. Wollstonecraft’s work helped push the feminist movement and for it to continue throughout London and then throughout the world. As Janes stated, “The shift in the treatment of feminist works between 1792 and 1798 indicated the continuing approbation of improved education for women and the solidifying opposition to works that seemed to threaten the established relations between the sexes” ( Janes, 302). Not only does Wollstonecraft’s work connect to the 4B movement, but also the way men reacted to her work strongly resembles how men in South Korea and North America react to women who are a part of the movement. While the 4B Movement is mainly connected to being treated equally, the President of South Korea, Yoon Seok-Yul, is trying to abolish the gender equality ministry. According to The Guardian, as stated by Betsy Reed in her article, Outcry as South Korean President Tries to scrap gender equality ministry to ‘Protect’ women, “The 2022 World Economic Forum global gender gap report ranks South Korea 99th out of 146 countries in an index that examines jobs, education, health and political representation” (The Guardian). Yoon Seok-Yul continues to bash women’s rights and has several followers of men backing up his claims and pushing to get rid of gender equality. The same happened with Wollstonecraft and her own works about feminist rights. Even after two hundred years as passed since Wollstonecraft’s work, there are still parts of her declaration for women’s rights that have yet to be fulfilled and the reasoning why women in several different countries still have to fight for basic rights. Works Cited: Primary Sources: Walpole, Horace. “The Letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford — Volume 4.” Https://Www.gutenberg.org/Files/4919/4919.Txt, 1 Jan. 2004, gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4919/pg4919-images.html. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024. Wollstonecraft, Mary. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Verso, 1792. D. "ART. I. Wollstonecraft's Vindication of the Rights of Woman." The Analytical Review : Or, History of Literature, vol. 13, no. 4, 1792, pp. 481-489. ProQuest, http://ulib.iupui.edu/cgi-bin/proxy.pl?url=http://search.proquest.com/hi... Secondary Sources: Janes, R. M. “On the Reception of Mary Wollstonecraft’s: A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.” Journal of the History of Ideas, vol. 39, no. 2, 1978, pp. 293–302. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2708781. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024. Additional Sources: McCurry, Justin. “Outcry as South Korean President Tries to Scrap Gender Equality Ministry to “Protect” Women.” The Guardian, 7 Oct. 2022, www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/07/outcry-as-south-korean-president-t.... |
Leah Fraser | ||
| 1836 |
Porphyria's Lover Porphyria's Lover Robert Browning was born in England in 1812. He was an English poet of the Victorian age and his dramatic monologues were highly known among the Victorian poets. Some of Browning’s work often delved into dark themes, ‘Porphyria's Lover’ being one of his poems that explores a darker side of violence and madness. ‘Porphyria's Lover’ was originally published in 1836 and is one of Browning’s well-known dramatic monologues that explores themes of love, obsession and control. ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ presents blurred lines between love and possession as the text presents a violence complex view of women and reflects societal expectations of the time where women were often seen as objects to be possessed or controlled by men creating damage to women both physically and mentally. In a journal article titled, ‘Psychological Complexity in "Porphyria's Lover"’ by David Eggenschwiler, he mentions that “the speaker is undoubtedly mad. He strangles Porphyria with her own hair, as a culminating expression of his love and in order to preserve unchanged the perfect moment of her surrender to him.” (Eggenschwiler, 2), signifying the disturbing dramatic climax of the poem. The speaker of the poem interprets Porphyria's affectionate gestures as a complete and pure surrender to him that makes the speaker believe that by killing Porphyria at this moment of perfect “love”, he can preserve that moment forever. The speaker uses Porphyria’s own hair to strangle her and this is significant because it is a deeply ironic act that something that is a part of her beauty and femininity becomes the tool of her death. This is what Eggenschwiler means when he mentions the “culminating expression of his love”, it delves into what love is supposed to mean. The speaker's actions are not driven by rational thought but by an obsessive desire to freeze a moment in time, examining the extremities of his distorted view of love and possession. “Her darling one wish would be heard And thus we sit together now And all night long we have not stirred And yet God has not said a word!”, (Browning, lines 57-60), these lines showcase the speaker's belief that he has fulfilled Porphyria’s ultimate desire by killing her which he interprets as being able to stay and keep her together. He believes that Porphyria wanted to be possessed by him and in his mind, he justifies his actions because