Every day that I wake up, I take for granted the opportunities that I have been given. This is easy to do to when you don’t recognize the privilege of being amongst the worlds 6.7 percent of people that receive a college education. As a woman of the United States, I am given the tools on a daily basis to maximize my potentials, and an education is just one of the many. I was raised in a middle-class family by two parents who told me I had no limits and gave me everything I could ever possibly imagine to be successful. My resources are unlimited. This cannot be said for millions of women around the world, especially women in third world countries. Education and having a voice are the backbones of society, and these are the two primary things women in developing countries are robbed of. Feminist have worked for decades to bring the women of the United States to a place where we can compete in the labor market, where we can be educated and where we can be whatever we choose to be. Yes, we still have a lot of work to do, but in comparison we have it really damn good. It is sad to see the turn the feminist in our country have taken. Feminism has become a trend in the United States, and I have almost become a victim of this trend myself. Most women who call themselves feminist, not all, have lost sight as to what they are fighting for. Slapping a slogan on your shirt and parading it around calling yourself a “feminist” helps no one, and is honestly just a waste of a voice that could be heard. It is extremely sad to see this transition, and even more sad that I almost became a part of it, because there are women out there who are suffering from severe injustices and cannot do anything about it. One voice can do incredible things, and I urge the feminist of our country to help give the women around the world the opportunities we have been given.

There are 796 million people around the world that are illiterate and woman make up more than two thirds of that number. Research shows that when more income is put into the hands of women, child nutrition, health and education improves. The Global Campaign for Education States, “It is estimated that about 60 low to middle income countries are losing nearly 90 billion dollars a year by not educating their girls to the level they do their boys. Each year past the 4th grade that a girl is in school equals 15 percent raise in her future annual income and as adults, girls are more likely to invest a far larger percentage of her income back into her family.” (UN Women). In Cambodia, 48 percent of rural women are illiterate compared to 14 percent of rural men. In Cambodia young girls are tricked into sex trafficking or even forced by their parents to pay off a debt. Daughters are seen as property of the family, toward which they must contribute. Some girls in the brothels are just 5 years old (Ryan 1). In Pakistan, 5.4 million children of primary school age are not in school; 62 percent of them are girls. In Pakistan's poorest households, less than half, 45 percent, of the girls are enrolled in primary school, and only 18 percent attend lower secondary school. Malala Yousafzai, an education activist, was shot at the age of 15 on her way home from school by the Taliban. Malala was shot for attending school and speaking out for the rights of women to attend school (Malala Fund). Education is not the only injustice the women in Pakistan face, they are subject to honor killings, are forced into marriages, majority before the age of 18, and are defined by the male figures in their lives. Nearly 1,100 women were killed in Pakistan in 2014 by relatives who believed they had dishonored their families. Girls forced into marriage at a young age are often less educated, bear children at a young age, have less decision making in the house hold, and often subject to domestic violence. This is said for not only the women in Saudi Arabia but for all women and girls in developing countries. The women in Saudi Arabia are prohibited from driving a car, trying on clothes on the dressing room, swimming in public areas, wearing the clothes that they want, wearing any make-up, competing in sports, or interacting with men outside of their family. Women in Saudi Arabia are also assigned male Guardians. This means that women are required to be legally controlled by either their father, husband, brother, or if widowed son their entire lives.  

In the United States, all students, male and female are legally obligated to attend school from ages six to sixteen. There is no discrimination when it comes to attending school in the United States all the way from prekindergarten up until the post-secondary education. Per data from the federal education department, “Women accounted for 55 percent of undergraduates enrolled at four-year colleges in the United States as of fall 2014.” (Miller 1). This is an incredible percentage, proving the opportunities women have to be educated in the United States. On the other hand, women fall short in the work force when it comes to equal pay. The American Association of University Women says, “In 2015, women working full time in the United States typically were paid just 80 percent of what men were paid, a gap of 20 percent.” (Miller 1)

As women of the first world we are privileged, we have more equality than women in third world countries can even imagine. Although our country does not have perfect equality and there are improvements that need to be made, we must come to a point where we realize that there are women out there who are way worse off than we are, and we must put our energy and motivations into helping the women and girls who wake up every morning dreaming about going to school or the girls who are frightened by the male role models in their lives.  In this essay I will argue that we need to speak out for the girls in Pakistan because they don’t have the rights to be educated, majority of women and girls experience sexual assault at some point in their lives, and they are terrified of the men that surround them, particularly fathers and husbands. We need to help the women in Saudi Arabia break out of the guardianship system, where the government forces women to get permission from a male family member because they are not believed to be smart enough to make decisions for themselves. We need to speak out for the girls that are being forced into marriages to older men at ages as young as nine. Some in exchange and some as second wives. They are forced into having babies at a dangerously young age and if they do anything to try and stand up for themselves they are punished or even their lives are threatened. We need to stop girls in Cambodia from being sold into human trafficking. Some counterarguments I will address are; On average men make 20% more than women make in the United States, shouldn’t the women in our country be priority? Another counter argument is, there are men who make derogatory comments and slurs against women across the country in highs schools and colleges every day. The next counterargument I will discuss is, men look to use girls just in a sexual way. The final counterargument I will address is, women in America are raped all the time in our country why is this any different?

