By Lilian A. Medina

I am sure we have all, at one point or another, been asked that question: Why are you hating on men? Women’s suffrage has been won and chicks can now be lawyers, doctors, politicians and (insert other high paying jobs here); what is there for you people to still be whining about? For one, we can still whine about people who do not understand the concept of feminism and its progressive spirit.

Feminism was not, is not, and will not ever be just a popular “trend.” It is as important today as it was when women were perceived as chattel and could not even dream of joining the workforce. However, it is important to keep in mind that feminism is not static; it is a dynamic belief system that evolves with the times and the political, social and economic needs of women.

In the not so distant past, feminists rallied together to overcome sexism, gender inequality and some innate cultural prejudices against women. Due to the constraint of time and words, we shall concede that these issues are no longer as serious as they used to be or at least not in the middle and upper-middle economic classes of the United States.

But what does this mean? Well, in short, it means that the feminist movement has established that women are not better than men but that they are indisputably equal to men. Dear critics of feminism: we are not “hating on men.” Rather, the modern young feminist is concerned with fighting statistics and “the Man.”

Browsing the research investigations conducted by Catalyst (http://www.catalyst.org/ ), a leading nonprofit organization seeking to expand opportunities for women in the workplace, can be very educational. In recent studies, all published within the year, we learn the following:

Law

- Women lawyers made only 77.5% of men’s salaries in 2007

- 90% of law firms report that their highest paid lawyer is a man

(http://www.catalyst.org/publication/246/women-in-law-in-the-us)

Medicine

- Only 21.2% of physicians are women

- Women are only 14.4% of all general surgeons

- Specialty surgeons are only made up of 5.9% of women

(http://www.catalyst.org/publication/208/women-in-medicine)

Media

- On average, the salary of a female editorial director is $77,600 as opposed to the $89,800 earned by a male editorial director

(http://www.catalyst.org/publication/248/women-in-media)

Do these statistics speak of equality in the workplace? Do they suggest that girls still in the school systems are receiving the same encouragement as boys to pursue careers in the sciences? Are girls receiving the same incentives and opportunities? We’ll let you answer those questions by yourselves.

Here at FEM, we want our student body to be aware and involved in these and other important issues. Our target audience, however, has always been the college female - a driven, career-oriented individual with high standards and challenging goals. What can this young woman, or rather, what can you do?

Well, we’ve compiled a (by no means comprehensive!) list of student organizations on campus that can give you the boost and support you need to make a difference. Now it’s the time to sit through a meeting or two and choose the one for you!

Featured Student Groups

African Women’s Collective

The purpose of the African Women’s Collective is to provide a place for women to come together and discuss issues and topics relative to women of African descent.

The African Women’s Collective serves to strengthen social ties, foster individual excellence and promote achievement within the community on the campus of UCLA and beyond. The AWC at UCLA is a space in which ALL women are welcome to learn, converse, develop, and connect.

Please join us! We meet weekly on Wednesday nights, 6-8PM.
For more information, please contact us.
Email: awcucla@gmail.com
Facebook: African Women's Collective

Bruin Feminists

Bruin Feminists for Equality is the only student organization at UCLA devoted exclusively to the feminist movement, and to equality for all people through feminism.  We believe that all people have the right to political, social, and economic equality, regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, class, or any other division that causes stratification. Above all, we believe that women's rights are human rights. We seek to promote education, activism, and service surrounding issues of discrimination that affect all people in an effort to build connections and create lasting and positive change. 

Bruin Feminists for Equality meets Wednesdays from 7:00 – 8:00 PM in Ackerman 2410.  We welcome all progressive students seeking to learn about feminist issues and to connect with larger movements on local, national, and international scales. 

Hermanas Unidas

In the fall of 2000 three young women joined together with one common goal: to establish a Chicana/Latina based group at UCLA! These three women, supported by a group of strong, motivated, young women like themselves, recognized the lack of adequate support resources for Chicana/Latina women and wanted to help fill this void. These visionary women set the foundation for what evolved into a recognized and respected campus and community organization. Hermanas Unidas de UCLA combines academic, community service, and social activities to unite and support Chicana/Latinas along their pursuit of a degree in higher education while emphasizing HERMANDAD.

Through emphasis on academics not only do we empower our minds but our future as well...Group Study Halls, Scholarship/Internship Information, Academic Honors Society, Scholarship Awards Community Service: In the struggle to empower ourselves we must never forget about our communities, AIDS Walk/Breast Cancer Walk, Senior Citizen Visits, Padres Contra el Cancer, Outreach Program Social: In stressing Hermandad a family network is created to foster an environment of respect and unity while supporting our own interests and talents...Quarterly Retreats, Chapter Wide Conference, Intra-Fraternal Outings, Fundraising Events. HaU's first chapter began at UC Berkley in '94 and now is a part of 11 chapters in California. Since 2002 we pride ourselves in having graduated over 45 Hermanas!

We meet on Mondays at 6:00 pm at Humanities 169; email us at hermanasunidas_ucla@hotmail.com

Women In Science and Engineering (WISE)

Women In Science and Engineering (WISE) is a group that is geared at providing opportunities for networking, professional development and service to women in the mathematical/physical sciences and engineering – fields that are traditionally dominated (in numbers) by men.  Though in most departments there may be similar numbers of graduate women and men, there are many fewer women post-doctoral students, researchers and faculty, and it can be difficult to build a support group. 

 We provide women of advanced academic and professional status with a network of peers and we are working to empower women in the hopes that more will become faculty members and successful entrepreneurs. At our meetings we usually hold panel discussions with successful women from industry and academia who share their suggestions, experiences and answer questions from the members.  We also discuss issues relevant to women, such as the "two-body" problem, but we also just discuss how to be a good scientist or engineer and enjoy talking with one another.  We also volunteer at campus and LA-wide activities to encourage women's involvement in science and engineering. Our membership is open to anyone, male or female, though we are targeting the graduate-faculty level.

For information on meetings please contact: britneys@ucla.edu

For more great groups to join visit:

http://www.studentgroups.ucla.edu/sgweb/listframe.asp