WST 332
Midterm paper
February 25th, 2013
Globalization has impacted women and girls’ health. There are economic systems around the world that contribute to the inequality of genders, which so often leads to the devaluing of women and the cheapening of labor. Women and girls around the world face many barriers to health care because of this. They are also faced with many unfortunate circumstances; which put them at increased health risks and mortality. “Gendered violence occurs within every continent, country, and cultural context, affects the women of all racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, and socioeconomic groups, and is the most pervasive, yet least prosecuted, human rights violation worldwide.” (Patti Duncan, 349). Gendered violence has a major impact on women’s health, especially in countries outside of the United States, more particularly in less developed nations. I will discuss the issues of femicide, sex trafficking, and domestic violence as some major forms of gendered violence. The first form of gendered violence I will discuss is a type of hate crime called femicide. Femicide is the killing of females, by males, because they are female. These murders most often stem from misogynist thoughts and can be executed in many different forms. Rape murder, murder as a result of shame, and abuse that goes too far are all examples of femicide. In Guatemala, Femicide is very prevalent. There, women could be killed simply because they do not want to date a certain man. Also in the country, approximately forty percent of the population is under fourteen years of age and these cases are most common in the twelve to twenty-three year age range. About seventy percent of the Guatemala population lives in poverty with two million people in extreme poverty, which I believe is a contributing factor to these killings. When people are unhappy they often resort to some sort of violence to release their stress and anger, and men who