Shedding a Light on Reproductive Health Care for Latina Women and Girls//Josefina Sierra

Photo Credit: http://metro.co.uk/2016/12/12/government-cuts-are-silently-compromising-access-to-contraception-for-women-in-the-uk-6318221/

Latina women and girls face a major obstacle when it comes to reproductive health care. Reproductive and sexual health care goes beyond basic sexual education and information regarding pregnancy. While these categories are still important, even bigger issues exist when women experience obstacles in receiving reproductive health care such as mammograms, treatment for sexually transmitted disease, and pap testing. It is crucial to provide comprehensive reproductive health care for Latina women regardless of age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity because it has the potential to save lives and end the stigma women face regarding reproductive health care.

A variety of factors impacts Latina’s access and knowledge of reproductive health care; some factors are level of education and stigma. Latina women who report higher levels of education are associated with higher levels of self-breast examination and an increased knowledge about cervical cancer and STIs (Rojas-Guyler, Price, Young, & King, 2010). Young Latina women also tend to experience shame towards the use of reproductive health care due to parental approval. This often plays a significant role in their sexual and reproductive health seeking behaviors (Caal, Guzman, Berger, Ramos, & Golub, 2013). Young Latina women may be largely influenced by their parent’s disapproval towards the use of reproductive health care due to cultural beliefs. As one participant stated “Because you’re on birth control, it automatically makes you promiscuous or something (p. 620).” This type of belief leads young Latina women to hide contraception from parents or provide false contact information at clinics (Caal et al., 2013). Therefore, it is important for health care providers to be aware of these issues in order to provide culturally-sensitive care and treatment to Latina patients. In addition, it is critical to address these issues politically and demand that our current administration pass legislation that reflects the needs of women as we fight for health care reform.

It is important to be aware of these issues in order to be well-informed of the many layers impacting Latina women’s access to reproductive health care. While researchers have uncovered valuable information about the experiences of Latina women’s experience with reproductive health care, more research and legislation must be passed in order to become better advocates for sexual minority Latina women, transgender non-conforming Latina women, undocumented Latina women, and Latina women of all ages. It is important to use our voices to demand inclusive legislation that reflects the needs of women living in the U.S. as well as advocate for marginalized groups of women in our own communities.

Written by Josefina Sierra

References

Caal, S., Guzman, L., Berger, A., Ramos, M., & Golub, E. (2013). “Because you’re on birth control, it automatically makes you a promiscuous or something”: Latina women’s perceptions of parental approval to use reproductive health care. Journal of Adolescent Health Care, 53, 617-622. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.05.003.

Rojas-Guyler, L., Price, K. L. J., Young, K., & King, K. A. (2010). Knowledge and perceptions of reproductive health among Latinas. Health Educator, 42(1), 27-34.

Progressive Representation in Disney’s Television Programs // Abigail Walsh

Photo Credit: Google Images

Disney is among the top media companies in the world. As such, the gender and heteronormative representations in Disney films and television shows have the potential to influence children all over the world. The portrayal of gender in children’s media can influence stereotyping or validate the social identities that children may be forming at this important time (Bussey & Bandura, 1999; Signorielli, 2012). We have seen a shift in recent years in many of Disney’s princess films. Traditional Disney princesses were often portrayed in gender stereotyped ways: doing domestic activities, taking care of others, and ending up in situations in which they are in desperate need of rescuing (England, DesCartes, Collier-Meek, 2011), usually by a handsome prince with whom they can live out a heteronormative happily-ever-after. Contemporary Disney princesses, on the other hand, are portrayed as assertive female characters who are not interested in heteronormative love stories.

Although there has been much discussion of progress in Disney films like Frozen and Moana, less attention has been paid to the representations in Disney’s television shows. Disney has recent a history of segregating its networks. The Disney Channel hosts a number of family sitcom shows, which tend to focus on female characters’ stories. Disney XD (short for Extreme Disney) hosts shows about physical ability (e.g., skateboarding, martial arts), and other traditionally male interests (e.g., video games). By segregating the content on these two networks, Disney is in essence telling boys and girls that their stories only belong on one of these channels, and those stories are extremely different and do not intertwine (Walsh, 2016).

Perhaps in recognizing that these two channels portray girls and boys in gender-stereotyped ways, telling their stories very separately, Disney has started providing new representations of gender and ideas of love and marriage. Some of these gender non-conforming and non-heteronormative shifts are subtle, while some are explicit.

