11 Sickening Ways We are Oppressing Women in the 21st Century

As you may or may not know, I have a strong passion to help women live a better life by encouraging them to speak their voice out into the world.

Society has brainwashed women to not rock the boat and be the “good girl” who obeys what people tell them to do.

I know what it’s like because as a woman of Asian decent, we are told that every single day.

Go to school, obey your parents, obey your husband, don’t bring attention to yourself, etc.

By doing this, we are hurting women in the process in a HUGE way. Women today still face so many obstacles and challenges that most people aren’t aware of.

Here are 11 sickening ways we are oppressing women in the 21st century.

(Warning, the photos in this blog post are graphic but it’s the intention to show you how bad we have to empower women to share their voice.)

1. Women and girls are forced into human trafficking.

Source: cmda.org

Women everyday are kidnapped or forced into the human trafficking as young as 5 years old. The term prostitute is not even the right name when you are forced into something you had no consent to.

You may not be aware of this because nobody talks about it. Too many people are too focused on what Kim Kardashian is wearing. Seriously children as young as 5 years old are forced to do sexual favors without their consent. How is that ok?

The photo makes me sick to my stomach but I wanted to share a powerful photo to make YOU realize what society is doing by oppressing women. If this makes you feel uncomfortable, then good because that was the point!

2. Society allows women and children to be forced into marriages they do not want to be in.

Source: bulletinoftheoppressionofwomen.com

Here is a photo of little girl and a grown man on their wedding day.

First off, can you tell me what is wrong with this picture? How can we let a child marry a man three times his age?

Forced marriages still occur every single to day to kinds as young as 6 years old and what happens when the little girl is part of her husband’s family?

They get raped, abused, treated like a piece of meat.

This is not the message we want to tell women and little girls. That their life is only limited to this. It’s wrong and disgusting!

3. Women feel like they need a man to make them happy.

Women everyday feel like a man is the solution to make them happy, that they cannot create their own happiness.

Everyday people judge women who are single and think something is wrong them.

I am here to tell you, NOTHING is wrong with you. You are living your life according to your terms. Happiness has to start within yourself.

This is not the message we should be telling women that the only solution to happiness is to have a man to complete them.

The only person that complete you is YOU! I would rather be single than be in an abusive relationship with a man. How is that the definition of happiness?

4. The media has given women a big misconception of beauty.

Source:dlmagazine.org

We have to stop sending this message that the term of a beautiful woman is what you see in photo shoots and magazine covers.

This is what really goes on in a photo shoot. On the left you see a woman in her actual photo shoot. On the right, you see the altered version which is totally different.

Women end up having so many self confidence issues because they compare themselves to the ladies of the magazine covers who look perfect because they have been altered to look perfect.

You are beautiful just the way you are with your flaws. Having flaws are beautiful. It’s a part of you and embrace them!

These magazine covers causes women to do drastic things like commit suicide, have eating disorders, have depression, etc.

This has to STOP! I would love to see a magazine just show their readers what the actual photo shoot actually looks like. To show the true beauty of a woman.

5. Women are always depicted as sex objects in commercials and ads.

I get that sex sells but we are still sending the wrong message to women all over the world.

Most women will think they can only use their bodies to create an income and not their beautiful minds and creativity.

How is eating a burger in a bikini empowering women? I know the intention was not to depict women to look like sex objects but unfortunately it has and it doesn’t help women be able to speak their voice in the world.

6. It’s okay to hit a woman.

Source: kickofjoy.com/

Domestic violence against women is very common in our world today but the men who are responsible for doing this get little or no punishment.

In China alone there are so many unreported cases of domestic violence against women because the man is the superior person. They turn the other cheek and pretend nothing ever happened.

That is something we have to stop doing. We have to make this known that it’s never okay to hit a woman or even any person for that matter.

7. Women are not allowed to be educated

Yes many women in places like Africa and Asia have women who are not allowed to be educated.

In China, there’s a term that single women over 27 who are educated and have a good career are called sheng nu which means “leftover women.”

These women have a great career and are well educated but China frowns upon these women because they are considered as wild and breaking from the norm.

When we oppress women from education, we as a whole are a disservice to women and little girls worldwide who have no education.

We are limiting their beliefs and skills to do great things that can change the world in MAJOR way.

