CLAIM: The polarized feminist perspectives on female sex workers contributes to systemic sexual violence against that industry, but can be amended by developing a more diverse culture of feminism. Opinions towards sex work vary drastically among women and men. I am considering sex work here as a feminist issue, largely because of its polarizing effect on the feminist movement. Some self-identified feminists consider sex workers as oppressed women who are manipulated into an industry that exploits their bodies for the sexual pleasure of men. Others see sex work as the reclamation of women’s sensuality, sexual desires, and bodies. Regardless of these polarized opinions, the lack of consistent support from the…

CLAIM: Discrimination due to the possibility of pregnancy has been and still is largely a woman’s issue, and must be combated in ways beyond legislation. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act, a federal law in the USA prohibiting discrimination against pregnant women in the workforce, has been enacted since 1948 (EEOC). However, women to this day still receive unequal opportunities on the basis that they could become pregnant in the future. The issue of maternity rights is such a pressing issue today because it affects all aging women at some point in time, even those who don’t want kids.  Before diving deeper into why I find the topic of maternity rights so…

CLAIM: We could decrease the violence faced by Muslim women by including the religious culture of Islam – a religion that at its core is empowering to women – into our feminist movement instead of condemning it. Fun fact for the day: Americans are more likely to die from their clothes catching on fire than an immigrant-related terrorist attack, according to a risk analysis reported by the CATO Institute. Despite this fact, terrorism is ranked second as America’s biggest perceived threat (Survey of American Fears, 2016), and Muslim people, especially Muslim women who wear the Hijab, are largely the target for this stereotype. While I am interested in the discrimination…