Disney has recently been representing homosexual characters and same-sex partners on their television programs. In 2014, Disney displayed the first notable change by bringing a lesbian couple onto the show Good Luck Charlie, which airs on Disney Channel. In this episode, there was the youngest daughter, Charlie, has a playdate who is dropped off by her two moms. This moment was straightforward and nonchalant, making it appear as if this interaction was completely normal. In 2016, Disney reproduced this on their animated show, Gravity Falls, which airs on Disney XD. In its series finale, it was revealed that two police officer characters were in fact an interracial gay couple the whole time (Duffy, 2016). And most recently, Disney’s show Andi Mack, which airs on Disney Channel, features a main character in his teens who is openly gay (Evans, 2017). This is the first time a main character on a Disney show has been openly gay.

Additionally, Disney is showing more representations of characters who are comfortable and interested in counter-stereotypical behavior and activities. It is of particular interest and importance, since we tend to associate gender non-conforming behavior with homosexual characters (think of the butch lesbian or the feminine gay man), that the characters who are being portrayed in gender non-conforming ways are also being portrayed as heterosexual. In 2017, Disney introduced a new show, Andi Mack, which confronts a number of real-life issues, like teen pregnancy and family secrets. Both Andi and her sister Bex (actually her birth mom) have an affinity for motorcycles. In fact, both Andi and Bex get to ride in as mysterious powerful characters in a way that is usually reserved for male characters on motorcycles (CAAM, 2017).  In 2017, Princess Marco was introduced on Star vs. the Forces of Evil, which airs on Disney XD. In this episode Marco, a male character dons a dress, which he verbally affirms liking in the show. Later his princess status is challenged by an adult character in the show. In response he and the other princess declare that boys can be princesses, too (Romano, 2017)!

Disney is proving to be a champion of all kinds of children and families. They are bringing different kinds of stories to the forefront of children’s television. Instead of falling into the traditional concerns about children being too young to understand things, Disney is proclaiming that children live these things. And those children and their families deserve to have their stories told. When children’s television begins to look more like children’s real lives, we validate their experiences and show them that they too should be represented.

Written by Abigail Walsh

Reference

Bussey, K., & Bandura, A. (1999). Social cognitive theory of gender development and differentiation. Psychological Review, 106, 676-713. doi:10.1037//0033-295x.106.4.676

CAAM. (2017, March 10). A Family Mystery In Disney's New Show "Andi Mack". Retrieved from https://caamedia.org/blog/2017/03/10/family-mystery-in-disneys-new-show-andi-mack/

Duffy, N. (2016, February 18). Disney cartoon Gravity Falls confirms gay romance. Retrieved from https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/02/18/disney-cartoon-gravity-falls-confirms-gay-romance/

England, D. E., Descartes, L., & Collier-Meek, M. A. (2011). Gender Role Portrayal and the Disney Princesses. Sex Roles, 64(7-8), 555-567. doi:10.1007/s11199-011-9930-7

Evans, G. (2017, October 25). 'Andi Mack' Character to Come Out As Gay: A Disney Channel First. Retrieved from http://deadline.com/2017/10/disney-channel-andi-mack-character-come-out-gay-1202194584/

Romano, N. (2017, November 22). Disney XD gets a male princess in 'Star vs. the Forces of Evil'. Retrieved from http://ew.com/tv/2017/11/22/disney-xd-male-princess-star-vs-the-forces-of-evil/
Signorielli, N. (2012). Tel

A Glance Into the Past//Giazú Enciso Domínguez Ph.D

Last year, I gave my 12-year-old niece RoseMary the book "Goodnight stories for rebel girls". Her face of happiness on the day I gave it to her, it is only surpassed by her fascination after taking a look at the book.

That afternoon, RoseMary, my mother and I, had dinner together. It had been an excellent day, so we finished and we got in the car. Quickly the conversation turned to the book.

RoseMary was excited to see everything she could do with her life. Ecstatic she saw the illustrations and  let's say "empowered" , told us about the amount of opportunities that she had ahead.

My mother, so wise as she is, congratulated her for how happy she was, told her that it was wonderful that she was so excited about her future and finally said:

"Because this, this was not like that before. This is new"

RoseMary looked at her bewildered and asked her what did you mean? How is this new? And my mother, with her almost seventy years, said: I'll tell you a story:

"Many years ago, around 1950, the majority of the population lived in rented houses. Rents were very affordable so there was no need to buy a property. Buying a house was not a priority for families. We lived paying a monthly rent.

Even so, my mother insisted, to my brother and me: 'Buy a house, a rent house is a bottomless barrel’. And as soon as I started my working life in 1967, she insisted every single day. It was her motto.

That’s how my older brother decided to buy his first house. It was extremely easily and quick. The bank gave him a credit without a down payment. In a blink of an eye, he got a brand new house. From there, seeing how easy it all had been for him, I took a major decision. I was going to buy a house.

