Dear Editor,
It is extremely important to address issues of unfair treatment of women in America. The Daily's April 24 article entitled "Echoing national trends, gender equality at Tufts continues to evolve" certainly reminded us of that. Yet it is equally important to remember that "gender equality" also applies to men.
Before coming to Tufts University, each and every American male Jumbo registered for the draft. That's required by the Selective Service Act, and it doesn't apply to women. Women can serve in government and help declare war, but are not asked to serve in one. Here, gender inequality is accepted.
The median car insurance rate for men in every state is higher than for women. Insurance companies are allowed to say that, because men get in more accidents, they must pay more for coverage. If these companies tried to demographically divide religious or ethnic groups, charging, say, higher rates to Christians, we'd have a discrimination problem. But here, gender inequality is accepted.
Men are imprisoned more than ten times as frequently as women in this country, despite roughly half the population consisting of women. Roughly 2 percent of the people on death row are women. Either men are significantly and fundamentally more likely to commit capital crimes, or, once again, gender inequality is present.
In schools, boys are more likely to be victimized by violent crime than girls. The numbers of men in prison and on death row blow gender proportions out of the water. In discussions of rape, the assumption that men are perpetrators, and never victims, is prevalent. We talk about men "getting" women pregnant, as though sexual consequences are exclusively a man's fault. Men are often portrayed in the media as aggressive, drunk, simple-minded; the list goes on and on.
Gender inequality isn't just about women; it's about inequality. We absolutely need to pay attention to unfair treatment, discrimination and judgment of women. All I'm asking is that when we talk about gender inequality, we talk about men, too.
Sincerely,
Brian Pilchik
Class of 2014
