Presenter: Chloe Talbert
Mentors: Anita Chari and Erin Beck, Political Science
Oral Presentation
Majors: Computer Science and Political Science
Prompted by several contradicting activist efforts in the United States, this research examines the discrepancy between the level of gender inequality we identify in the United States, and the level of gender inequality we identify elsewhere. Using three case studies to present this discrepancy, Rape Culture in India, Female Genital Surgeries in MENA countries, and Veiling, I examine these as examples of hypocrisy in how we recognize inequality. This research identifies two part process by which this hypocrisy occurs, the first of which is our failure to recognize gender inequality in the United States, and the second of which is our focus on gender inequality elsewhere. Each step is examined as a result of two uniquely American applications of both Liberalism and Feminism. Using existing literature and my own research, I investigate the consequences that these two two schools of thought have on our understanding and experiencing of inequality. These findings suggests that they work to obfuscate the gender inequality that exists here, and further work to divert our focus abroad, creating a focus and effort that further obscures inequality in the United States. This research could explain the relative strength of patriarchy and gender inequality in the United States, as well as offer a method by which to examine the permanence of other social systems and institutions.