I informally interviewed a local lawyer who specializing in litigation. The lawyer I interviewed was a female; which I originally thought would give me a lot of insight into gender expectations and stereotypes. Ironically, her answers and perspectives were very different than the readings.
The first question I asked her was about any stereotypes when it comes to female lawyers. She believed that there was no negative stereotypes for women lawyers. She mentioned that some clients think female lawyers are better than men. She felt it was not a bad assumption but I think it could be perceived as a negative stereotype. If clients expect females lawyers to be better than male lawyers then female lawyers must live up to higher expectations.
I asked her the basic question of do you think law is a male dominated field and she said no. She pointed out that more women are graduating from law school than men, which is something that I Found when conducting the second interview paper.
I asked her if there was gender equality in law, relating to pay and opportunities. She made a bold statement that there is gender equality in everything. A specific quote I would like to include for this blog that was very surprising to me under the context of this class was:
“If women make less money than men in certain industries, its because they make certain choices about their career such as taking time off for children, etc.”
It seems that in this class we learned all about gender equality towards female in the work place. I guess I assumed that a female lawyer would believe there was gender equality. I thought she would agree with the readings and give me a firsthand experience that had happened to her. But on the other hand she believed wage inequality came from women taking time off for kids, or in other words societal norms that women must fulfill. I believe I would not have been as surprised if this was coming from a male. Overall, her answers negated what we learned in class and her answers surprised me.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Blog 23
The 2008 presidential election took over the media for many reasons. For me personally, I followed the election very closely because it was my first chance to be able to vote. But the candidates were also monumental for race and gender norms. The Republican Party vice presidential nominee was a female, Sara Palin. I personally believe her nomination had to do with the fact Hilary Clinton was a preliminary Democratic Presidential Nominee. Also, the Democratic presidential nomination was half-Black. So not only were women and a minority involved in the election, the fashion sense of the women was a highlight in the media.
I realized how critical the media was on women through this campaign; usually the media does not comment much on what the male candidates wear. The only other political female I can think of whose fashion sense has been a focus of the media was Jackie Kennedy Onassis, although in the NPR listening they said Dolly Madison was the first style icon. Marjorie Margolies, a former politician, says “Women are viewed in a very different way, with regard to their dress, than men are.” This shows how much more women are scrutinized than men. It seems like a another social standard women must live up to.
The NPR story explains that the first ladies usual dress very conservatively, but Michelle Obama seems to be a little more bold. Her style is referred to as “refreshing” and “progressive” while some do not approve. They pointed out that she wears dresses more than normal pant suit. Fashion experts recommend to wear color, a nice neckline, and that pearls are always classy.
"Most people remember what you wear and your tone over what you say," says Margolies which I can relate to in my life, although I am not a politician. I always dress up for presentations in classes and I will make my group members do so as well. I think my mentality, and possibly what political groups think as well, is that if the audience is not really listening or understanding the message then at least the presentation is pleasant.
I realized how critical the media was on women through this campaign; usually the media does not comment much on what the male candidates wear. The only other political female I can think of whose fashion sense has been a focus of the media was Jackie Kennedy Onassis, although in the NPR listening they said Dolly Madison was the first style icon. Marjorie Margolies, a former politician, says “Women are viewed in a very different way, with regard to their dress, than men are.” This shows how much more women are scrutinized than men. It seems like a another social standard women must live up to.
The NPR story explains that the first ladies usual dress very conservatively, but Michelle Obama seems to be a little more bold. Her style is referred to as “refreshing” and “progressive” while some do not approve. They pointed out that she wears dresses more than normal pant suit. Fashion experts recommend to wear color, a nice neckline, and that pearls are always classy.
"Most people remember what you wear and your tone over what you say," says Margolies which I can relate to in my life, although I am not a politician. I always dress up for presentations in classes and I will make my group members do so as well. I think my mentality, and possibly what political groups think as well, is that if the audience is not really listening or understanding the message then at least the presentation is pleasant.
Blog 22
There was much speculation that Sonia Sotomayor would be a nominee for the Supreme Court since Barack Obama took presidency. Another major candidate in initial nomination was Ken Salazar. Since her official nomination in April 2009, Sotomayor was supported by the Democratic Party. On the other hand the Republican Party were highly critical of her. A popular quotation that Sotomayor was highly criticized for “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion that a white male who hasn’t lived that life” from previous speeches. For this quotation she was called a racist and her qualification for the Supreme was a popular media topic. Sotomayor retorted and said that she meant that someone with a socio-economic background other than a white, middle class male would be more beneficial. But she her integrity was being questioned, Senators questioned whether she had let past life experiences influence her decisions.
