The Feminist Movement: The Dehumanization Of Women

Women are treated unfairly and discriminated against. Women are not appreciated for who they are and for the work they do. Women who perform the same job as men do not receive the same pay. In this world society women are treated less than men and are believe to be subservient to men. Women still face oppressive conditions and experience high levels of economic and psychological stress. Sometimes the feminist movement is misunderstood by many. The feminist movement is based on women receiving gender equality, equal economic, equal social and political rights, and equal opportunities for women. Women have come a long way and now have the right to vote and to own property, but they still have a long way to go. The contemporary feminists
advocate for reproductive rights, parental leave and quality childcare, psychosocial safety for women, and ending wage disparity. Feminist therapists focus on empowering women. They help women to identify their personal strengths. The feminist therapists also help the client discover areas for self-growth outside of traditional roles.
Societal Roles and Expectations In the past, women were considered useful for taking care of their man, for child rearing, and for take care of the home.
They were evaluated base on their physical beauty, modesty, and their potential as marriage partners. Women are treated as sex object which makes them feel devalued and trivialized. Women who participate in prostitution, pornography, phone sex, lap dances, and any other degrading activity add to the problem of the dehumanization of women. Society by the way of media, television, music, videos, magazines, and advertisement contribute to the disease of anorexia and bulimia in young girls and women. Underweight models and digitally enhanced photos are associated with increased depression, body dissatisfaction, and dysfunctional eating habits in girls and women. There are many things that cause women stress such as (a) prioritizing the needs of other before self, (b) having to be nurturer and caregiver, (c) good mothers say home with their children attitude, and (d) being responsible for house chores. The woman is the person who will usually take on primary care for aging
parents.
Discrimination against Women Women have been discriminated against since the beginning of the world. Women have been discriminated against, harassed, and victimize against by men and women. The glass ceiling still exists. Women experience microaggressions in the home, work place, church, and just about every arena in life. Women have to deal with work environments that are hostile, intimidating, and sexually offensive toward them. Dealing with sexually harassment in the work place can be distressing, but many violations go unreported.
Economic and Employment Barriers Women have more college degrees than men, but still earn less the men.
Hispanic women have the largest gap of earnings to White men. Women are underrepresented in the fields of science, engineering, and managerial and executive level jobs. Women executives received less frequent and less effective mentoring than their male counterparts. Some of the things women have to go through on the job (a) prove it again, (b) the tightrope, (c) the maternal wall, (d) tug of war, and (e) sexual harassment. In prove it again; the woman has to prove over and over again that she can do the work of her male counterpart. The tightrope is a woman having to walk a fine line of being too feminine to be competent or too masculine to be likeable. The maternal wall is the belief that motherhood would reduce competence and commitment to work. The tug of war is women being biased against other
women.
Conclusion
It is time for women to earn the same pay for the same job that men do. The media,
Mental health professional should keep in mind that counseling theories and practices are male centered and should be modified for women if appropriate. The therapist should encourage women to identify and address their own needs; practice assertively setting boundaries when confronted with unrealistic demands. Therapists can help women by advocating and initiating systems level changes as they relate to sexism and sexual harassment.