I was 23 years old when the same person who sold the house to my brother, and processed my brother's credit, said to me that it was not possible for me to acquire a house because I was a woman and I was single.

I will never forget RoseMary's face expression, my mother continued:

As you heard RoseMary, I was told, as if it were a disease, well two: being a woman and being single. And of course, this had its consequences, its punishments: not having a credit, but also not being able to buy a house. As a woman, I could not be an owner.

I did not stop. I visit one bank, after another, after another ... I always got the same answer. It was sad and frustrating. Every time I was rejected, it was a reminder that I had no value as a person. I was not enough to buy a house.

I do not remember how, but luckily I met a realtor. An excellent realtor, who did not want to lose his sale, found the fault in the system. The figure of "head of household". Although for the bank I was a woman and single, I was also head of household. I worked and supported my mother and me. That means: my family.

Filling the paperwork, I realized about the requirements to buy a house. Four requirements. None of them was about being a man. None of them was about been born as a man. None of them was explicit about being a man. It was just one option: being the head of the household.

In August of 1975, after two years of paperwork and too many blinks, I received my house"

My mother finished telling the story. She was proud and happy. But RoseMary was quiet and confused. My niece did not understand why being a woman prevented someone from buying a house. She did not understand why youhave to be married in order to buy a house. We spent the rest of the trip talking a little bit about being woman, being married, being privileged...

I could not stop thinking about it. How "new" this story seems and how close those stories are to us. How easy it is to forget. Forget our predecessors. Forget others’ experiences. Forget those who defied the system and won, like my mother acquiring her house, but also those who challenged it, and lost...

Today more than ever, when it seems that feminism is gaining ground in some places and does not exist in others, when in social networks we are invaded by memes, videos, opinions and more questions than answers: it is now that we must keep in mind our past. Take strength from it. Learn from it. Because when one takes things for granted, many times one loses their value. Or like my mother, so wise, usually says:

"lo que no te cuesta, se convierte en una fiesta"

(sort of like: “easy comes, easy goes”, but it sounds best in Spanish)

Written by Giazú Enciso Domínguez Ph.D

What is the Future Feminism after the #MeToo and Times Up Movements//Megan Brubaker

Photo from: https://mumcentre.com/my/2018/01/12/metoo-timesup-important-us-parents/

The #MeToo and the Time’s Up movement have shaped the future of feminism with respect to sexual harassment and gender equality. These movements emerged following a catastrophic year forcing feminist to resort to defensive extremes. In many settings, women feared for their rights and voices. As a result, women grew louder than ever and demanded accountability for sexual harassment and assault. Today, this movement extends beyond sharing stories or naming abusers. The movement is actively seeking to create reform and change around sexual misconduct and abuse of power. Women are seeking to balance the sex and dating culture to find equality and justice between genders. Now that the movement has gained the national attention, what is next?

Named by TIME magazine person of the year, the #MeToo movement has transformed how we view sexual harassment by encouraging women to speak up. Similarly, the Times Up movement was debuted at the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards as celebrities dressed in all black. Both movements seek to unite survivors by bringing conversations about sexual violence into the media and destigmatizing survivors. These social movements have started to shadow the attention towards traditional glamorized events. Upcoming shows, such as the Oscars, struggle to respect longstanding traditions while also respecting this strong cultural movement.

The sexual harassment problem is not new. The high-profile cases in the media along with research demonstrating high rates of sexual harassment in work settings, demonstrates how this is a growing social problem.  However, a continued problem with the movement is that it only shows successful change in the majority and neglects the minority women. The movement fails to acknowledge the problems in every other underpaid industry across America. Minority women are more likely to experience higher probabilities of sexual harassment than any other demographic category in the workplace (Rospenda, Richman, & Shannon, 2009). These women are also less likely to be believed than rich white women. Thus, while the movement seeks to normalize reporting sexual harassment, it is still a dire problem in industries beyond Hollywood.

There are several potential risks victims of sexual harassment fear in confronting or reporting abuse, namely fear of retaliation, bullying, or loss of job. In fact, it has been found that one in three women have been sexually harassed and that 71 percent did not report it (Gardiner, 2018). In Hollywood, the risks for confronting sexual harassment are very different from than those acquired in the service industries. But perhaps the shift in attention towards sexual harassment is because the women who ousted Harvey Weinstein, Larry Nassar, or Matt Lauer were rich and famous. We follow most of these famous women on social media and see how they were praised for there claims without viewing any potential risks.

