Female Intersectionality in the U.S. and Justice Motif
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We are currently balancing on a fine line between two slippery slopes: the gradual fixation on feminist beliefs amid simultaneous degradation of other minority demographics.
In Frontiero v. Richardson, a military lieutenant requested that her husband be deemed a dependent and was denied. The hypocritical nature of the female double standard became conspicuous with this case alone. In an 8 to 1 decision, the Supreme Court judges reconciled with the reverberations of sex discrimination. In Reed v. Reed, a wife was adamant to secure a property that was rightfully hers, despite her husband’s refutes. The case marked a metamorphosis to how one woman struck down the Idaho Probate Code, an example of legislation that endorsed a preference for male dominance.
In the age of the novel coronavirus, female and nonbinary citizens, especially those of low socioeconomic status and marginalization, are compromised of the privileges of their male counterparts. A net of around 5.1 million females lost their jobs since February 2020, accounting for over half of employees dismissed in the past year. The labor force, economy, but most of all, households were in jeopardy of monetary loss. Not only were women resigning out of order and demand, but of necessity as well.
Women of color in particular serve as only one example of how the bridge between equality and justice has yet to be built before it is to be crossed. The COVID-19 Eviction-Defense Project found that up to 23 million Americans could be dislodged as an outcome of modern challenges. The National Women’s Law Project additionally reported that Black women were twice as likely to be evicted as white renters, on top of the pandemic’s universal deficits. During a viral outbreak, women of color should not have to view homelessness as their only option, especially considering it instantaneously puts a number of families in peril for survival.
In the city of New Orleans, for instance, the foregoing sub-group encompasses around 57% of all evictions. Influential matriarchs, typically maternal guardians, have been at risk of losing their homes to a notion of inferiority among women of color. From unemployment to gender discrimination in the workplace, and from child caregiving to financial support, women are undermined again and again by deep-rooted inequity and prejudice, two of the most key principles of the U.S. Constitution.
Despite the staggering numbers regarding medical and economic downfall, another substantial conflict arises as a wave of heightened suspicion toward Asian and Black Americans. Racist-driven verbal and physical assaults have been noted since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, as well. About three in ten Asian Americans were targeted with racial slurs or jokes, and around one in five African Americans have been impacted by similar harassment as well.
All my friends, myself included, remember exactly where they stood when news broke out that eight people were murdered in an Atlanta shooting, six of whom were Asian women. After tapping through a series of performative infographics and reposting on social media, I addressed the convoluted hate with not only my own platform but with family, classmates, teachers, and organizations. Evidently, even though the suspect claimed to have a “sexual addiction,” it is unshakeable that the derogatory behavior was influenced by stereotypes conjointly based on sex. In this case, hatred and absurdity can lead to the loss of lives and officers justifying assassinations.
As an adolescent female of Asian descent (living in the New York City Metropolitan Area, may I add), I can assure you that the previous administration’s use of “Kung Flu” and “Chinese Virus” contributed to the 150% increase in attacks near my hometown. One of the greatest tragedies of this turn of events was the disproportionate assaults on women, especially when coupled with the racist rhetoric aforementioned. The elderly are also the most vulnerable to violence spurred by anti-Asian hate crimes.
A pattern is visible from displacement to offensive language: Women are at least double as likely to be victimized, disbelieved, and harmed, even when a given population faces xenophobia. Misogyny and racism indeed overlap, in conjunction with other bigotries of identification. Policies including the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Jim Crow laws of the 20th century come to demonstrate that the issue lies in prohibiting opportunity and reinforcing discriminatory bias in what even can appear to be minor actions.
The playing field is tilted in favor of historical inclination, and the effects proceed to ripple outward into socialization, school curriculums, and more to this day. One can be declared equal, yet still face unjust encounters in comparison to their peers. Likewise, an entity can be trumpeted just but have unequal implications for a select group that is involved in contrast to another. The relationship nowadays is commonly inverse, if not completely untrue at times; nonetheless, I do believe that America is realizing that to have both present, they must be constants, not variables, in an equation we all depend on.
Works Cited
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Bateman, Nicole, and Martha Ross. “Why Has COVID-19 Been Especially Harmful for Working Women?” Brookings, 6 Jan. 2021, www.brookings.edu/essay/why-has-covid-19-been-especially-harmful-for-working-women.
Flynn, Kathleen, and Spencer Bakalar. “COVID-19 Is Exacerbating the Housing Crisis. See How These Women Are Fighting for Their Families.” Time, 4 Mar. 2021, time.com/5943571/eviction-crisis-women-documentary.
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“Frontiero v. Richardson.” Oyez, www.oyez.org/cases/1972/71-1694. Accessed 16 Apr. 2021.
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Lang, Cady, and Paulina Cachero. “How a Long History of Intertwined Racism and Misogyny Leaves Asian Women in America Vulnerable to Violence.” Time, 7 Apr. 2021, time.com/5952819/history-anti-asian-racism-misogyny.
“Reed v. Reed.” Oyez, www.oyez.org/cases/1971/70-4. Accessed 16 Apr. 2021.
Ruiz, Neil, et al. “Many Black and Asian Americans Say They Have Experienced Discrimination Amid the COVID-19 Outbreak.” Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project, 1 July 2020, www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/07/01/many-black-and-asian-americans-say-they-have-experienced-discrimination-amid-the-covid-19-outbreak.
Yam, Kimmy. “Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Increased by Nearly 150% in 2020, Mostly in N.Y. and L.A., New Report Says.” NBC News, 9 Mar. 2021, www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/anti-asian-hate-crimes-increased-nearly-150-2020-mostly-n-n1260264.
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Yue, Cynthia. “Equality and Justice: History and Ideals.” Equal Justice Under Law, 4 Jan. 2019, equaljusticeunderlaw.org/thejusticereport/2018/8/29/equality-and-justice-history-and-ideals#:%7E:text=Equality%20and%20justice%20both%20represent,more%20than%20an%20unenforced%20altruism.