Women are sexually objectified and discriminated against in the United States Because of the media Nearly a century ago, women won their right to vote . After the 1960s, contraceptives were no longer considered salacious and gained FDA approval. Throughout the 1960s, women achieved a myriad of achievements; Congress eventually passed the Equal Pay Act, which made it illegal to pay a man more than a woman for the same work, paid maternity leave was considered, and steps were taken to allow women women to benefit from the same education and employment opportunities as those in higher education and higher education. privileged white males. In the 1970s, women gained the right to abortion, marital rape laws began to surface, along with many other laws that could hinder discrimination against women. Forty years pass and any rational person could conclude that women are fully emancipated and that sexism is a thing of the past. However, this is not the case in America. In fact, women still have a long way to go. In a hyper-sexual society, women are often sexually objectified and do not benefit from the same prestigious opportunities as men. Those behind mass media are often the culprits of a cultural way of thinking. The sole purpose of media is to convey messages to the broad masses. The media shapes our thinking, sometimes directly and overtly, but sometimes covertly, to the extent that the public does not recognize the internalization of the material. When we think of a hero, a political figure, a role model, etc., we often think of one of two binary genders; they rarely think about both. Indeed, genders are divided and our minds categorize them accordingly. For example, when we think of a hero or protagonist, the mind often conceives a male figure...... middle of paper ......ation. (2007b). Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls. Washington, DC: AuthorAzad, S.. Np. Internet. March 22, 2014. .Flock, E.. Np. Internet. March 22, 2014. .Stankiewicz, J.. Np. Internet. March 22, 2014..Syzmanski, Dawn M., Lauren B. Moffitt, and Erika R. Carr. Sexual objectification of women: Advances in theory and research. Representative Sage, nd Web. February-March. 2014. “Rape Culture is Everywhere – Watch Your Favorite Sitcoms Prove It.” » PoliticsMic. Np, and Web. March 23. 2014.