Feminists: Why are girls discriminated against world-wide?

Millions of girls are being condemned to a life of inequality and poverty according to a new report from Plan.





’Because I am a Girl: The State of the World's Girls 2007’, highlights the appalling situation in which girls find themselves. The report presents global statistics highlighting the scale of the problem. For example:





-62 Million primary school-aged girls are not in education





-Childhood malnutrition has led to stunted growth in an estimated 450 Million women





-More young girls aged 15 to 19 years die from unsafe abortions and birth complications than from any other cause





-Over 100 Million girls, some as young as 12, are expected to marry over the next decade despite international legislation outlawing early marriages





Why are girls discriminated against world-wide? What can we do about it?





Short “Because I am a Girl” article:


http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.ph...

Feminists: Why are girls discriminated against world-wide?
I would like to make a direct quotation:





The girl-child is discriminated against from the earliest stages of life, through her childhood and into adulthood. In some areas of the world, men outnumber women by 5 in every 100. The reasons for this discrepancy include harmful attitudes and practices, such as female genital mutilation, son preference . . . early marriage ...violence against women, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, discrimination against girls in food allocation and other practices related to health and well-being. As a result, fewer girls than boys survive into adulthood.





--Beijing Platform for Action, paragraph 259





The unequal burden of being female begins at birth and continues throughout childhood. The unequal burden of being female begins at birth and continues throughout childhood. In order to help girl children survive and reach their full potential, the Beijing Platform for Action recommended that governments, agencies and the private sector:





* Eliminate all forms of discrimination against the girl-child;


* Eliminate negative cultural attitudes and practices against girls;


* Promote and protect the rights of the girl-child and increase awareness of her needs and potential;


* Eliminate discrimination against girls in education, skills development and training;


* Eliminate discrimination against girls in health and nutrition; Eliminate the economic exploitation of child labour and protect girls at work;


* Eradicate violence against the girl-child;


* Promote the girl-child's awareness of and participation in social, economic and political life;


* Strengthen the role of the family in improving the status of the girl-child.





Me speaking again:





Just by doing ANY kind of active positive contribution about this, something will be done. If many work on this together, it will be possible - at least at some extent, to stop these inhuman teratment in poor countries.
Reply:We are discriminated against due to the outstanding ignorance of many people, such as ikillwhales above. Women outnumber men throughout the world and need to stand up and fight back against discrimination. The only way to do this is through education and, unfortunately, that's not a possibility in many impoverished countries. Until women across the world are educated and taught the truth, that we are not "inferior' to men, and until these women begin to fight for their rights, there will continue to be discrimination.
Reply:If a women act as a team instead of working against each other especially in jealousy. Then we will get somewhere.


men on the other hand can set stuff more aside to accomplish an goal unlike women. I dont know how stuff run where ur living, but i know whats in my area.
Reply:even in christian belief i think god made eve out of adams' rib so what on earth do we expect. (correct me if i am wrong - i read better books than the bible.)


the western world is turning undeniably 'gay' and women are becoming redundant. sperm and egg banks are being used more and more so i suggest we girls all have a sex change and enjoy the man role!


women in developing countries need to establish their own suffragette movements but they should not be fooled into thinking western women do not suffer discrimination in pay/pensions/job opportunities etc.


i certainly know of managers who will not employ women of child-bearing age for obvious reasons.
Reply:Women should be treated equally. Discrimination against women is not anymore present in America as is discrimination against men.
Reply:Why do you put feminists in front of the questions. anyway waswisgirl1. You realize in third world countries survival is often the priority before equal rights. boys are stronger than girls %26amp; hence can accomplished more labor intensive tasks. In addition, don't you most often require a democratic society to successfully promote equal rights. X-)
Reply:its attitude that women are useless, but if this dummies that think this would realize that THEY wouldn't be here if it was for their mother- they would change their tune.


Some cultures revere women, they are leaders, in charge of the clan, and also are the ones who own all the property, not the men.
Reply:Probably primarily because the existing patriarchy in non-western cultures can oppress women, along with women's more emotional nature confirming to these men that women should be oppressed, however erroneous this presumption is.
Reply:Because in every culture women are portrayed as lower than men, physically and mentally.
Reply:I'm getting server side errors when I try to access the full report.


Does the report investigate boys as well or just girls?


Does it give the number of boys not in education?


Or the number of boys suffering malnutrition?





Anyway, if the girls are being discriminated because of their sex, then I feel it is because of the fact that the majority of people in these countries are not fully educated.





Women were oppressed throughout the world for a long time.


It is only recently that women have gained their rights in western nations.