Thus, while these movements increase our social awareness and education around policies on sexual harassment, it neglects minority women who are more vulnerable to being victims. The movements seem to fantasize naming abusers while there are still many real risks in non-luxurious settings. We need to have more serious conversations about the extreme power imbalances that exist in many aspects of our culture. These social movements also need to be implemented at all levels of our culture. Despite its flaws, the movement has brought an overlooked injustice to the surface. It has drawn the younger generation to attune to these injustices, with hopes they will continue the movement.  While other movements have failed, there’s hope that the #MeToo and the Time’s Up movements have the momentum to finally bring justice to so many women.

Written by: Megan Brubaker

References

Gardiner, M. (2018). Why women don’t report sexual harassment. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/margaret-gardiner/why-women-dont-report-sex_b_11112996.html

Reichel, C. (2017). Sexual harassment: Who suffers, and how. Journalist’s Resource. Retrieved from https://journalistsresource.org/studies/economics/workers/sexual-harassment-assault-health-discrimination-race

Rospenda, K. M., Richman, J. A., & Shannon, C. A. (2009). Prevalence and mental health correlates of harassment and discrimination in the workplace: Results from a national study. Journal of interpersonal violence, 24(5), 819-843.

Sigurvinsdottir, R., & Ullman, S. E. (2016). Sexual orientation, race, and trauma as predictors of sexual assault recovery. Journal of family violence, 31(7), 913-921.

Wright, J. (2018). Is time’s up the next step for the me too movement? Harper’s Bazaar. Retrieved from https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/politics/a14754192/metoo-2018-ending-sexual-assault/

Honor Your Strength//Kayla Bolland-Hillesheim, B.A.

Photo from The Artidote (twitter.com/TheArtidote), Artwork by Agnes Cecile

Independent, outspoken, brave, a charismatic leader, nonconforming, and fiercely empowering of others and oneself. Unwavering calm when presenting an opinion, under complete emotional control, men not needed, disdainful of feminine expression, never-ceasing, self-sacrificial. For a long time, I had a very specific idea of what a “strong woman” was, and I knew that I wasn’t one, not really. By default, my dichotomous thinking elbowed me in the “weak woman” category instead.

I stayed curled up in that box, dipping out a tentative toe every once in a while when I gained some confidence, quickly retreating, and becoming very familiar with those sodden, scorned corners. It took me a long time to realize that I wasn’t a “weak woman” at all.

There is a quiet strength within me. It doesn’t look like what I used to think it should. But it is mighty and precious and mine.

Your strength might not look like what you’re told it should either. There is so much pressure to be a certain kind of woman, coming from every direction, within every social group, incessantly. This is a gentle reminder to all womyn to honor that strength that you do have, as well as to see and value the unique strengths in others.

A Strong Woman – Poem by Marge Piercy
A strong woman is a woman who is straining
A strong woman is a woman standing
on tiptoe and lifting a barbell
while trying to sing “Boris Godunov.”
A strong woman is a woman at work
cleaning out the cesspool of the ages,
and while she shovels, she talks about
how she doesn’t mind crying, it opens
the ducts of the eyes, and throwing up
develops the stomach muscles, and
she goes on shoveling with tears in her nose.
A strong woman is a woman in whose head
a voice is repeating, I told you so,
ugly, bad girl, bitch, nag, shrill, witch,
ballbuster, nobody will ever love you back,
why aren’t you feminine, why aren’t
you soft, why aren’t you quiet, why aren’t you dead?
A strong woman is a woman determined
to do something others are determined
not be done. She is pushing up on the bottom
of a lead coffin lid. She is trying to raise
a manhole cover with her head, she is trying
to butt her way through a steel wall.
Her head hurts. People waiting for the hole
to be made say, hurry, you’re so strong.
A strong woman is a woman bleeding
inside. A strong woman is a woman making
herself strong every morning while her teeth
loosen and her back throbs. Every baby,
a tooth, midwives used to say, and now
every battle a scar. A strong woman
is a mass of scar tissue that aches
when it rains and wounds that bleed
when you bump them and memories that get up
in the night and pace in boots to and fro.
A strong woman is a woman who craves love
like oxygen or she turns blue choking.
A strong woman is a woman who loves
strongly and weeps strongly and is strongly
terrified and has strong needs. A strong woman is strong
in words, in action, in connection, in feeling;
she is not strong as a stone but as a wolf
suckling her young. Strength is not in her, but she
enacts it as the wind fills a sail.
What comforts her is others loving
her equally for the strength and for the weakness
from which it issues, lightning from a cloud.
Lightning stuns. In rain, the clouds disperse.
Only water of connection remains,
flowing through us. Strong is what we make
each other. Until we are all strong together,
a strong woman is a woman strongly afraid.
– Marge Piercy

        Post written by Kayla Bolland-Hillesheim, B.A.