The Social Impact of Gender and Ethnic Equality

  Speak Up!

     Women baring in silence to not seek out for social justice for the rights of gender equality and non-racial discriminatory acts, comes often out of fear, lack of confidence or self-esteem that change is inevitable. True reality would suggest that an individual embedded to their own cultures of a larger societal context that impact every girl and women differently on their social stand points, and it essentially being ignored (Iglesias & Cormier2002). The Women’s movement for gender and ethnic equality, speak not just out a singular voice, but for the voices of all women who's psychological well-being is affected by the unjust bereavement of social change. Our voices amplify even loud when silence is broken at the support of all women, even men, to speak on the ongoing disregard for women's right to be equally heard and treat equally in this male-domineering world. Bailey (n.d.) women describe being more fearful and having a reduced capacity to contest the unfair conditions of practices at work, that lead them to not speak up.  

 The Role of Psychology with Regards to Women's Rights 

  The effects of social change in gender and ethnic equality, varies among each woman, the cause and length of enduement. Psychology may play many roles as lay concerns women mental health with regards to the women's movement of gender and ethnic equality, sets to provide women psychology effected as a women distorted experience to try and fit within a male biased environment. Specifically, the psychology of women recognizes the dismay of ignored inequality of social powers that are institutional between men and women. The disciplines of psychology have slow in the engagements relating to issues of human rights of women, universal. It is the use of psychological knowledge to relevant methods and understanding of rights that are in violation to humans (Trott & Canetto, 2014). The various social changes that occur in the need for equality of gender views and ethnic rights, can be sought out differently and affect each person differently. Many women don't know the acquired help of psychology, because they are not open, or comfortable to speak up about their problems of with in their workplace or relationships. 

    Psychology helps to aid in the advocacy for the rights of women, and how to mentally cope or adapt to the changes and to find ways to improve solution to the issue. According to APA (2007) many women who endure changes relevant to diverse ethnicities, life experiences, social changes, health, and sexual orientations often result in an increase of equality, opportunities and the risk that effect women’s quality of life for a limitless amount of health concerns and life stressors. Statistics of salient mental health have revealed that women are found to be several times more likely to be depressed than men (Lewinsohn, Rhode, Seeley, & Baldwin, 2001). Women that become subjected to group or individual discrimination, are likely to deal with depression (Klonis, endo, Crosby, & Worell, 1997) (APA, 2007). Psychology's role to the suffering of women's movement to seek gender equality is necessary and needed to ensure social changes are not deemed detrimental to women's mental health and growth in new and old experiences.   

Ethnic Inequalities that affect the Psychological Well-being Female Inequality in Population(s)

 Women of color face ethnic disparities that are related to the women's movement for gender equality, hurting their psychological well-being more than other races (i.e. Caucasians' women) because of their gender and skin color. Perry, Harp and Oser (2013) note that inequality in social change is due to an aspect that is a central stress processes, these stressors are considered from the viewpoint of the intersectional of a natural extension of existing theories. Documented studies have shown that numerous forms of habitual racism as well as discrimination that is influence by individuals' mental health and well-being. Many African American women have experienced related racism stress that are compounded by the experiences if sexism. Further research also suggest that African American women experience forms of oppression in gender and ethnic inequality that is unique to its specific subgroup of race-gender (Collins 1986; hooks  and Mesa-, and Speight 2008) (Perry, Harp & Oser, 2008). The women's movement has been progressively changing to the adaptions that bring notion to the awareness seeking ethnic equality to all female races, as the population of African American women are often overlooked and disregarded in movements leading to civil justice. APA (2020) African American women is often seen past in the many communicated conversations regarding racism and sexism regardless of the unique facial combination of both forms of discriminations that is simultaneous. 

    Feminist movements tend to focus more on the issues that affect predominantly white women, this all without having had addressed the racialized sexism that is ignored for the need of black women who have seen a much larger rate of abuse from police, work and society (APA, 2020). We need to address the need in including black women to take on more leadership roles in feminist and antiracial movements, to better advocate for black women's rights. Furthermore, upon the evaluation of the ethnic inequality on the psychological well-being of the population of black women and the effects of women's movement for rights, we see that implement change in leadership, can help to accommodate to differences of discrimination that black women endure when seeking social justice through the various social changes that we are all with standing.  

