With midterm elections fast approaching, supporters of women’s rights are working to maintain control of the Senate. A large demographic of voters called the Rising American Electorate could sway votes in their favor, as this group is populous, influential, and tends to hold beliefs that support women’s rights, labor unions, equal pay, and raising the minimum wage (for example).
It is refreshing to see a bill proposed in Congress that supports women’s reproductive justice, especially after the disastrous U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Hobby Lobby case and the many anti-abortion (i.e. 20 week abortion ban) and anti-contraception (i.e. Blunt Amendment) bills that have come before Congress.
When we discuss domestic violence, we most commonly tend to think about physical violence and sometimes, even mental or emotional abuse. Financial abuse and the lack of economic security are often neglected as very real consequences that survivors of domestic violence face.
As college women returned to campus this month, their biggest concerns should have been the cost of books or which clubs to join. Instead, they bear the burden of fearing for their own safety.
So how do we, as women, stand up against victim blaming when it is so pervasive in our culture?
At the outbreak of the Ray Rice case, women broke that silence by taking to social media with the hashtag #WhyIStayed, directly confronting these questions by highlighting the countless reasons that women in abusive relationships often don’t have the choice to leave.