there is no moral consequence coming from a higher authority. Him murdering her also could be an interpretation that he now has full control over her and remains as an object to him. “Anamorphosizing Male Sexual Fantasy in Browning’s Monologue” by Tyler Efird discusses that “Like Porphyria, she is “a projection of repressed male desire” that needs containment” (Efird, 2), it suggests that Porphyria is seen as a representation of male desires that have been suppressed and need to be controlled. It further implies that the speaker of the poem views Porphyria not as a person with her own agency and feelings but rather as an object onto which he projects his own desires and needs for control. This perspective dehumanizes Porphyria and excessively digs deeper into his objectification of her character. “Browning’s Corpses” by Carol T. Christ mentions that “Many readers have noticed the way in which the speaker, before the murder, attributes all action to Porphyria and presents himself as eerily passive.” (Christ, 110), reflecting that the speaker of the poem portrays himself as quite passive while Porphyria is the one who seems to be actively engaging while the speaker is described as almost motionless and without agency. This passivity could be seen as a contrast to the violent control he takes later in the poem, which makes the murder even more unexpected to the readers. “When he kills her, he reverses the situation ; she becomes the passive object of his affection. Yet the way in which his actions mirror those that he had previously projected as hers suggests that the speaker finds in the murder a way to share a single life between the two of them.” (Christ, 111), by killing her, the speaker believes he is unifying them into a single existence, one where he has complete control over her and another where their lives are inextricably linked by his actions. “Robert Browning and the Lure of the Violent Lyric Voice: Domestic Violence and the Dramatic Monologue” by Melissa Valiska Gregory states, “Hence domestic violence, especially as it was associated with sexual conflict, became a subject of nervous inquiry throughout the nineteenth century, as well as an important subject of literary representation.” (Gregory, 174), this highlights that domestic violence and abuse was particularly linked to sexual conflict and additionally became a noteworthy theme in literary works with authors using it as a subject for representation in their writings that made a significant impact. Ultimately this connects to the 4B Movement because ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ serves the profound themes of violence, abuse, sexuality and power dynamics shown through the narrator who exerts control over Porphyria. It reflects the struggle against oppressive structures and how the 4B Movement women in South Korea are challenging and dismantling these systems to ensure equality for themselves because women are objectified and seen as sexual objects in society. According to an article titled, “South Korea’s Feminist 4B Movement: An Explainer” By Simon Coates, “ almost 80% of women had been sexually harassed at work. Digital crime, including stalking and sexual harassment, such as molka – the act of upskirting and secretly filming women in bathrooms – is rife. Under current legislation, men accused of stalking can ask their victims to drop charges. Last year, a man murdered his former colleague after she refused to do so.” This connects and delves into the toxic masculinity and unhealthy power dynamics in modern relationships and society. When individuals perceive love as possession or control, it can lead to harmful behaviors and attitudes towards women. Works Cited: Teehan, Katie. “What Is the 4B Movement?” Service95, 2 Nov. 2023, www.service95.com/4b-movement-explainer/. |
Iris Betancourt | ||
| circa. 1854 |
"The Angel in the House"- Coventry Patmore Emily, Coventry Patmore's wife Coventry Patmore was a Victorian English poet most known for his poem, “The Angel in the House” published in 1854. Coventry Patmore based “The Angel in the House” on his wife, Emily, whom he thought was a perfect model for his idea on the “ideal feminine”. The Victorian woman as described in “The Angel in the House” is a devoted wife and perfect mother. Patmore’s depiction of the Victorian woman is that she is selfless, obedient, and submissive. Passive ownership is seen throughout the poem. Patmore shows this passive form of ownership in the way he writes about the conversation the speaker is having with his wife. “How proud she always was/ To feel how proud he was of her!”