Augusta National is a private golf club that has historically admitted a very select group of members--business leaders, politicians, and men. Just men. Until now. Read the article here, and let the class know what you think. Should they be praised for this move? Does it matter? On a broader level, do you think that women are treated equally in American society? Would you call yourself a feminist?
A reminder that school starts in a week--for you guys. I had a nice early morning today. Be ready with your notes on the readings, have your online comments done, and study for a quiz!
Honestly, I think this whole ordeal with Augusta National is much ado about nothing. Augusta National is a private organization, and therefore has the right of selective association, as established by BSA v Dade. If they just so happen to allow women in their club, good for them. I don’t think Augusta national should be pressured into inviting women, as they have been in the past. Augusta National should not be praised or rebuked for their actions. They’ve always had the choice as to who they wanted to invite, and it’s no different now. Should they go out of their way to make up for past exclusions of women? No. In doing so would only show that they succumb to pressure from the media. Augusta National should just continue to invite people as they have been, except now they have a greater pool of people to choose from.
ReplyDeleteI think that women are treated somewhat equal in today’s society. Much of the ‘discrimination’ that occurs today is rooted (though sometimes very shallowly) in the differences between men and women. I believe that preferential treatment is wrong in any case, even if to make up for past discrimination. Private employers should have every right to vet potential employees, and their decisions to hire or fire should not be questioned. Rather, each job candidate should make themselves look as good as possible by working as hard as possible.
Although I believe that the press is making a big deal out of Augusta National admitting women, I do think that it deserves some attention. It is kind of surprising to me that an organization in modern society would wait so long before allowing women to join. The club seems a little behind on allowing diversity, not allowing black members until 1990. So, I don't think that praise should be given for their decision. Yes, it is great, but it should have happened a long time ago.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that Augusta National has now started to admit women, but I respect the private organization's rules and regulations at the same time. As Andrew stated, Boy Scouts of America v. Dale established that since it's a private organization, it can have whatever rules it sees fit. So, I'm not mad or shocked that it took this long, but I think this will open doors for the organization and allow growth for both the club and the sport.
ReplyDeleteAfter all, the organization didn't ban women completely because it allowed women to be guests. If the club did, however, I think this could be a bigger issue.
I don't think women are treated equally on everything in society like jobs in business, but that's changing more and more every day.
I'm glad that Augusta National is beginning to allow women into the organization. It's just a step further into stopping gender bias and discrimination. It matters that something like this took so long to accomplish but an issue as minor as this should not be so deeply looked into or worried about. This issue is only focused on a select group of women, so in the long run it doesn't seem greatly important. Women are not entirely as equal as men in this country. There will always be a gender bias of some level, especially in business and the work place, but that is continuing to change with steps and issues like this being addressed everyday.
ReplyDeleteAugusta National Golf Club has long been known for their all male policies. Although their policies have excluded women as members until now, like Alyssa said, it should not come as a surprise to many about the duration of time it took to do so. I believe that the all-male policy is what made Augusta National so special. I am thrilled that they have decided to admit women but I think many people will overlook this pronouncement. Women are not always treated equally in society and we can prove this by the differences in wages the two genders get at jobs. Instead of always trying to be accepted in areas and clubs that have traditionally been all male, women need to start constructing their own clubs and building a name for them, because one day they might be just as highly regarded as the Augusta National Golf Club is.
ReplyDeleteAugusta National Golf Club is making some serious changes, but the kind of attention that we are giving to them makes me wonder if our country has ever moved past the sexism we used to display so prominently. Obviously, Augusta National is allowed to make and uphold any policy they would like, and they chose a male-only policy. But when we, as a nation, shine such a large spotlight on their progression, we are redefining a line that should not exist between sexes. The women invited to Augusta National Golf Club ought to be proud of their achievement because the process to being invited is very selective and prestigious. I agree with Sam T. that an issue like this shouldn't get this much attention, probably more attention that the Oak Creek shooting received. Women are not treated as equals to men in this country. This is demonstrated in a salary difference between men and women doing the same job, and in the book The Working Poor, by David Shipler, a woman named Caroline tells how women with more experience for promotions in Wal-Mart were passed over to hire a man with less experience on a regular basis. I think that by highlighting events like this, we will probably never reach gender equality in the United States.
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ReplyDeleteIn retrospect, there is no true need to praise Augusta National, as their allowing women into the club is basically just a publicity stunt to try to draw the media's attention to both the club itself and the sport of golf. No matter what kind of move they try to make, it is going to be very difficult to "spark" the number of people that play golf because it is an expensive sport to partake in and most people simply won't spend that kind of money- whether or not one club is unbiased will not have a dramatic impact. What concerns me is the fact that we are more worried about golf than we are about more critical matters that should come first in the national agenda. I do believe that women are treated unfairly in the United States and that discrimination can range from playing golf to earning a lower income than a man, though the same task was performed. Gender bias has always been a problem in this country and I don't believe that it will ever be fully eradicated, at least not in my lifetime. Patrick L.
