The Stigma's Women Still Undergo Daily

No matter the social progress that has been made towards women’s rights

throughout history, such as the suffragettes who fought for our

right to vote, women and girls are still victim to many

taboos every day. Stigmas are particuarly hard to

overcome for women, as it may hinder their participation

in community activities, limit their marital prospects,

and diminish their quality of life. It would be ambitious

to list out the entirety of stigmas women face daily,

however here are a few that are very much persistent in

our society.

Firstly, the stigma surrounding periods is one of the more obvious; it only

takes the viewing of a tampon commercial, in which they represent blood as a

transparent blue liquid, to see the avoidance typically surrounding menstruation.

Many young girls keep their periods a secret; they are taught to hide their

menstrual products when going to the restroom and use code words to discuss the

topic. The shame surrounding periods can be extremely harmful for women’s

health, as without proper information and education, some girls might endanger

themselves.

Second, the gender bias still present in the workforces worldwide

unjustifiably contributes to a tenacious wage gap, where Black, Indigenous, and

people of colour are even more harshly affected. According to the Canadian

Women’s Foundation, women only make 89 cents for every dollar men make.

Furthermore, women tend to be overlooked when it comes to important work

assignments, and women have to absorb the biggest responsibility of having

children, which oftentimes tends to burden their careers more than anything.

Lastly, on the topic of children, there appears to be quite a lot of judgement

surrounding women who choose not to have kids. Historically, there has always

been a large societal pressure for women to procreate, however, with norms

shifting in the past decades, it leaves many people pondering the reason as to why

a woman might be having children. Is it a question of selfishness, infertility, or is

she a workhaolic? Yet, it has been found that children-free women are 4% more

happier than their counterparts who do have children. No matter a woman’s family

situation, it is crucial to start realizing how a sense of fulfillment and contentment

can be achieved with or without having children.

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Contributors: Charolette Swane