(Patmore lines 73-74), Patmore does not individualize the speaker’s wife instead she is deemed happy as long as her husband is happy with her. “The Angel in the House” did not become popular until after a few years it was published. In a review from The Edinburg Review, Aubrey De Vere explores Patmore’s narrative execution of the ideal Victorian home. “The ‘Angel in the House’ is a tale in verse, the hero of which sings the wooing and winning of his bride. The interest of the poem is studiously rendered independent of vicissitudes; the merit of it consists entirely in its careful and ingenious execution. Such a mode of treatment, while it increases the difficulty of the performance, in proportion as it foregoes the excitements derived from romantic adventure, is doubtless necessitated by the author’s desire to illustrate ordinary, not exceptional, modern life.” (De Vere, The Edinburg Review, p.331).It was evident in De Vere’s criticism that the idea that women should be domesticated was a common way of life in Victorian times. Natasha Moore’s Article, The Realism of “The Angel in the House”: Coventry Patmore’s Poem Reconsidered,dives into the lack of concern for the “woman question” which she describes as “… the nature of women’s intellect, character and role within society in relation(inevitably) to that of men”. Natasha Moore dives into the criticism of De Vere, “The result is a deliberate and, as de Vere acknowledges, high disciplined blandness of plot…”. De Vere describes the plot of the poem, as an “ordinary” life seeing that the only issue is the lack of creativity in the plot disregarding the of middle-class Victorian women. The 4B movement in Korea takes Patmore’s “ideal” woman and deconstructs her. Korean women have deconstructed the epitome of “The Angel” by rejecting traditional roles. According to an article in The Cut, “ In December of that year[2016], as Korea’s fertility rate hovered at 1.2 births per woman( it has since slid to .78,the lowest in the world)…” (Sussman 2023), women in Korea have clipped the wings of the “Angel” and have started to dismantle the patriarchal society that Patmore has justified. Work Cited Primary Source: De Vere, Aubrey. "Review of the Angel in the House." Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, edited by Laurie Lanzen Harris, vol. 9, Gale, 1985. Gale Literature Criticism, link-gale-com.proxy.ulib.uits.iu.edu/apps/doc/HTQPAV672318116/LCO?u=iulib_iupui&sid=bookmark-LCO&xid=4cb7bc40. Accessed 2 May 2024. Originally published in The Edinburgh Review, vol. 107, no. 217, Jan. 1858, pp. 121-133. Secondary source: Moore, Natasha. “THE REALISM OF ‘THE ANGEL IN THE HOUSE’: COVENTRY PATMORE’S POEM RECONSIDERED.” Victorian Literature and Culture, vol. 43, no. 1, 2015, pp. 41–61. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24577269. Accessed 2 May 2024. Sussman, A. L. (2023, March 8). A World Without Men: Inside South Korea’s 4B movement. The Cut. https://www.thecut.com/2023/03/4b-movement-feminism-south-korea.html
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Dayanara Guzman | ||
| circa. 1880 to circa. 1900 |
The Bachelor Girls During the late 19th century, traditions took a turn as suffragist stopped marrying for women’s rights. In a society where patriarchy has always had a place, Victorian women took matters into their own hands to dismantle it. Starting with dismantling marriage. Women in the 1800s were often expected to exclusively prioritize family and marriage. With the rise in education and new career opportunities women began to choose themselves over marriage. According to Karen Lee, “They more and more often attended college instead of marrying immediately, creating a growing force of university-educated women seeking careers—not just “jobs”—in fields that had previously been unavailable to them.”(Lee 2020). The term “Bachelor Girl” was a result of a negative term, “Spinster”. The term “Spinster” was a term to describe women who live off family members. The revolutionary movement to change this narrative started by changing these derogatory terms. Victorian women gave new life to remaining unmarried hence the term “Bachelor Girl” to describe a woman who is well educated and independent. Anne Brown Adams, the daughter of John Brown, wrote to a friends about the struggles of marriage in the Victorian era, “The struggles for a married woman’s rights will be a longer and a harder fought battle than any other that the wild has ever known. Men have been taught that they are absolute monarchs in their families, ( even in a republican country,) ever since the world began, and that to kill a wife by inches, is not murder women are taught from infancy that to betray, or even to mention to an intimate friend their secrets of their married life, is worse than disgraceful, Therein lies the power of the man, He knows that no matter what he does the woman will keep silent as the grave.”(Circa. 1880s). The notion of remaining unmarried is still present in 2024 today. The 4B movement in Korea has taken notes from “ The Bachelor Girls” and has implemented “ No Marriage” in their movement. The 4B movement in Korea highlights the need for social change with marriage being one of the elements. The 4B movement has unclipped Patmore’s “ The Angel in the House” wings to create the modern day “Bachelor Girl”. Work Cited Primary Sources: The struggle for married women’s rights, circa 1880s | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. (n.d.-a). https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/spotlight-primary-source... Secondary Source: Lee, K. (2020, February 10). How Victorian “Bachelor girls” revolutionized America’s view of single women. Newspapers.com by Ancestry. https://blog.newspapers.com/bachelor-girls/
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Dayanara Guzman | ||
| 14 Nov 1917 |
