CRJ #10 - Gender and the State

The first piece of work I read was “Constitutional Argument” by Susan B. Anthony. This read dissects the establishment of our rights by the Constitution and explains that the Constitution actually granted both men and women equal rights. Anthony explains that the writers intended to set both men and women on the same plane and allow them the same opportunities. Since she says the Constitution supports women’s rights, the only way women can protect these rights is by having the right to vote. Anthony explains, “It is downright mockery to talk to women of their enjoyment of the blessings of liberty while they are denied the only means of securing them provided by this democratic-republican government - the ballot” (pg 638). This reading is different than most pieces I’ve read about equal rights because it goes back to the actual foundation of our rights. I always see it depicted that women were first denied the right to vote and had to go through a constant struggle to obtain that right. Anthony actually explains that we have had the right all along; all it takes is a closer look at the Constitution to realize this.

The next piece of work I read was “Unequal: A Global Perspective on Women Under the Law” by Jessica Neuwirth. Neuwirth begins by explaining how unbelievable it is that so many countries affirm the right to equality, yet they continue to discriminate. Even various legal documents are being hypocritical when they state that discriminatory law should be illegal; however, nothing is done to change the status of these laws. She then goes on to discuss instances in law which exhibit sex discrimination. Examples range from laws determining citizenship of children born to U.S. parents to the rights to family property of daughters in Nepali. The piece continues by proving sex discrimination can also be seen in the ways in which criminal offenses are treated, education, employment, politics, and many additional sectors. The United Nations is one group that has noticed the difference between what governments claim and how they actually treat their citizens. “The substantial gap between the rhetoric and the reality of sex-equality rights indicates the lack of meaningful commitment to applicable treaty obligations and commitments governments have made” (pg 640). Although special documents such as the Beijing Platform have been slow to adapt, the U.N. is trying to close this gap. Many other countries are following and trying to eliminate sex discrimination and abide by their constitutions. I was actually rather surprised about the U.S. law which states that children of U.S. fathers must take legal steps before the age of 18 to claim citizenship, while children of U.S. mothers have to take no action. It is actually shocking to see this discrimination against males, when most of the laws I normally see discussed focus on discrimination of laws against women. Being a feminist, I think it is important to change this law and give men the same rights. Since feminists seek to gain equal rights for women, they must assure that men have these rights as well. I think it is also very important to take a global perspective on the issue of sex discrimination. We have seen people suffer a great deal in our country because of the unequal ways they are treated. We should focus on teaching other countries what we have learned from these problems and eliminating sex discrimination abroad.

The final article I read was “The Postwar Movement: Lessons from Bosnia Herzegovina” by Cynthia Cockburn. Cynthia describes that the time directly after a war is a key time when policies can diversify again. She explains that the ability to bring about substantial piece and healing “depends on many factors, but one that is crucial and often overlooked is whether the transitions includes the questioning and transformation of gender power relations” (pg 661). The U.N. has called on countries to incorporate gender perspectives during postwar situations mainly due to the mistakes seen in Bosnia Herzegovina. When the war was called to an end based on a negotiation written in Dayton, Ohio, political leaders went on to rewrite Bosnia’s constitution; however, they left out details which would provide an empowerment for women and allow them to become equal within the society. When the society was checked on years after the constitution was implemented, people were shocked to see that there was “a total absence of women and of gender awareness in the Dayton peace process or in subsequent international interventions” (pg 662). It was assumed that the Dayton operation would be very successful, but there were many findings which proved different. Therefore, two main lessons were gained from the experience. First, we realized that it is essential that peacekeeping operations and postwar reconstruction keep gender awareness in mind from the very beginnings. Second, local women’s NGOs from the countries must be involved in the process and be able to have an equal amount of input. I’m glad to see we were able to realize that we did make some mistakes in our experience with Bosnia Herzegovina and that the way we conduct postwar movements must change. We didn’t hide the mistakes, instead we chose to acknowledge them and learn from them. Today, we are involved in so many disputes around the world that we must continue to improve the postwar process in order to bring equality into as many countries as possible.