Sarah Amer is a first year Peace Corps Volunteer serving in the Meknes-Fes region. Originally from Cleveland, OH, she is a first generation Palestinian American and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. Having done her master's research on women's empowerment, she strives to play an active role in promoting global gender equality in her everyday life. When she isn't busy being the Vice Chair of PC Morocco's GAD Committee, you can find her teaching content-based English and fitness classes.
"Are You a Girl or a Woman?"
By Sarah Amer
Typically, when people think of how women experience oppression or gender inequality in some societies, they equate it to physical facets of life such as domestic violence occurring in the home or prohibition in gaining financial security through employment. Often overlooked is how certain linguistics and aspects of communication come into play. For example, the first time I visited the Nedi Neswi, or women’s organization, to meet and greet the members, I encountered a situation that shed light on this common, yet often overlooked way of lowering the status of women in society through labeling.
That day, after introducing myself to the women at the Nadi Neswi, one woman began a spontaneous discussion regarding the differences between girls and women. Allegedly, a girl is a girl until she gets married. It is only after she is married that she is considered a woman. One by one, this woman went around asking each woman in the room whether she was a “girl” or a “woman.” When she finally reached me and asked the question, I simply replied, “I am a woman.” Her face broke into a smile, and she asked, “Oh, you are married?” That is when I stated, “No, my status isn’t based on a man. I am 28 with a Master’s degree, a job, and I had my own apartment in America for ten years.... I’m a woman.” Her smile disappeared into a look of dismay and, quickly, the subject was changed.
While this incident may seem trivial to some and chalked up to “cultural differences”, the way we as women are labeled and the labels we as women accept play massive roles in our status and advancement in society. To be told that my numerous life accomplishments despite the struggles and obstacles I faced as a female did not grant me the status of a “woman” because I was not married was a blow to the identity I had worked so hard to forge over the years.
It was also a realization that gender equality advancements are not just about changing laws to grant women more rights in the courts or implementing status quo practices to ensure a certain number of women are accepted into universities and male dominated career fields. Until we are able to reshape the way young girls and women think about themselves, legal reforms will continue to be overlooked and underutilized. Likewise, new opportunities for women in career fields once closed to them will continue to see a lack of women in them.
Thus, gender reform starts in the home with changing how girls and women are labeled and defined. It starts by teaching little girls that their ultimate life goal is not limited to securing a husband and being the perfect wife. It starts by acknowledging the accomplishments of women and not invalidating them because they are unwed. Finally, it starts by allowing every person to forge their own path and be acknowledged as the individual that they are and not by the relationships that they have.
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Posted by Katie Bercegeay
"Are You a Girl or a Woman?"
By Sarah Amer
Typically, when people think of how women experience oppression or gender inequality in some societies, they equate it to physical facets of life such as domestic violence occurring in the home or prohibition in gaining financial security through employment. Often overlooked is how certain linguistics and aspects of communication come into play. For example, the first time I visited the Nedi Neswi, or women’s organization, to meet and greet the members, I encountered a situation that shed light on this common, yet often overlooked way of lowering the status of women in society through labeling.
That day, after introducing myself to the women at the Nadi Neswi, one woman began a spontaneous discussion regarding the differences between girls and women. Allegedly, a girl is a girl until she gets married. It is only after she is married that she is considered a woman. One by one, this woman went around asking each woman in the room whether she was a “girl” or a “woman.” When she finally reached me and asked the question, I simply replied, “I am a woman.” Her face broke into a smile, and she asked, “Oh, you are married?” That is when I stated, “No, my status isn’t based on a man. I am 28 with a Master’s degree, a job, and I had my own apartment in America for ten years.... I’m a woman.” Her smile disappeared into a look of dismay and, quickly, the subject was changed.
While this incident may seem trivial to some and chalked up to “cultural differences”, the way we as women are labeled and the labels we as women accept play massive roles in our status and advancement in society. To be told that my numerous life accomplishments despite the struggles and obstacles I faced as a female did not grant me the status of a “woman” because I was not married was a blow to the identity I had worked so hard to forge over the years.
It was also a realization that gender equality advancements are not just about changing laws to grant women more rights in the courts or implementing status quo practices to ensure a certain number of women are accepted into universities and male dominated career fields. Until we are able to reshape the way young girls and women think about themselves, legal reforms will continue to be overlooked and underutilized. Likewise, new opportunities for women in career fields once closed to them will continue to see a lack of women in them.
Thus, gender reform starts in the home with changing how girls and women are labeled and defined. It starts by teaching little girls that their ultimate life goal is not limited to securing a husband and being the perfect wife. It starts by acknowledging the accomplishments of women and not invalidating them because they are unwed. Finally, it starts by allowing every person to forge their own path and be acknowledged as the individual that they are and not by the relationships that they have.
---
Posted by Katie Bercegeay
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