Advice, History, Politics | 
(0)If I were to ask whether women and men are equal here at Manhattanville, most students’ first response would be yes. “Of course,” they would say, “women and men have the same rights.” They would point to the fact that women are predominant at Manhattanville, with a ratio of 60% female students versus 40% male students. Men and women have the possibility to study the same subjects, join the same clubs, and participate in the same activities. There are no structural restrictions for women at Manhattanville. On paper at least there is total equality between men and women. Yet if you scratch below the surface, these general facts don’t take into account the full reality.
After spending two years at college, it is quite clear that men and women do not possess the same rights in regards to their sexual behavior. The prevailing attitude is that men are entitled to and even respected for displaying a casual attitude to sex and objectifying women in the process. They are the dominant species on campus, particularly if they play on a sports team, and they get away with irresponsible sexual behavior. In fact, they are often applauded for that behavior. In this regard, there is no equality between men and women at Manhattanville.
A classic example is a woman who sleeps with several men from the same sports team who comes to be considered a “slut,” or to put it in sports lingo, a “hockey puck.” She becomes an object for the team’s pleasure and later is often times mocked and teased.Yet, those same males, the ones who slept with the woman, are above reproach. They have the right to “share” the same woman between themselves without being looked down upon. All the fault lies with the woman and none with the men. They are looked up to, and she is looked down upon. Where is the social justice and equality in this equation?
Ironically, this demeaning attitude to women is not only ingrained in men but in women as well. Other women will also look down on the “hockey pucks,” claiming that these girls should know better than to put themselves in that kind of situation.
Men are entitled to be sexually promiscuous and women aren’t. This idea is accepted by the majority of society and by the majority of the students here at Manhattanville. Again, where is the equality?
It would be hard to call this patriarchal system fair. The point here isn’t to defend promiscuity, but if it’s wrong for a woman to be promiscuous it should be equally wrong for a man. Why doesn’t anyone turn the focus to the men and look down on them? Why is the finger always pointed towards the women? Why is she the irresponsible one and not the man? Why is the woman left to stand alone and be held accountable while the man is able to hide within the collective male pack and not take any individual accountability for his actions? If men and women had equal rights, these types of situations would not exist.
So what is to be done? Most people are aware of the situation, yet they do nothing to prevent it, falling right back into sexual patriarchy. Students should not just become aware of the situation, but start reacting. Change never comes about by waiting for someone else to change, but only when we ourselves change our attitude.
