Essay Example on There has been a divide in our society since the beginning of Civilization

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There has been a divide in our society since the beginning of civilization It exists all across the world in varying degrees of severity The gender divide has been overlooked for centuries simply seen as the way of life Women have brought light to this issue before But after women won the right to vote the mistreatment of women seemed to be overlooked that was until the second wave of feminism Here is the story of the woman who was credited with cultivating the movement Gloria Steinem was born on March 25 1934 in Toledo Ohio Her parents names were Ruth and Theo Steinem Her mother worked as a journalist and her father was a salesman Her sister Susanne was nine years older than her The family traveled a lot She attended school irregularly due to her constant travels

They would drive their trailer up to Michigan for part of the year and they spent their winters in warm places like California and Florida so that her father could sell antiques That all changed when her parents divorced in 1945 Her father left Gloria and her mother moving to California after his business went under Gloria Steinem didn t blame him though He was a kind and loving father She said But not all that responsible Steinem and her mother settled down in the East Side of Toledo Ohio She considered her city to be a violent and racist place She said that her neighbors actively sought out people of color to harass and put down That was the first year she ever attended a full year of school although she was often had to skip school to take care of her mother who had delusions and was scared to be left alone She attended Waite High School for three years before moving to D C with her older sister For her final year of high school Gloria Steinem attended Western High School where she graduated She attended Smith College taking courses on government which was thought to be unusual for women After graduating she went to India on a scholarship

She participated in a few peaceful protests against the government and Gloria Steinem returned to the U S she worked as a freelance writer She landed a job as a writer for the humor magazine Help The article that really started her gain to fame was an expose about the conditions at the club Playboy Her experience at Playboy was a horrible one She applied to a newspaper job offer under the alias Marie Catherine Ochs The first few days were spent Women who worked there were forced to wear uncomfortable tight skimpy outfits and heels that hurt their feet Door bunnies weren t allowed to keep their tips and had to give them all to the establishment at the end of the day They were harassed on a daily basis by drunk businessmen who were considered respectable otherwise sometimes in front of their wives She was happy to have that horrible experience over with and show the world how waitresses at the controversial establishment were treated in a society that wanted to cover such this up The beginning of her feminist career started at an abortion speak out in 1969 Gloria Steinem was reporting for the New York Magazine She was perched on the edge of a window seat in the basement of a church in Greenwich New York She said she felt a big click listening to the empowering stories of women and doctors who went through and helped with the process in a judgemental time She was empowered by women telling the truth about their lives in public and seeing other women openly identify and listen seriously to their stories

She was outraged by doctors who refused the process or when men decided whether or not to perform the procedure by how the woman got pregnant From that point she flourished helping to create the National Women s Political Caucus two years alongside her fellow feminists Bella Abzug Shirley Chisholm Betty Friedan and Mildred McWilliams Jeffrey She co founded the feminist magazine Ms in 1972 which started out as part of the New York Magazine This magazine brought light to many important yet overlooked subjects such as domestic violence She s won notable awards like the Penney Missouri Journalism Award The Front Page and Clarion awards and many many more Today Gloria Steinem is still fighting for gender equality and women s rights She is politically and socially active fighting issues such as gender roles child abuse domestic violence and racial gender castes through speak outs and protests At 82 years old she refuses to pass on her feminist torch I m never going to retire Would I retire from life This is my life She told the Guardian newspaper when asked if she was ready to move on She is an incredible woman one who I aspire to be I can t imagine being as strong willed and independent as she in a time when gender equality was a taboo subject

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