ReplyDeleteThe event of Augusta National inviting women for the first time into their prestigious golf club certainly matters. This doesn't mean however that it should be a huge deal. I'm really not sure how much attention this has really been given because were it not for this blog I would not have known this even happened. That's probably just because I am not reading the paper everyday but because of that I'm not sure if it has been given too much attention or not.
ReplyDeleteI do know, as many already have stated, that this club has the right to be exclusive, but finally inviting women is a step in the right direction. To add on to what Alexis said about this redefining a line between sexes: I'd say that the line exists whether or not we are looking at it and yes this event drew attention to it but it doesn't mean, necessarily, that it is "redefining" the line. Women in this country are not treated equal to men in all things that they should be. For example women still get paid less than men for doing the same job. That needs to change. As far as golf goes, it is good that they let women in, but they are a private organization and they have the right not to, so it doesn’t require too much media attention.
The fact that Augusta National Golf Club recently accepted women into their facility is great. I do however think that they were pressured into doing this. The first page of this article shows that the golf club recieved a bunch of pressure especially in 2002; I think that the only reason they waited so long is so it wouldn't seem as though they were giving into the media. I agree with both Andrew and Alyssa that since it is a private club people shouldn't make such a big deal over their rules and regulations. It's their club no one elses. That's why I believe they gave into pressure, they knew that they didn't have to change their rules to accept women but they did.
ReplyDeleteI do conisider myself a feminist, I am a girl so obviously I would be for anything dealing with expanding womens rights. I do agree with Sam that women will be looked at as less equal to men, but these type of situations are gradually helping. I do not think that women will ever be seen as complete equal to men ever in this society.
I think that this doesn't change the fact about the matter itself. Don't get me wrong congratulations to Rice and Moore, but to hold up this decision as any kind of victory for women is to totally miss the point. Augusta National is one of the most exclusive clubs in the world, for both men AND women, and it will continue to be after Rice and Moore are in. This changes nothing. It was always silly grandstanding for Martha Burk to use this an an emblem of feminism or gender equality, and the admission of these two individuals does nothing to further any feminist causes, nor does it increase or decrease the chance of any other women getting in, much in the same way that the previous all-male membership somehow increased my chances of getting in despite my white male bona-fides. Are the gates now somehow thrown wide open at Augusta for women? No. It still is and will always be a place where only the rarest of wealthy, connected individuals are offered membership. That's the thing that's discriminated in favor of. Is is not and has never been about sex.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don’t think Augusta National should be praised for this move. The media played a large role in the timing of the club’s highly awaited announcement and in the overall decision to permit women to be added to the organization. Augusta National is a private organization, which is entitled to make their own decisions, and it seems that they are just feeding in to what the media wants to hear. This club also includes presidents and leading businessmen, so the average women doesn’t benefit from this decision, only top women in the political or business spotlight as well as excellent female golfers. Thus, the addition of female members really isn’t a leap for “womankind.” I’d definitely consider myself a feminist, and I don’t believe that women are being treated fairly in our society. As many people have commented, women only make about $0.75 to every dollar made by a man for the same job. This is clearly unfair, and I honestly don’t know if the gender gap is something that our society, as a whole, will ever be able to fix.
ReplyDeleteI think that Augusta National made a good decision for the sport of golf. They are of course a private organization and entitled to do whatever they want, but whenever there appears to be discrimination of any sort, it is good to see that discrimination end. Although this was not a particularly appalling case of discrimination, it’s nice to see that Augusta National was willing to make a change. They probably wanted to make this change earlier, but felt pressured into doing it and did not want to feel like they had succumbed to it. Overall, I think women are treated equally in society and that they are given equal opportunity to succeed in America.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Augusta National’s decision to add Ms. Rice and Ms. Moore hardly matters in terms of women rights. This is not a huge step in the everlasting women rights movement. The media is making it seem like now that two women are part of one of the most exclusive clubs in the world, suddenly the club will start adding more and more. That is not the case at all. Augusta national is considered one of the most exclusive clubs for a reason, and not only for women but for men too. Not many people are members of the club and I don’t think they will start to add numerous amounts of women. Their actions should not be praised or unaccepted; it is simply a minor event that was bound to happen. I respect William Johnson’s quote “but that timetable will be ours, and not at the point of a bayonet” because it shows that the club is strong and stands for tradition. It tells people that if they wish to allow female membership it will be their decision and on their time, and the decision will not be because of pressure from the media. I respect their years of exclusive membership as well as their decision to allow females into their club, since it was all their decision.
ReplyDeleteAugusta National did the right thing admitting women. For women to really be treated equally this should not be praised, it should be as simply a new addition to a very exclusive club, not a huge change. Augusta National should be viewed as trivial in terms of overall gender equality.
