Pfft, What 'War on Women' Are You Talking About?

Bisera Rozic is a DePaul University student majoring in Economics and a PCG intern.


It is painful to see that every single GOP senator voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act. For about half a year, the media has been speaking about a so called "war on women" by the GOP. But that is all that women hoped it to be, a story hyped up by the media that ends as a busted myth. However, actions by the GOP make it difficult to bust this "myth".

Because it is not enough that it took over 70 years of hard-fought battles for women to win the right to vote, women still continue to have to fight to be equal in this world. Women's Suffrage is very much alive and has always been. It did not stop in 1919 when the Senate passed the 19th Amendment which granted women the right to vote nor did it end when it was ratified the following year. It did not end with the Equal Pay Act of 1963 or the Civil Rights Act of 1964, though, it is reported that Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said that this is why she voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act. It hurts that there are women that voted against this bill.

The words of Abigail Adams still echo today, as she said to her "dearest friend", her husband John Adams, "remember the ladies". Often, my mind wanders and poses the question, "have any of the women of current GOP members read John Adams' biographies, heard those words, know about the struggle?" My conclusion is no, because if they had, the wives of the current GOP would follow in Lysistrata's footsteps. It bothers me that women do not seem to be united on issues that concern them. There was the attack on Planned Parenthood by anit-abortion groups and the GOP. The insult to injury was served by Susan G. Komen who decided to  pull funding to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screening. Whether you're pro-abortion, pro-choice, or pro-life, Planned Parenthood provides hundreds of thousands of low-income women with breast screenings. So now, the question lies, if the GOP wants to cut funding for Planned Parenthood, and they also do not want women to earn as much as men for the same work, how are women supposed to afford taking care of their health?

Here are some cold hard facts, credit to White House Fact Sheet

• For the same work performed by both men and women, women earn 77 cents to every dollar a man earns. 
• It's even worse if you happen to be an African American woman, 64 cents/dollar, or a Latina 56 cents/dollar. 
• While there are 30% of women in management, only 3% are in top management/ senior management. 

Chart credit: The Political Carnival & The Rachel Maddow Show

So, how about that Equal Pay Act of 1963? Or the Civil Rights Act of 1964? Where is the equality that was fought for then?

Our Evolution on Same-Sex Marriage

Bisera Rozic is a DePaul University student majoring in Economics and a PCG intern.

It is still unbelievable that in 2012, same-sex marriage is illegal in most states in the U.S. This year marks 39 years since the American Psychiatric Association declared that homosexuality was not a disease. In 1973, the APA changed its definition of sexual deviance with 81 Words, and while a lot has changed since then, equality is still nonexistent for the LGBTQ community. It took 30 years since then for a state to legalize same-sex marriage in the United States when, finally, Massachusetts passed the groundbreaking law; however, today only 6 states allow same-sex marriage, 9 allow some form of spousal rights such as civil unions or domestic partnerships. This means that in the other 35 states, same-sex couples do not have the right to a partnership, a civil union, let alone marriage. For 39 years, we have known that homosexuality is not a disease and only 15 states are, for the most part, on board with this.

Since his announcement, we have seen an increase in well known people coming out in support of same-sex marriage. Jay-Z came out in support of President Obama's announcement telling CNN's Poppy Harlow, "I've always thought it as something that was still, um, holding the country back". The hip hop community has not been very friendly to the LGBTQ community, especially having lyrics that include homophobia among other things. This is why President Obama's announcement means so much. It led to a rapper coming out in support of gay rights. Floyd Mayweather Jr. also came out in support of President Obama's announcement by posting on his Twitter, "I stand behind President Obama & support gay marriage. I'm an American citizen & I believe people should live their life the way they want". This was important because the sports world has not been very supportive of gay rights either. This is why the announcement is huge.

President Obama's support of the LGBTQ community has been evident throughout his term thus far. His administration is the first administration to fight for the rights of the community by signing into law a memorandum which granted federal benefits to government employees that are in same-sex partnerships, inclusion of the LGBTQ community in the non-discrimination act, hospitalization rights, and the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. These all serve as evidence of the President's support for equality, but it is different to hear a sitting president say those words. It's a way of saying to a bully on the playground, "this is my buddy, I got his back". Imagine all the kids he has saved just by saying he supports them. That announcement gave them the hope, the courage, the sense of belonging that they did not have before. This is the most the LGBTQ community has achieved in such a short time. This is what progress looks like.

The Importance of Community

Bisera Rozic is a DePaul University student majoring in Economics and a PCG intern.

Community involvement has always been important. It alleviates hardships we face in completing certain tasks on our own. When Hurricane Katrina hit several years ago, several people from my high school traveled all the way down to Louisiana to help people rebuild their lives. The people came together to help one another. This is one of the greatest things about communities. It gives you hope. It's a way of showing that you're not alone in this struggle, I am here to help you.

In 2009, Chicago saw one of the deadliest school years that led to a discussion and a proposition to get the National Guard involved. There are several problems with that idea. The main problem is that the National Guard is not as familiar with the south side of Chicago. It is important to allow a community group such as CeaseFire to get involved. CeaseFire's staff is composed of community members trying to make a difference. They talk to people and try to stop crimes before they occur. The organization was founded in 2000 and has done a tremendous job of helping communities get up on their feet. They help troubled youth get their GED, enter the workforce, and also do their best to stop shootings and other violent crimes before they happen.

Community involvement is better than getting the National Guard involved because your neighbor knows you better than a person from another neighborhood, let alone a different city. A troubled youth is more likely to listen to their neighbor than a stranger. They are more likely to connect to their neighbor than the other person. Furthermore, a community member would know of better ways of approaching the troubled youth because they have a better sense of how the community works. Most importantly, a community is better equipped to offer guidance.

It is important for the community to get involved because the police might be seen as too aggressive and doing nothing will not solve anything. But as a community, it is our duty to take care of our own. These kids just need a little guidance, a guidance that cannot be found in juvenile detention. A community united, however, is able to provide this guidance. Through community, one less mother will bury her child, one more youth will obtain a diploma, one more person will have a job. Through community, hope is restored. This is the goal of such organizations as CeaseFire. This is why community is important and we as a community need to get involved.