"No," means "no!"

"When a man says 'no', it means no, when a women says 'no', it's a negotiation." ~Oprah

I find this quote to be so true. This is not an issue just among batterers, but in general; there seems to be a norm of men disrespecting women. Women lack a strong voice. Women have made strides in the women's rights movement, however, the alarming statistics of violence on women proves we still have leaps to go. There is a battle of power and control of a women's life, image, body and societal role.

Many women work outside of the home, yet many men still believe that a woman's main purpose in life is to maintain the home. There seems to be resentment that women have careers. I do not think that there is anything wrong with a woman who decides to be a homemaker nor a woman who decides to have a career. The issue is when a women does not have a choice of defining what life she wants to live. There is an issue when both lifestyles are under constant scrunity by both men and women. It seems that no matter what a woman does it is never enough. When will women be equals in this society? When will women be equals in their homes? But more importantly, how will bring about these much needed changes. The time for social change is today.