On the other hand, Sam Alito made a statement “When I get a case about discrimination, I have to think about people in my own family who have been discriminated against, because of their ethnic background, or because of religion, or because of gender.” But he was not criticized for making a false statement. Alito is blatantly making a claim that he considers his past life experiences- ironically the same thing Sotomayor was being questioned for. The Color lines video makes a good point, what kind of racism could have Alito or anyone in his family experienced being white, upper class?
It is apparent that Sotomayor’s speech is more scrutinized than Alito; these could be due to race and gender. The American Bar Association was unanimous in supporting her nomination to the Supreme Court. In the end, All Democratic votes when for Sotomayor while only one Republican supported her. She is also the first Hispanic to be on the Supreme Court. She followed suit of Sandra Day O’Connor, first woman on the Supreme court, and was the third woman to do so. It is apparent any decisions she makes will be scrutinized that anyone else on the Supreme Court.
On the other hand, Sam Alito made a statement “When I get a case about discrimination, I have to think about people in my own family who have been discriminated against, because of their ethnic background, or because of religion, or because of gender.” But he was not criticized for making a false statement. Alito is blatantly making a claim that he considers his past life experiences- ironically the same thing Sotomayor was being questioned for. The Color lines video makes a good point, what kind of racism could have Alito or anyone in his family experienced being white, upper class?
It is apparent that Sotomayor’s speech is more scrutinized than Alito; these could be due to race and gender. The American Bar Association was unanimous in supporting her nomination to the Supreme Court. In the end, All Democratic votes when for Sotomayor while only one Republican supported her. She is also the first Hispanic to be on the Supreme Court. She followed suit of Sandra Day O’Connor, first woman on the Supreme court, and was the third woman to do so. It is apparent any decisions she makes will be scrutinized that anyone else on the Supreme Court.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Blog 20
The National Association for Female Correctional Officiers is an advocacy group for female correctional officers. They want to improve the working conditions of women working in prisons in terms of sexual harassment and implementing new technology. On the About Us section of their website they are a 100% volunteer organization which may mean they are a non-profit. Either way their mission is to improve conditions of which women correctional officers work under. The official title of their Federal Legislative Proposal is the “the Rae and Sexual Assault of Female Correctional Officers Elimination Act of 2008” as stated on their website. They call for a zero-tolerance policy for sexual abuse or harassment towards women who work in prisons. Other topics the bill addresses are anti-rape, increase available data on sexual incidences, and punish those prisoners who commit such sexual acts. The NAFC calls for the United States Department of Justice to prosecute all rape and sexual harassment charges. To do so, they want federal grants from state and local governments to help with this prosecution. Some of the new technologies this advocacy group wants to instate are more safety and defense equipment. Such items are resistant vests and electric control devices which would deter such sexual harassment.
Although the issues brought up by the National Association for Female Correctional Officers are important and should be considered by legislatures, Britton offers a more general approach to dealing with gendered prisons. She believes prisons need to be restructured because as of now they are gendered due to culture, agency, and structure. She believes prisons are negatively portrayed in the media, as well as prison workers. She believes the jobs assigned to those who work in prisons should not be based on gender because it leads to problems in prisons. Britton does not mention that women officers should be more armed then men. Overall, both the NAFCO and Britton believe our prison system needs much help.
Although the issues brought up by the National Association for Female Correctional Officers are important and should be considered by legislatures, Britton offers a more general approach to dealing with gendered prisons. She believes prisons need to be restructured because as of now they are gendered due to culture, agency, and structure. She believes prisons are negatively portrayed in the media, as well as prison workers. She believes the jobs assigned to those who work in prisons should not be based on gender because it leads to problems in prisons. Britton does not mention that women officers should be more armed then men. Overall, both the NAFCO and Britton believe our prison system needs much help.
Blog 19
The video starts out with Geena Davis talking about the female stereotypes portrays by cartoons. She starts with Walt Disney talking about Minnie and Daisy duck being the first female cartoons. Then she starting talking about Looney Toons and the Granny was the only females. She talks about the mom from the Jetsons being too skinny; she also bring sup how Miss Piggy had cleavage. She then talks about the Smurfs how Smurfette was only bring into the cartoon because she was going to destroy all the other Smurfs.
She then shifts into Daughters and Dads which is a non-profit that want to boost the self image for young girls. They funded a large study of G rated movies, 3 out 4 characters in G rated movies are males. In 1990-2005, females were highly stereotyped in movies and there was not increase in female characters. The issue is programming for our children have a large imbalance. There is a large disparity between male and females, so what is it teaching our youth?
