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I am both amazed and frightened
when talking to other women my age – 28-ish – and they refer to feminism as that ugly “f-word.” Unfortunately,
they have fallen prey to the stereotypical definition of feminism and are unaware of the true spirit of feminism. Dictionary.com
defines feminism as the “belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.” How could any person,
much less a woman, not want that? Many people believe that since women have voting rights, the right to chose, equal
opportunity legislation and affirmative action policies, and the ability to get an education that there is no need for the
woman’s movement. Some say these markers are women having equality. Want to bet?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
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Refposition.com is an Affordable Website SEO Company providing SEO Packages to get you top rankings on the web. seo company Domestic violence and rape are epidemics in this country. I bet you know someone that has been a victim
of one of these crimes, or both. If not, let me introduce myself. My first long-term relationship was an abusive relationship.
I was right out of high school and moved to a big city to be closer to my much older college boyfriend. Dave was a psychology
student. He even worked with battered women at a domestic violence shelter. Until my relationship with David, I didn’t
understand why women in abusive relationships stayed in abusive relationships. After being controlled, dependent and having
my self-esteem stripped away, I had the answer. It can be summed up with one word: fear. If a concerned friend hadn’t
intervened and confided in my family what was happening to me, I may not have ever left. The scars from the abuse are still
there, but the wounds have healed.
Unfortunately, the wounds left after being raped still remain. At the end of August in 1999, I was
raped. The man that raped me was a man I was dating. I didn’t report the crime because when my sister-in-law had, she
was the person on trial, not her rapist. I couldn’t go through with that, especially since I became pregnant as a result
of that sexual assault. My daughter will be five in June. This is why I am a feminist.
I am a feminist because
rape victims shouldn't be put on trial, made to defend themselves, or be blamed because of what they wore, what they drank,
or where they were.
I am a feminist because
I want control over my life to decide what is best for me and my family, not what someone tells me my role as a mother should
be.
I am a feminist because
I want access to birth control.
I am a feminist because
women come in all shapes and sizes and are beautiful even if they do not meet the criteria that society has bestowed upon
them.
I am a feminist because
I want equal representation in institutions that make decisions that affect my life.
I am a feminist because
I want to be paid equally for the hard work I do whether it be in the home or in the workplace.
I am a feminist because
I want welfare programs to give recipients resources for the future, not just transfer dependence on the state to dependence
on a man.
I am a feminist because
I want children to have access to health care and adequate child care and parents to have work schedules that allow families
to spend time with one another.
I am a feminist because
I want family-friendly corporations instead of ones that label themselves as such, but do not offer decent health insurance,
family-orientated schedules, and pay where individuals can be with their families.
I am a feminist because
without equal opportunity legislation and affirmative action, I would not be protected from losing my job because I am pregnant,
have as many opportunities for education, and legally be protected from being discriminated against by a company because of
my sex.
I am a feminist because
I have a special needs child, a daughter, who deserves to be treated equally despite her disability.
I am a feminist because
I have two daughters who deserve better than what women have now.
I am a feminist because if I do not teach my son that
women are equal, who will?
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Rape Statisticsxml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
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- In the xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" ?>United States, 1.3 women are raped every minute by a man. That results in 78 rapes
each hour, 1872 rapes each day, 56160 rapes each month, and 683,280 rapes each year.
- 1 out of every 3 American women will be sexually assaulted by a man in her lifetime.
- 1 in 7 women will be raped by her husband.
- Only 16% of rapes are reported.
Domestic Violence Statistics
- Every 9 seconds, a woman is a victim of domestic abuse at the hands of her husband, boyfriend, or intimate partner.
That is nearly 7 women each minute, 402 women each hour, 9648 women every day, 299,088 women every year, and 3,589,056 every
year.
- 95% of all victims of domestic violence are women.
- Domestic violence is the single major cause of injury to women, more than mugging and car accidents combined.
- Domestic violence occurs in 60% of all marriages and is the most under-reported crime.
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