Rhetorical Analysis: “Women’s Human Rights” by the Global Fund for Women
AUTHOR: Global Fund for Women was created by Anne Firth Murray, Frances Kissling, Laura Lederer, and Nita Barrow. They were witnesses to minimal action being taken to further address women’s rights and with that, they worked to create an organization to help progress equality for women and to invest in women’s rights movements.
RHETORICAL SITUATION/EXIGENCE: There are numerous groups of women who work day in and day out to spread awareness on the treatment they receive or the rights they aren’t guaranteed, but they’re not listened to as much as they should be. Although women are told that they have as much equal rights as the next, they fail to consider that some people don’t grant them the respect they deserve. There are articles and debates about whether or not women should be allowed to abort or not, there are laws that prohibit them from aborting a child. A woman’s reproductive system and what she chooses to put her body through, should be her decision. Numerous other women are left without jobs, paid less, or are denied from a specific position, not only because their gender has come into play but also “marginalized because of their race, caste, sexuality, income, or location.”
AUDIENCE: This organization strives to reach the hearts of the general public, anyone willing to listen and contribute. They hope that by funding more and more movements they’ll open the minds of even the most stubborn of people. Especially women who have experienced the same circumstances they’re trying to address.
PURPOSE: There are multiple issues that this organization is trying to get rid of, but more than anything, the organization wants to spread awareness about the things women aren’t freely allowed to do or have. They want to assist the numerous women’s movements so that they can appeal to different individuals. With that they want to make sure that they receive “equal pay and land ownership rights to sexual rights, freedom from violence, access to education, and maternal health rights.”
GENRE: The article is more of an informational and persuasive article because they consistently address different reasons on why it’s important to focus on women’s rights and what exactly they’re being deprived of. In addition to that, they discuss documents that have their support due to the fact that it focuses on granting women the rights they deserve.
STANCE: Global Fund for women strongly believes that once women take a stand and make their voices heard, only then can we see a social change. The more support these movements get, the stronger it becomes and the louder their voices are.