Women are stereotyped in danzel in distress or helpless females waiting for males to save them. Name one Disney before Milan where the hero was a female? Even in Mulan she portrayed a man in order to be considered heroic. She was banned from the army and her family was shamed because she was female. Not until recently did females start having heroic parts instead of being princesses. Disney shows children that women are supposed to succomb to men and they cannot take care of themselves without males in their life. It is the ageless classic of Prince Charming coming to save the Princess, this is what we teach our children. From a young age, children are shown the stereotypes of males and females.
She then shifts into Daughters and Dads which is a non-profit that want to boost the self image for young girls. They funded a large study of G rated movies, 3 out 4 characters in G rated movies are males. In 1990-2005, females were highly stereotyped in movies and there was not increase in female characters. The issue is programming for our children have a large imbalance. There is a large disparity between male and females, so what is it teaching our youth?
Women are stereotyped in danzel in distress or helpless females waiting for males to save them. Name one Disney before Milan where the hero was a female? Even in Mulan she portrayed a man in order to be considered heroic. She was banned from the army and her family was shamed because she was female. Not until recently did females start having heroic parts instead of being princesses. Disney shows children that women are supposed to succomb to men and they cannot take care of themselves without males in their life. It is the ageless classic of Prince Charming coming to save the Princess, this is what we teach our children. From a young age, children are shown the stereotypes of males and females.
Blog 17
Job training for correctional officers is gender just like many job trainings. Women and men are required to pass the same tests to become a correctional officer, which means there should technically be no discrimination between genders. Most job trainings are very general and not really one on one in more large institutions. Men and women are physically, mentally, and emotionally different. When training to work in a prison men are usually larger and stronger than women, which I am surprised that women are not allowed to carry a weapon to defend themselves. Women and men also think different and may react different to situations. If an inmate is acting up or not listening male may tend to react violentally while women may try to calm the prisoner down. In training, they should teach the new worker how to react to these situations but also why they should react this way. Women are also much more emotional then men, which means women may not be able to handle all the stress of the job.
In male prison facilities most of the training focuses on violent reactions to prisons and physically controlling inmates. In women’s facilities the workers are not taught to deal with prisoners in a violent way. As I have mentioned before women should work in female prisons and males should work in male penitentiaries.
In male prison facilities most of the training focuses on violent reactions to prisons and physically controlling inmates. In women’s facilities the workers are not taught to deal with prisoners in a violent way. As I have mentioned before women should work in female prisons and males should work in male penitentiaries.
Blog 16
Although the general requirements for becoming a corrections officer are the same, male and females have different experiences becoming a corrections officer. In 1982, .1% of young adults wanted to become corrections officers and 95% of these were male. Up until 1970, females were not even allowed to work as corrections officers (Britton 61). Most males come froma military background into the correctional officer positions while women come from clerical work. This is interesting because all correctional officers are required to do the same thing- control the inmates behavior, provide positive guidance, and common body work (dressing, eating, bathing). Although most women do not do the latter in men’s prisons. Some women come from the background of daycare workers and say they feel like they have experience being a corrections officer when they come from working in a day care. Men and women come from different career background but both still end up working as correctional officers.
Since White males can find jobs easier, correctional officer positions are often filed by women and minorities. Most wanted to be police officers but did not make the cut so they become correctional facility workers. Both men and women say pay and benefits are factors to working as correctional officers. Prisons are located in rural areas so there may not be a lot of jobs around. Whereas in a urban or city area there are a lot of potential work places. This job can be appealing to single mothers and divorcees, male or female, because there is job security. Men are motivated to work in prisons to protect their families and keep criminals off the street, this was quoted from a male prison worker in the book. Another reason women seem to be motivated to work in prisons because they are motherly in nature and can help inmates, which is something I inferred from the material.
Correctional work may not be for everyone but it does require a high school education. Men and women come from different backgrounds but still end up in this profession.
Since White males can find jobs easier, correctional officer positions are often filed by women and minorities. Most wanted to be police officers but did not make the cut so they become correctional facility workers. Both men and women say pay and benefits are factors to working as correctional officers. Prisons are located in rural areas so there may not be a lot of jobs around. Whereas in a urban or city area there are a lot of potential work places. This job can be appealing to single mothers and divorcees, male or female, because there is job security. Men are motivated to work in prisons to protect their families and keep criminals off the street, this was quoted from a male prison worker in the book. Another reason women seem to be motivated to work in prisons because they are motherly in nature and can help inmates, which is something I inferred from the material.
Correctional work may not be for everyone but it does require a high school education. Men and women come from different backgrounds but still end up in this profession.
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