The Night of Terror of 1917 On November 14, 1917, about 20 to 30 women who were protesting in front of the White House for equal rights and equal voting rights were arrested and beaten/treated brutally throughout their prison sentences. The group of women was a mix of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) and the National Woman’s Party (NWP). When the groups first emerged into the public eye, the president at the time, Woodrow Wilson, allowed the protesting until the United States entered World War I in April of that year. With the war, any question or criticism of the government was not taken lightly. With the increase in protests, the police issued a statement saying, “If the picket continued, protesters could face sentences of up to six months in prison. Many of the arrested protesters were charged with “obstructing traffic” or given fines” (Arlington Public Library). The women who were protesting at the White House were sent to the Occoquan Workhouse and the guards were ordered by Occoquan Superintendent W.H. Whittaker to physically assault the women in their care. Whittaker refused to hear the demands made by the women, especially since they were a peaceful protest and he continuously had his men beat and throw the women around while they were imprisoned. Several of the women resorted to hunger strikes to the point that when they were released they had to have assistance with walking. Several of the guards tried to force-feed the women with food that was inedible. As Janice Law Trecker stated in her article, The Suffrage Prisoners, “As at Occoquan, prisoners suffering from the last stages of tuberculosis and venereal disease mingled freely with healthy prisoners. Rose Winslow, a former mill worker and Consumers’ League organizer, wrote her husband that she and Alice Paul had learned that their bath tub was the one used by the syphilitics in the ward” (Trecker, 418). Several of the women endured severe injuries. Alice Cosu, who witnessed her friend, Dora Lewis, have her head violently smacked into an iron bed suffered from a heart attack and wasn’t treated for it until the next day. Minnie P. Quay wrote about her experience in Occoquan and the abuse she, and several women, endured until they were released. As stated in her letter, “He sent me over to the men’s hospital where I remained for then days. The first three days I was fed on bread and fifty milk, and something in it taste like carbolic acid.” When the women went for their court dates they were sent in on stretchers due to their conditions. A few months after this protest in early January 1918, President Wilson acknowledged the women’s movement and showed his support by contributing to the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote in 1920. This protest can connect to how women in South Korea are protesting for their equal rights in political and social standards. The rise of protesting in the 1900s was because women were doing male-dominated jobs due to the wars and wanted to continue on that course of independence and not have to rely on a man. South Korea has been having an issue with women being hired into the workforce due to their beliefs that women should remain at home. Not only that, but the pay gap is also extremely lower than between men and women. Plus, mothers who try to re-enter the workforce are discriminated against since their society believes that mothers still need to handle childcare and household responsibilities. That’s why several women are partaking in the 4B movement so they can have equal rights in society and the workforce. While women are partaking in the 4B movement, they actively protest in the streets and go to their government buildings with signs and groups. Not only did the women in the 1900s have to fight against male leaders, like President Wilson, but the women of South Korea also had to protest against their president, Yoon Seok-Yul. Yoon Seok-Yul blames the women who are protesting for the declining birth rate and plans to abolish the country’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. While several men side with Yoon Seok-Yul and are trying to take away women’s rights, South Korea has the lowest birth rate in the world as of now. Works Cited: Primary Source: P. Quay, Minnie. “The Night of Terror” | Suffrage and World War I | Confrontations, Sacrifice, and the Struggle for Democracy, 1916–1917 | Explore | Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote | Exhibitions at the Library of Congress | Library of Congress.” Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, 28 Nov. 1917, www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/c.... Secondary Source: JANICE LAW TRECKER. “The Suffrage Prisoners.” The American Scholar, vol. 41, no. 3, 1972, pp. 409–23. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41208790. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024. Additional Sources: “1917 | Historical Timeline of the National Womans Party | Articles and Essays | Women of Protest: Photographs from the Records of the National Woman’s Party | Digital Collections | Library of Congress.” The Library of Congress, 2015, www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/historial-t.... Web Editor. “This Week in 19th Amendment History: The Night of Terror.” Arlingtonva.us, 12 Nov. 2019, library.arlingtonva.us/2019/11/12/this-week-in-19th-amendment-history-the-night-of-terror/.
