Third World Ladies, First World Problems

The idea of feminism can be an exciting concept, with many interesting and engaging ways to empower yourself and others. But the women behind the curtain who are affected in this movement are just as important as something like getting equal pay for men and women in the United States. Liberal feminism, known to the media as “white feminism,” is something that overlooks one of the main issues women face in third world countries every day. In privileged areas of the world like the United States and Western Europe, the cultural standards seemingly treat women and men as more of equals than in places like the Middle East, South Africa, India, Japan, the Korea’s, etcetera. While some of these places are not considered “third world,” the majority of the respective countries live by religious standards that dreadfully alienate the women in not only status, but property owning, violence, sexual abuse, monetary value, and numerous other factors that paint them as figures only used for sexual pleasure, carrying children, or performing household tasks.

Let us visualize just a few of the true stories of some of the women that have been oppressed through the gender standards of their country. China, an eighteen year old girl from Ethiopia and a young sex worker sits stunned after being beaten up by a client. Many of the girls who run away from child marriages end up trafficked to brothels where they often face intense violence. Faiz, a forty year old man, and Ghulam, an eleven girl, both live in Afghanistan. Ghulam and Faiz sit for a portrait in her home before their wedding in Afghanistan. According to the U.S Department of State report, “Human Rights Practices for 2011,” approximately sixty percent of girls were married younger than the legal age of sixteen. Once the girl’s father has agreed to the engagement, she is pulled out of school immediately. Rajani is a five year old girl from India. Long after midnight, Rajani is roused from her sleep and carried by her uncle to her wedding. Child marriage is illegal in India, so ceremonies are often held in the early hours of the morning. It becomes a secret the whole village keeps. Asia, a fourteen year old girl from Yemen washes her newborn at home in Hajjah while her two year old daughter plays. Asia is still ill and bleeding from childbirth, yet has no knowledge of how to care for herself and has no access to maternal healthcare.

Women in these countries who are unable to be granted access to recourses to help them with self care or an opportunity at liberation can easily be ignored by first world citizens because of the distance between us and them. Even though you can’t see it first-hand, it does not mean that these issues don’t exist. Some women have had acid thrown on them for defying their husbands, some are being forced to have multiple children to help replenish the family, where sons are the most wanted. These women can’t escape these situations for reasons like they don’t have the financial stability or the commodities for everyday care to keep them sustained without their family, or they don’t want to leave their children, or the laws of their culture or religion are extremely tight and oppressive.

Through all of this I am so thankful that I am able to express my rights and privileges without harsh punishment such as the women I’ve talked about. With the freedom of being a first class citizen, anything done to help these women is progress! Even just being aware of what’s going on is a great start. Anything done is never too little. And remember: ignorance means you’re siding with the oppressor!