8. Women are not allowed to own their property or make their own money.

As crazy as it sounds, stuff like this still happens today. Women are not allowed to create their own economy or even own properties to build their own net worth.

And that’s not cool.

In China again for example, if a man and woman decide to buy real estate property together, the property is only under the man’s name.

Why is this bad? Because Chinese women are putting in their own money into something they can never own because their name is not in the deed.

If ever they divorce, the woman gets nothing and the man gets everything. (See related article.)

We have to teach our women to learn to stand up for themselves and be able to create their own income so they can live better lives and create better choices for themselves.

9. Men get away with murder… literally!

It’s true that even today, men still get away with murder. Countries like Afghanistan can kill a woman and not get punished for it. (See article here.)

When a woman disobeys a man in countries like Afghanistan, they are beatened to death, raped or even killed because men instill fear into the women.

So many women are killed everyday and never get justice for what has happened to them. It’s upto us to be the voice and the be change so that women can be inspired to stand up for themselves.

10. Women are treated like items on a catalog.

Ever heard of mail order brides? Of course you have.

Many men go on the internet or have a binder full of women that they can choose and buy to be their bride.

The women in these magazines either don’t know any better or feel like this is they only way they can provide for their families.

That is not the message we want to share with the world. When people have the ability to put a price tag on a woman, that person feels like they have the authority to do whatever they want with their purchase.

They can beat them, torture them, rape them, etc. Is that the kind of message we want to send to women out there? That we can put a price tag on a woman.

11. Polygamy

Source: danielmiessler.com

I never understood this concept of one man and many wives. That is something I could never do.

I believe marriage is the union of love between 2 people and this makes marriage become a joke.

Plus the negative effects polygamy has on women is astounding. See here on a great article that talks about this subject.

Of course there are more ways how we oppress women in the 21st century but I feel these are topics that need to be addressed and be aware of so we can find a solution to these problems.

Conclusion

So how can you and I this problem? Obviously it will not be solved overnight but it we take certain steps and work together to do our best to help women break out of their shell and bring out their voice, you and I can save so many lives.

We have to inspire women and show them what is possible which is why I created a podcast called The Tao of Self Confidence.

I want women to hear stories of amazing women who are living the life they desire because they have tapped into their inner journey to self confidence.

You will hear stories of real women overcome big challenges in their life to be able to live a life because they have tapped into their power and realized what they are capable of.

And I always believe what is possible for them is possible for YOU!

Here’s an intro of the podcast so you will know what you can expect.

Women from different cultures, businesses, and countries will share with you their struggle and how they found light at the end of the tunnel.

Anything is possible and these amazing stories will PROVE it to you.

And since this is the first episode, I also have a freed gift that I am giving out to you for taking the time to listen to the podcast which is you 8 Core Commitments to Boosting Your Self Confidence.

My vision has always been to help women live a better life and even if I can help one woman get over their fears, break out of their shell and do the things they are capable of, then I know I can inspire more women around the world.

If you are reading this, YOU have everything inside of you to succeed. You just have to believe in yourself or surround yourself with women who have been through where you have been.

So you can see that you too can get over any obstacle you are facing right now.

This may have a been a lengthier post than usual but I believe its necessary that women’s voices must be heard and the more women we can empower, the world would certainly be a better place.

If you want to be a part of this movement, feel free to message me on Facebook. Just let me know that you read my blog and you also have the vision of helping women live a better life.

It’s time that YOU and I take a stand to make this world a better place. Too many women are hurting and its time we do something about it.

Spread this message to as many women as you can so that you and I can show women around the world that there is a solution to their problems.

That we can find a way to live a better life. Of course, it may not be easy but its definitely worth it, don’t you agree?

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think of this article. Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

Always remember… “Behind every successful woman is herself.”

See original article here

About the Author: Sheena Yap Chan

Sheena Yap Chan is a blogger, podcaster, self confidence consultant, author and speaker whose sole purpose, drive and passion is to help women live a better life. She currently inspires women everyday through her podcast called The Tao of Self Confidence where she interviews various women about their inner journey to self confidence. Sheena also teaches women how to create a business and live life by design by learning how to create an income utilizing the Internet. You can learn more about Sheena and connect with her on her website, iTunes, Spotify and Sticher.