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Leah Fraser | ||
| 13 Sep 1994 |
Violence Against Women Act (1994) - VAWA Violence Against Women Act 1994 The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States aimed at addressing and combating violence against women. Congress passed VAWA and was signed into law as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act by President Bill Clinton. The Act was designed to improve criminal justice responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking and to increase the availability of services for those victims. The movement bill responded to domestic violence and sexual assault, resulting in recognition/support for domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, and other community organizations working nationwide to end domestic violence. The movement marked a significant step in addressing and combating violence against women in the United States. It had a profound impact on society as well by raising awareness about domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking as serious issues that needed to be addressed. VAWA did not only provide crucial resources to support victims but also aimed to hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions. ‘Violence Against Women’ by Susana T. Fried mentions that, “Over the past three decades women’s organizations have created a paradigm shift in understanding and acting to end violence against women.” (Fried, 2). Women had more support and resources available to them and it helped empower women to come forward to seek help and break the cycle of abuse. Men were impacted by the act as well as it emphasized the importance of respecting boundaries and promoting healthier relationships. Just like the 4B Movement, women share a common goal of addressing and combating violence against women. Women in South Korea aim to raise awareness about issues such as bias, discrimination and violence against women in Korean society. They strive to create a safer and more equitable environment for women in their respective communities. “Gender-based violence was once considered a taboo subject, expressed in whispers or suffered in silence. Now it is part of the public agenda.” (Fried, 2), the 4B Movement expresses to achieve gender equality and addresses the issue of violence and sexual abuse towards women. VAWA advocated for the safety and well-being of women, and worked towards a society where women are protected from harm and are able to live free from fear of violence and abuse. “One out of three women in the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime – and the abuser is usually a family member or someone otherwise known to her.” (Fried, 4), women have unfortunately and continue to be targets for sexual abuse, violence and sexual assault in various ways throughout history. It is a harsh reality that many women have been put through violence in society. These actions not only cause physical harm but also have long-lasting emotional and psychological effects on the victims. ‘The Role of Violence Against Women Act in Addressing Intimate Partner Violence: A Public Health Issue’ by Monica N. Modi, Sheallah Palmer and Alicia Armstrong mention that “VAWA's origins were from the collective effort of the battered women's movement, law enforcement agencies, sexual assault advocates, the courts, and attorneys who urged Congress to create legislation that protects women from intimate partner violence.” This highlights that VAWA was born out of a collaborative effort involving various groups and individuals including the battered women’s movement. “A survey of immigrant Korean women to the United States found that 60% had been battered by their husbands.” as these statistics shed light on the harsh reality of women who are often subjected to higher rates of domestic violence and unveils the deep-rooted societal issues surrounding the treatment of women. “Crime Bill Should Make Women Feel Safe” by The New York Times Archives, “As a result, women have more legal options than solely relying on prosecutors who have control over whether or not to file criminal charges in rape and sexual assault cases.” emphasizing the significance of providing women with additional legal options beyond solely depending on prosecutors to decide whether to pursue criminal charages in cases of rape and sexual assault. An article titled, “4B Movement: No to men till respect for women” by Kaitlin Burns states that Korea’s birth rate has steadily dropped and one of the reasons is because of “disrespectful and aggressive behaviors from men in the nation, being described as believing they are entitled to be with women. The women of the nation have decided to show not only how important they are as people, but how they won’t stand for the mistreatment.” This movement aims to assert their value and demand better treatment signifies a growing and push for change in societal norms and attitudes towards women. Works Cited: |
Iris Betancourt |