fredag 31. mars 2017

Hidden Figures

The American drama film Hidden Figures (2016) is based on a true story. The story of how afro-American women in the United States of America were able to succeed in the 1960's. We meet the mathematician Katherine Goble (played by Taraji P. Henson), her colleague Mary Jackson (played by Janelle Monáe) and her supervisor Dorothy Vaughan (played by Octavia Spencer) in the year 1961. While the movie mainly revolves around Katherine Gobles contribution to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration during the space race, the movie portrays a more important topic; equality, both by gender and race. We also meet Glen Powell as John Glenn, an American astronaut. He was the first American to orbit Earth, circling it three times in 1962.

Sources:
Wikipedia. (2017, March 30). Hidden Figures. Retrieved March 31, 2017 from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidden_Figures
Wikipedia. (2017, March 30). John Glenn. Retrieved March 31, 2017 from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Glenn


fredag 17. mars 2017

The global challenge of inequality

All over the world inequality exists. Whether it be by race, gender or any other reason, it is a well-known issue that has improved throughout the years. Currently, the most relevant kind of inequality is gender-based and we have not seen many steps in the right direction recently. Women and men are paid different salaries. Women and men do not have the same chances applying for a job. Women and men are treated differently in society.

New Zealand became the first country to implement women's rights to vote in 1893. A major step in the right direction. But, today's focus when talking about inequality is often the workplace. Most people are aware of how women often earn a less substantial sum of money than men. Women and men receiving a different paycheck for the same amount of work. Studies show that for every dollar a man earns, a woman earns 79 cents. And in addition to this, the regular women receives a substantially lesser amount of respect in the workplace. Women get sexually harassed, pursued and disrespected.

More known to me, women experience inequality in the social life. Women get approached by men in fashions that are unacceptable. They face the daily opposition of not having the right to what they want with their bodies. They become "whores" or "sluts" for doing things that every man has done. They are shamed for what is "natural" for a man to do. It should be natural for both man and woman. Social inequality is the issue that I can relate to the most. Because I live side by side with it. I know that young people do not really pay attention to it because it comes naturally to us. Some treat women like objects. Which does not mean we should say everyone does, but recognize how big of an issue it is.