It will take time, but is, I feel, inevitable, for women to be treated equal worldwide.
Reply:how can it be a world-wide problem when females in developed western nations have all of the freedom that males have?...living in a western nation myself, i think it's just a matter of many females being unable to handle the freedom they are given and making irresponsible choices (More young girls aged 15 to 19 years die from unsafe abortions and birth complications than from any other cause)...i definitely think it's a problem in many developing countries like those in the asia, middle east and africa...and that is probably because the women allow themselves to be discriminated against rather than stand up against the male portion of society...religion probably plays a large role in some countries, especially predominately islamic countries where the women would rather hold onto their religious convictions rather than fight against the discrimination perpetuated by their religion...so i would say religious tradition is largely to blame...laugh all you want but i think, subconsciously, that is the reason why America has had tremendous tension with Islamic nations like Iraq...women simply dont have the same freedom in a place like that as they do in America or Europe...i can tell you for sure that it's not a world-wide problem...just posting statistics about female populations, such as the one regarding education, isn't really valid unless you show a comparison against male population...females outnumber males world-wide by over 3 percent...
Reply:There are millions suffering from discrimination. Woman are not the only ones.
Reply:Because women are always seen less then men are. were suppose to cook and do the house work while their doing all the building and creating things like in the beginging of civilization and people need to see that were all the same so get over the fact that women are just as strong, independent, and just straight up awsome like guys.
Reply:There's an old joke about fearing something that bleeds for a week every month and doesn't die.


Patriarchy is one response to women's sexuality and generative power. Before people understood that it takes two to make a baby, men feared women's ability to bring forth life. They tried through keeping women ignorant, and powerless, like mostly unwanted property. Women were only vessels for the homunculus. Some religious and cultural beliefs and practices supported this.





Democracy -- true democracy with universal suffrage -- and education for women everywhere can change this. Giving women property rights, choice of what to do with their bodies, and an opportunity to make a good living will lead to them seeking political power as well, and when that happens, we will have true equality.
Reply:Women have been discriminated against since the dawn of time only because men are physically stronger, and they used brute force to make women submit in the old days. Now the only way to stop this is to make women realize that we have to out smart them. I think were doing a pretty good job, but it takes a lot of undoing to make the tables turn.We will win because we are relentless and men give up easily. We have to keep being the best we can be and we will win this battle !!!!!! Go Girls Go !!!!!
Reply:Because it's been that way since the dawn of civilization.
Reply:Flat out fear of the power of the woman's sexual prowess and ability to produce and nurture life. It is even suggested one of the origins of the Satan character appeared to be a physical manifestation which required Male strength to combat and thereby overthrew early matriarchal societies.


While many answers will be posited, I would say it is that basic element of fear- the same element that continues to have us waging war in one way or another on peoples the world over. Women are powerful and mysteriously strong and compassionate beings... men were hairy tools for the better part of our existence playing a very small role in the continuance of the species.


Women have never been in danger of being obsolete.


Need i say more?
Reply:Because we have blouse bunnies!
Reply:The most of the developed countries won't have the coverage of the results what these surveys show, because in the develped countries the girls have attained equality to work and be walk shoulder with shoulder to men in every walk of world. In=ts pity for the under developed countries and developing countries where people have not attained the mind set of such equalism. they have staurated their minds with the belief that women are only meant for housewifing and to stay at hojme. Muslim girls are not allowed to go out even, remian in their burkhas, and kill themselves like that. Moreover, people (husbands) dont want their ladies earn more money than them. This is inferiority complex which needs a full fledged explaination. Ladies should be trated like men then only would they be encouraged for reaching new heights. Whats worong with the society we dont excatly know but its still time and would be tie for the current need of a developing nation to change their mentality towards this issue.
Reply:hmm not really. i get all the food i want. i think ur article is wrong. if a family cant afford food for a girl they cant for a boy and mom and dads love their sons and daughters just as much. i think ur article is right when it comes to other countries tho.
Reply:Look, the reason women and girls are being "disriminated" as you say today, this was happening at the beginning of time.Women have been not equal to men since Adam and Eve. Also there are many different signs of discrimination in the Bible. So the fact is that many men around this world have had it this way (as in women discrimination as you say) ever since thier ancestors started "discriminate" women. Face it, if you want to get rid of discrimination, then you'll have to face millions more people wanting to keep it.
Reply:If a girl in America feels discriminated against, she is ignorant. There are more girls in college than boys and that is only one example. As for the world, liberals do not want us to influence countries politically, so we should also avoid commenting on their culture even if the mores include treating women as second class citizens.