Like I mentioned earlier, education is the backbone to our society. It is one of the many reasons our country is so powerful and successful. My education has brought me to the place I am today and it will carry me throughout my life. It is the one thing that no one can ever take away from me. Education is found in every aspect of our lives and there are women and girls deprived of this simply because of their sex. 32 million primary aged girls are out of school around the world. Female education is especially a problem in Pakistan. Only 36 percent of the females are literate and many women are just to uneducated to know their rights. These women have come to accept the brutal treatment they receive because they don’t know any better. In an article from The Atlantic, “To Be a Woman in Pakistan: Six Stories of Abuse, Shame, and Survival,” by Zara Jamal, Ayesha age 18 says, “Every poor girl wishes for more education, for the opportunity to learn and go to school; for a childhood. But many of us are not that fortunate. The day my brother was born was bittersweet; I was no longer allowed to go to school. Due to the increased household responsibilities, my father told me that I must stay home and eventually begin to work.” (Jamal 1). This is a typical situation for a young girl in Pakistan, to be robbed of an education and a childhood. By the age of 10 years old a girl in Pakistan can wash dishes, do laundry and cook any kind of food. Malala Yousafzai, an education activist who won the Noble Peace prize in 2011, was shot by the Taliban when she was 15 years old for speaking out for girl’s education and attending school. This type of action can be expected for a woman or girl who tries to simply stand up for herself. The most unfortunate thing is this is the smallest injustice most Pakistani women and girls face throughout their life time. 

Rape, physical abuse and mental abuse are extremely common in the villages of Pakistan as well. From the same article above Ayesha also says, 

“In the empty home, he took advantage of me; he did things that I didn't understand; he touched my chest. Before I could realize, there was a cloth over my mouth and I was being raped. I was having trouble walking back home; I felt faint and I had a headache. This happens a lot in villages. Young girls are raped, murdered, and buried. No one is able to trace them after their disappearance. If a woman is not chaste, she is unworthy of marriage. All he did is ask for forgiveness and they let him go as it was best to avoid having others find out what had happened. He didn't receive any punishment even though he ruined me. People may have forgotten what he did, but I never forgot. Now, he is married and living his life happily. I blame my own fate; I am just unlucky that this happened to me.” (Jamal 1)

The fact that this happens to girls so often and that they have no one defending them or protecting them from such horrific things is sickening. For young girls, it is very common to fear leaving your home because rape is so common. Girls often fear their own homes because their fathers are abusive sexually, verbally and physically. I have a 10-year-old sister and 14-year-old sister who both run around my neighborhood and play constantly. Most of the dads in our neighborhood are like family to us and it kills me to think there are girls out there that live in constant fear of the men who surround them. My dad is the reason I am the brave, strong and courageous woman I am today! He has given me every tool I could possibly need to be a successful and kind person. It is unfathomable that it is so common for fathers in Pakistan to look at their daughters and tear them down both physically and verbally. 

Fathers in Pakistan also use their daughters as bribes. They force them into marriages at ages as young as 9 to much older men in exchange for money and other trades. Think about the nine year olds in our country, the fourth graders swinging from the monkey bars at recess, can you even fathom a little girl that age being forced to be married to a man? No, it’s disgusting. These girls aren’t marrying kind, generous, and caring men, they are marrying pigs. In an interview by Zara Jamal, Rehana says, “My life is no different than that of any other woman living in poverty in Pakistan. My husband is abusive and I am the primary bread winner.” (Jamal 1). It is heart breaking that this is the ‘status quo’ for these girls and women. They are shown no respect by men and there is no way to demand it. Early marriage results in the termination of education and the onset of early childbirth, which is life threatening to both the child and mother. On average women who marry before the age of 15 have their first child between ages 15 and 17. I am 19 years old, living in a country where I could receive great medical care and many other great resources to bring a child into this world and the thought of having a kid right now terrifies me. I can only imagine how scared these girls are, this is not how their lives should be. They need help and the only people capable of helping them are those that have a voice to speak for them; A.K.A us. 

The guardianship system in Saudi Arabia is a degrading system that requires females of all ages to get the approval of a male family member before they can do things. This rule exists because women are not thought of as smart enough to make their own decisions. In the article “Laws of Men: In Saudi Arabia, women are still assigned male 'guardians',” by Caryle Murphy, Murphy explains this concept in more depth, “The guardian system rests on the cultural presumption that females are inferior and cannot make important decisions on their own. “Perpetual Minors,” a 2008 report by New York-based Human Rights Watch, documents how guardianship deprives women of personal independence throughout their lives. Saudi women, it said, must have a male guardian's consent to attend university, get married, travel abroad, hold certain jobs and even to have some types of surgery.” (Murphy 1). I agree with Murphy when he says that this system deprives women of personal independence throughout their whole lives! The women in Saudi Arabia are robbed of having control over their own lives. They depend on a male to make their medical decisions and could be denied   Besides when I live under my father’s roof, there will never be a man in my life that tells me what I can and cannot do! And shouldn’t that be the way it’s supposed to be? Is it actually a privilege to be able to say and do as I please and not have a man dictate my life? Women are not property, they are people and the guardianship system allows men to treat women like property. 