Concerns Regarding Ethnic Inequality Pertains to Women's Right's

Upon the analysis with regards to the concerns of the ethnic inequality concerns that are associated to social change of the women's movement rights, it is relatively evident to understand that women of color are often sought to be persons who stand in silence in the progression of gender equality for women for reason of not being seen, heard or fearful of the discriminative reciprocals. According to Tessier (2015) it is often instinctual for women who have experienced gender discrimination or harassment to remain silent. Whether it's in the workplace, at home or at school, fear of speaking up is often present. While we have many movements that support the many issues related to women rights, we need recognize that the support of all women, young and old of all races should be included in leadership for change.  Women's inequality rights are the rights to enjoy physical and mental health at the best attainable level of being, to be educated, to own property, too be able to vote, to earn an equal wage, and to live free from violence and discrimination are just a few of the rights guaranteed under the declaration. 

 The Role of Psychology in Impacting Historical Biases and Oppression of Feminist Right's

Psychology plays a vital role in helping divulge, comprehend, and ultimately dismantle racism and gender differences that occurs across all levels of society in each of the following systems— criminal justice, education, work and economic opportunities, science, health care, government and public policy and early childhood development, recognizing that systemic racism also affects other areas (APA, 2021). There have been two broad processes identified in social psychological research on oppressed groups, referred to as corresponding victim beliefs (Noor et al., 2017) that highlight how people compare victimization between groups: beliefs about differences versus similarities. It was the movement’s maxim that “the personal is political” that brought the social and emotional into focus, while the emotional effects of oppression were used to demonstrate the necessity of radical social change. This was a process that took place as part of and because of liberation. Women's movements demonstrated that dissatisfaction could be a catalyst for social change activism. Psychology has been characterized as a connecting link in the continuity of women's oppression, as evidenced by the fact that women are disproportionally the marks of psychopharmacological interventions (Crook, 2018). To conclude, the use of psychology in the women's movement for gender equality, has been advocating in the support of those women enduring the oppression and social injustices that are affecting the rights of women to be equally superior to men. It is psychology that also helps others (ie: men) to clue in on the suffrage women have endure, and the racial gender discrimination women of color go through but choose to stay silent for feelings of not feeling they will be heard or rather so, taken seriously. Psychology is for gaining understanding of the mental health women affected.  

    In conclusion, we see that many women of color don't feel the full throttle of support of the women's movement for liberation of gender and ethnic equality and the oppression that targets women in black populations. This has led for many women to stand in silence, not speaking out on the individual or group violence, harassment or neglect endured because of their gender and race. Leadership of the women's movement should representation of faces of all races, showing we are all a collective in the support of each other, seeking the same justice.   

 

References 

American Psychological Association. (2007, December 1). Guidelines for psychological practice with girls and women. https://www.apa.org/practice/guidelines/girls-and-women 

American Psychological Association. (2020, July 13). Black women often ignored by social justice movements [Press release]. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2020/07/black-women-social-justice 

American Psychology Association. (2021). Role of psychology and APA in dismantling systemic racism in U.S. https://www.apa.org. Retrieved April 1, 2023, from https://www.apa.org/about/policy/dismantling-systemic-racism 

Crook, S. (2018). The women’s liberation movement, activism and therapy at the grassroots, 1968-1985. WOMENS HISTORY REVIEW, 27(7), 1152–1168. https://doi.org/10.1080/09612025.2018.1450611 

Iglesias, E., & Cormier, S. (2002). The Transformation of Girls to Women: Finding Voice and Developing Strategies for Liberation. Journal of Multicultural Counseling & Development, 30(4), 259.  https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1912.2002.tb00523.x 

Janis Bailey. (n.d.). Women tell their stories of dismissal. Courier Mail, The (Brisbane). 

Perry, B. L., Harp, K. L., & Oser, C. B. (2013). Racial and Gender Discrimination in the Stress Process: Implications for African American Women's Health and Well-Being. Sociological perspectives : SP : official publication of the Pacific Sociological Association, 56(1), 25–48. 

Nair, R., & Vollhardt, J. R. (2020). Intersectionality and relations between oppressed groups: Intergroup implications of beliefs about intersectional differences and commonalities. Journal of Social Issues, 76(4), 993–1013. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12409 

Raquel Alexandra Ferreira, & Maria Helena Santos. (2022). Gender and Ethnicity: The Role of Successful Women in Promoting Equality and Social Change. Social Sciences, 11(299), 299. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11070299 

Tessier, L. (2015). WHY WOMEN DON’T SPEAK OUT. GUTS. Retrieved April 1, 2023, from https://gutsmagazine.ca/why-women-dont-speak-out/ 

Trott, Carlie & Canetto, Silvia. (2014). The Abuse of Women’s Rights: Perspectives from Psychology and Gender Studies. Journal of Interdisciplinary Social and Community Studies. 7. 1-12. 10.18848/2324-7576/CGP/v07i04/53491.