Embracing Multiculturalism: Women under the shadow of biasby Colin Jarvis Westerly Sun March 21, 2024 The 19th Amendment was certified 130 years after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution in 1790. Forty-two years passed between the introduction of the first women’s suffrage legislation in 1878 and 1920 when women voted for the first time. On Nov. 2, 1920, Kentucky-born former slave Anna Thornton Williams, of 21 Newton Avenue, was the first woman in Westerly’s history to vote in a national election. “Washington left principles for everyone,” she told The Westerly Sun reporter, who congratulated her that day for voting. In this Women’s History Month 2024, with its theme of “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion,” we remember their journey in our nation’s history, their sacrifices and hardships to eliminate discrimination, and we honor them. Women have spearheaded efforts for equality, equity, and fairness in homes, institutions, and workplaces. In all levels of community life, women have demonstrated discernment, competence, knowledge, and problem-solving. And in their biologically determined roles, women perpetuate life. We must recognize the central role of women in creating an evolved, developed, mature, healthy, caring, considerate, and compassionate community. Yet we cannot overlook the challenges facing today’s women. There is no doubt that American women continue to live under the shadow of conscious and unconscious bias. The shadow of bias falls darkly in health care, the workforce, and the military. Take, for example, the abysmal state of women’s health care — disparities in treatment and differences in diagnosis result in higher morbidity and mortality rates for women for many diseases, including forms of cardiovascular disease and cancer. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated glaring gender-based disparities in diagnosis, treatment and outcome. Of the 16 million employees in health care, at least 75% are women, yet women account for 33% of management positions. Decision-making agency remains largely in the hands of men in health care and politics. These facts underscore the obvious double standard in agency and autonomy in female reproductive health. Many female health concerns do not apply to men; pregnancy, childbirth, and a host of other conditions. It is an injustice that half of our citizens are not accorded the power of self-determination. We must acquire awareness, knowledge, and insight into these matters and implement policies and practices to eliminate inexcusable disparities in female healthcare. Black, brown, Asian, and Indigenous women often receive different care, resulting in increased incidence of disability, death, infant and maternal mortality with unacceptable regularity in BIPOC women. Inarguably, this is a cause of great concern and great shame in America. Another area of inequity for women exists in the workforce. Research and statistics indicate that women earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. In addition, women are more likely to experience barriers to promotion, advancement, opportunity, favorable workplace benefits, assignments, schedules, and bias against mothers and their child care responsibilities. The intersection of race increases gender-based workplace inequities dramatically. Government statistics about gender-based workplace harassment and bullying are another cause for great shame. Gender-based bias also frequently finds its way in a third area — the armed forces, not only for women on active duty but for our female veterans. Significant disparities in physical and mental health services and treatment for women exist in a Veterans Administration designed by men to treat men. Service bias commonly finds expression in the inexcusable incidence of military sexual trauma. According to recent information published in DA Magazine (Disabled Veterans), women make up nearly 19% of today’s military. Upon release from active duty, women tend to underreport or not report their veteran status for a variety of reasons, many of which either result from, or cause, homelessness, drug-abuse, PTSD, domestic violence, under and unemployment, and a host of other conditions. Many of our veteran sisters struggle to build a life for themselves and their families without the benefits they have earned and which should be automatically accorded to them. Women have been called upon to sacrifice mightily and long to maintain our comforts, benefits and well-being. In a healthy society, all must work and sacrifice for the greater good. It took 130 years for Anna Thornton Williams to have the right to cast her vote in Westerly. Her view that democratic principles are for “everyone” sounds strangely urgent 104 years later. This column is written by members of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition, which embraces multiculturalism to address racism. Geoff Serra is a contributing editor. A community coalition unaffiliated with any state, national, or international organization, ARC meets on the steps of the Westerly Post Office each Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All are welcome. Learn more and subscribe to ARC’s newsletter at westerlyarc.weebly.com. Contact them at [email protected]. Comments are closed.
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This website is a publication of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition. ARC is a community coalition unaffiliated with any state, national, or international organization. ARC embraces multiculturalism to address racism.
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