TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

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College Of Industrial Education

Annotated Bibliography
(Modern Women)
Solomon, Rochelle Nica F.
BSIE- ICT 2D

[ CITATION Ale19 \l 1033 ] It’s been a historic year for women. There are more
serving in Congress than ever before, and a record number are currently
running for president in 2020. But even with these significant gains, women—
both in the U.S. and around the world—can still find gender equality elusive.

For International Women’s Day this year, we asked some of the most
interesting women we know—including several of those aforementioned
lawmakers and presidential candidates—to tell us: What do you think is the
biggest challenge facing women in the U.S. today? And what do you think is
the biggest challenge facing women internationally today? Here’s what they
had to say.

The lack of women in positions of power

Amy Klobuchar is a Democratic U.S. senator from Minnesota. She is running
for president in 2020.

One of the struggles that underlies all of our policy battles is the
continued lack of women in positions of power. From corporate boardrooms,
to the courts and political leadership around the world, the lack of women in
senior positions continues to stymie progress on issues from pay to
humanitarian aid to discrimination in all its forms. The sooner we understand
that the lack of women in leadership roles holds back not only women, but all
people, the sooner we will be able to advance society as a whole.
 Patriarchy
Keisha N. Blain teaches history at the University of Pittsburgh and currently
serves as president of the African American Intellectual History Society. She
is author of Set the World on Fire: Black Nationalist Women and the Global
Struggle for Freedom (2018) and co-editor of several books, including To
Turn The Whole World Over: Black Women and Internationalism (2019).

The biggest challenge facing women in the United States today is

patriarchy. This is especially evident in the realm of politics. Regardless of a
woman’s experience, education or abilities, the patriarchal nature of U.S.
society fosters the perception that women are less qualified and less
competent than men. What patriarchy has done is convince people that a
strong and intelligent woman represents a problem; a disruption to the social
order rather than an integral part of it. Biased media coverage of women
politicians—stories that focus on women’s fashion and looks at the expense of
their ideas on policy—underscores this point. It is therefore no coincidence
that the U.S. is completely out of step with the rest of the world when it comes
to electing a woman as president. While women have maintained the highest
office of leadership in Liberia, India, the United Kingdom, Dominica
and many other nations across the globe, the same cannot be said for the
United States.

Sexism, racism and economic inequality

Rebecca Traister is a writer-at-large for New York magazine and The Cut.

The extremely potent combination of sexism, racism and economic

inequality—this may seem like too broad an answer but it pretty much covers
it on both a domestic and global front. All of the individual challenges we may
be tempted to rank are symptomatic of these massive systemic power
imbalances, working in tandem.

Navigating career and motherhood

Margaret Hoover is the host of “Firing Line.”

As a working mother of two young children, I believe that the big

challenge facing working women is navigating career opportunities while
maximizing motherhood. The good news is that economic and political
freedom for American women of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds is
the highest it’s ever been. Working moms do have the luxury of “leaning in” to
either their careers or motherhood, but rarely both at once. Enabling a mother
to re-enter the workforce where she left off should be commonplace. But
solving the “on-ramp problem” for talented women who choose to pause their
careers to prioritize family life still eludes us.

The biggest challenge facing women internationally is the fundamental

inequality of political and economic opportunity that the majority of women in
the world face, but that Americans take for granted. A 21st century feminism
should work to extend the human rights, political freedoms, economic
opportunities enjoyed by women in the West to our sisters globally.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/03/08/women-biggest-
problems-international-womens-day-225698

[ CITATION Glo \l 1033 ] Globally, women have fewer opportunities for economic
participation than men, less access to basic and higher education, greater
health and safety risks, and less political representation.

Guaranteeing the rights of women and giving them opportunities to

reach their full potential is critical not only for attaining gender equality, but
also for meeting a wide range of international development goals. Empowered
women and girls contribute to the health and productivity of their families,
communities, and countries, creating a ripple effect that benefits everyone.

The word gender describes the socially-constructed roles and responsibilities

that societies consider appropriate for men and women. [ CITATION Gen20 \l
1033 ] Gender equality means that men and women have equal power and
equal opportunities for financial independence, education, and personal
development. [ CITATION Gen201 \l 1033 ] Women's empowerment is a critical
aspect of achieving gender equality. It includes increasing a woman's sense of
self-worth, her decision-making power, her access to opportunities and
resources, her power and control over her own life inside and outside the
home, and her ability to effect change. Yet gender issues are not focused on
women alone, but on the relationship between men and women in society.
[ CITATION Wha20 \l 1033 ] The actions and attitudes of men and boys play an
essential role in achieving gender equality.
https://www.peacecorps.gov/educators/resources/global-issues-gender-
equality-and-womens-empowerment/

[ CITATION Pro20 \l 1033 ] Families around the world look, feel, and live
differently today. Families can be “make or break” for women and girls when it
comes to achieving their rights. They can be places of love, care, and
fulfillment but, too often, they are also spaces where women’s and girls’ rights
are violated, their voices are stifled, and where gender inequality prevails. In
today’s changing world, laws and policies need to be based on the reality of
how families live.

UN Women’s flagship report, “Progress of the world’s women 2019–2020:

Families in a changing world”, assesses the reality of families today in the
context of sweeping economic, demographic, political, and social
transformation. The report features global, regional, and national data. It also
analyses key issues such as family laws, employment, unpaid care work,
violence against women, and families and migration.

At a critical juncture for women’s rights, this landmark report proposes a

comprehensive family-friendly policy agenda to advance gender equality in
diverse families. A package of policies to deliver this agenda is affordable for
most countries, according to a costing analysis included in the report. When
families are places of equality and justice, economies and societies thrive and
unlock the full potential of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The
report shows that achieving the SDGs depends on promoting gender equality
within families.

https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/progress-of-the-worlds-women