Issues affecting women around the World

Women are constantly fed with the messages which suggest being slim and young is the key to both beauty and success. This is why it is so natural that feminists talk about body image so much. Often unrealistic expectations are placed on women and yet we talk about skinny shaming, fat shaming and everything else that lies in between. Women health reports show one in every 250 women suffer from eating disorders; still, the discussions about body image seem incontestably important.

Sadly, this is not the only challenge that women face, there are many other issues that rarely get any media coverage. Here is the list of issues women face and deserve equal focus.

Data shows one in four women experience domestic violence over their lifetimes. As per the new research conducted, women who suffer from domestic violence on an average get stuck to this situation for over three years before seeking the help they need.

Everyone knows men, women and children are trafficked within their own countries and across the borders every year. Millions of adults and children are bought and sold for forced and bonded labor and sexual exploitation of women and children (98% of total trafficking) has become the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world.

Sex-selective abortion is illegal, but it does not change the fact that female fetuses are aborted around the world on the grounds that a male child is considered preferable to a girl.

WHO (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs348/en/) estimates around 830 women die each day because of preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. 99% of these deaths take place in developing countries.

The idea, women should appreciate catcalling is totally weird because it means that it is done with respect. It suggests, if a guy sees a girl, and shouts at her about her body or looks; he is doing this because it will make her day! But this is not what is happening. This is disrespectful, women complain about it but it keeps happening. If it meant respectful, it would have stopped as soon women started talking how it made them feel uncomfortable.

Stalking and harassment are one of the most common types of abuse that women face. And, this number is growing each year because of social media which has made stalking possible with a single button.

Millions of women are raped every year but the conviction rate for this crime is very low. Until something is done to eradicate the culture of victim blaming this rate is unlikely to change.

Lack of equality is a recurring issue when it comes to unequal access to schooling for girls in developing nations or unequal pay at work. We live in a world where 95% of countries are lead by the male heads, which makes it clear that we have a long way to go before women are given a fair shake.