A Global Perspective

              From a global perspective we can discern that there are many relevant issues affecting women throughout the world, all of equal importance, and occurring and progressing at different frequencies. By examining women’s issues through a global lens, a picture of confluence emerges. In that all the issues are interconnected and must be addressed on a global, multi-cultural scale. The U.S. is a country with a lot of power and influence in the world and sets standards in theory, practice, and denial. I say this to point to the U.S. actions in claiming full equality and treatment of women, and denying the discrepancies that exist. Additionally the U.S. has and uses the power to set standards of treatment of women, as well as expectations of women’s behavior. The United States women’s movement should turn this power into a positive force that acts to help women globally recognize their personal power of agency in their lives.

           

Examining Western Assumptions           

It’s important that Western women, in the U.S. especially, make effort to promote positive change without assuming that they know what’s best for all women. Women are oppressed and restricted in many ways, yes, but those oppressions differ based on location and goals. The idea that all women are the same and want the same things in life follows the vein of the androcentric ideal, that men are everyone and the male experience equals the entire human race’s experience. So putting all women in the same category like that leads only to more oppression, and more restrictions and expectations on already burdened women in the world. Therefore the issues that affect women should be addressed on a global scale, but it must always be taken into account the different needs of women in different regions.