In Cambodia women are literally taken from their homes or tricked into human trafficking. Their parents often even sell their virginity. In a study done by students at Princeton University, Alison L. Boden says, “A frequent scenario is the following: a young woman in her teens to early twenties in a poor, rural village is “recruited” by a visitor to work in a garment factory in Phnom Penh, promised wages of $60 per month, even $90 if she works overtime (the average income is approximately $30 per month, although many rural Cambodians live on less). By the time she gets to the capital she is dropped off not at a factory or apartment building but at a brothel or a hostel for enslaved sex workers. Often, a member of the young woman’s family or a neighbor has received a small amount of money for selling her to the recruiter. Alone, penniless, ashamed, and under threat of violence, she has no choice but to take “clients,” often many a day.” (Boden 2). To me this is just unfathomable. How could a girl’s own mother or father allow this to happen to their child, or even worse, be the reason for. This ruins a girls life. Being raped multiple times a day for moths at a time is detrimental to a person and can be impossible to recover from. The article than goes on to talk about the aftercare of girls who have been rescued and says, “Those young women who are successfully rescued often spend months in after-care. Their time is spent learning a marketable skill and, in many cases, acquiring self-esteem. Because their education level is very low the training they receive is for work that requires minimal literacy. Popular professions include hair styling, making traditional handicrafts, waitressing, and serving as a hotel maid. The last three of these make excellent use of Cambodia’s fast-growing tourist industry. Often, women are also helped into these professions in a different geographical location than the one where they grew up and were sold, since the NGOs have repeated experience of rescued women being resold by the family member or neighbor who did it to them in the first place.” (Boden 2). The girls who make it out are the lucky ones, even though their lives will forever be tarnished. The government in Cambodia does not make nearly any efforts to help these women out. The U.S Department of State says, “The Government of Cambodia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Despite these measures, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing anti-trafficking efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, Cambodia is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for a third consecutive year. Cambodia was granted a waiver from an otherwise required downgrade to Tier 3 because its government has a written plan that, if implemented, would constitute making significant efforts to meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is devoting sufficient resources to implement that plan.” (Department of State). It is appalling that the government has a written document that could help eliminate sex trafficking but they will not put the document into action. The women of our country are so blessed to never have to experience living in an environment surrounded by brothels that they could so easily be forced to be a part.

No problems that women in our country face even compare to the problems I have discussed above. People may argue that there is on average a 20 percent pay gap in the United states and that woman make $0.80 to a man’s $1.00. I respond with, Yes. I can concede that point and I agree that needs to be changed. But is that a life changing issue compared to women around the world who are not allowed to be educated or are controlled by a male figure? No it is not. This is does not determine the overall quality of your life, and if you say it does, you are not any worse off than the women in developing countries. Another argument is that guys are constantly making derogatory comments about women, even out own president talks poorly about women. I will respond with this is true. That does happen, especially in college age males and that’s not acceptable. But women in our country have the voice to say something about these degrading comments and choose not to. These comments such as “you run like a girl,” “You’re a pussy” often come from the mouths of girls themselves and most often girls laugh and encourage these comments. A third argument someone might make is that there guys look to use and rape women in our country all the time. My response to this argument is that yes this does happen and a matter of fact it happens way too often. In an article by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center it says, “One in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their lives” and “91% of the victims of rape and sexual assault are female, and 9% are male” (NSVRS). These statistics are way too high but the difference between our country and places like Cambodia is 1. We have a government and laws that condemn rapists, 2. we have awareness and educational programs and 3. we have an unlimited amount of resources for the victims of rape and sexual assault.

The way feminism in our country has evolved is almost comical, we have $700 t- shirts being strut down the run way that read “We Should all be Feminist.” In the article “Feminism Is the Latest High Fashion Trend” writer Cloe Levin says, “To be sure, it will only be a good thing when Fifth Avenue is filled with fashionistas flaunting their feminism. Who could resist the spectacle of Park Avenue grandes dames wearing “Pussy Grabs Back” shirts? Nevertheless, when your first concern is matching your “Girl Power” T-shirt with your new leather boots rather with than the message it sends, you’re not so much supporting feminism as accessorizing with it.” (Levin 1).  Honestly I could not have phrased it better myself. There are real women out there suffering on a daily basis and the so called ‘feminist’ in our country are in a sense destroying what it means to be a real feminist.  One day I hope that I can revive what it means to be a feminist and use all the resources and tools I have been given to be successful and I can then take my success and turn it into resources I could give to the suffering. I hope that first world women can be that voice for those who don’t have one. “We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.” ― Malala Yousafzai. Luckily for me I will refuse to be silenced. To all the first world feminist, the next time you go to put on you ‘Feminist AF’ t-shirt I hope it’s a reminder of your white girl problems.