ReplyDeleteWomen in our society have certainly faced major discrimination in the past but it has significantly been decreased if not eliminated. The gender gap in pay is at an all time low. Also, it is not a very good factor at determining equality in the work place because it simply takes into account the median salary for all full time employees, not their jobs or what hours they work. Men tend to choose higher paying jobs while women place more importance on shorter work weeks, proximity to home, and fulfillment. Even after taking that into account unmarried women have a higher median salary than unmarried men. If there is discrimination in terms of preferential hiring or only promoting men, then that is a different story. Discrimination in these ways should be prevented if possible without creating extreme affirmative action type legislation.
Augusta National made a correct and overdue decision on admitting women to the club. Women and especially women in the twenty first century need to be treated as equal to men in all aspects of life, including a membership to a golf club. Even though Augusta National was not breaking any laws by not allowing women to become members they still should have made this decision earlier. I understand tradition is important but when if it gets to the point that in order to continue your tradition you have to dirscrimate its not worth it. Augusta National does not need to be praised for this decision. They are one of the last organizations that discrimate against woman.If anything they need to be ridiculed for just now admitting women to the club. On a broader level, women's right has come a long way and are treated equal in almost every aspect of life. Their is only one large institution that women are not treated as equals, the catholic church. I am catholic and disagree with the unequal treatment of allowing only men to become priests. All in all women are treated as equals in most everything and where they are not the media needs to discover it and make the public aware.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that Augusta National Golf Club has accepted women into their facility. I do believe that women need to be treated equally, but I also respect the fact that it is a private organization and therefore have the right to accept whoever they want. I agree with Billy's thought that for women to really be treated equally this should not be praised. Discrimination against women is not as big of an issue in today's society as it has been in the past. There may still some discrimination against women, but not nearly as much as there has been and there seems to be less and less discrimination everyday. But it is great to see the club accepting women and making a change.
ReplyDeleteI think that Augusta made the right decision, but it might be a little late to matter. It is very important to view women as equal to men in today's society, so doing this is a smart move. However, the history is already there and will remain of Augusta not letting women in until now since the start of the club. Women are not equal overall in today's society, and I am not a feminist. This to me is not the important subject here. These women are two of the most popular and successful women in the world, and this completely goes along with the tradition of only letting in the wealthiest people who are part of that one percent of America. But even with the complaint of not letting women in or not letting the lower two classes in, the fact remains that they're a private club, so they are entitled to do whatever they want. People may not like it, but it doesn't matter.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised that Augusta National waited this long to admit woman into their club. It is a great thing that they have broadened the kind of person that they let in, but to wait until the year 2012 where woman have already made a lot of progress it seems as if this club is late taking to the new world. I think it does deserve attention because there are many feminists who spend all their time fighting for women's rights and hearing about this can give them a sense of accomplishment in their work. Even though it may have only been two woman that were accepted it is still a big step for Augusta National and will hopefully grow to more and more women being accepted as well.
ReplyDeleteI think that by admitting women into the club they have a made a step forward. While I do believe there will always be some gender bias in the world, I respect the club's decision to permit women to be allowed in. If you look at the wages of female and male workers, males tend to make more, automatically showing you that the two genders are not treated equally in pay. The story of Augusta National allowing women into their private club is great, but the fact that it is getting so much publicity is bothersome to me. There is no news of this volume when a few men are admitted into the club, so for there to be this much of a story about women being admitted shows that the two are not treated equally. The significance of men and women in the club is not equal. Just because women are accepted into this private club does not mean they are being treated equally.
ReplyDeleteI would not label myself as a feminist although I will advocate for the expansion of women's rights, but I do not think this story is about such expansion of rights. It's about the media trying to make a big story. I believe that men and women should be equal, but as Billy said, I do not think giving publicity and praise to stories such as this are an effective way to reduce the discrimination of women. In fact, I think stories like these show just how much of a gender division we have in society.
It's good that Augusta is allowing women into the club, but I don't think they should get such high praise for something they should have done long ago. This event seems like something that should have happened years, and it makes me wonder why it's just now happening in the year 2012. All things considered though, just because they're now allowing women to join doesn't mean that the club will be a nice compilation of half men and half women. Most American women won't be affected by this change because it's such an elite club. People are praising them for “taking a step forward,” but giving such high praise for something that is long overdue only sounds like a step back to me, especially in this time period where women have come quite a long way but are still not equal.
ReplyDeleteAs a private organization, the Augusta National Golf Club can include or exclude whomever they wish,
ReplyDeletebut it is surprising that it has taken so long for the Club to admit women, as Martha Burke said. The
fact that they are now admitting women could ultimately help change this nation’s lingering gender
bias in all different areas, especially the most prominent ones such as the workforce. I agree with ALice, and I do think this
story should be getting attention, though not so much to give the Club praise for something they should have done a while ago. This is a big step for
the Augusta National Golf Club and could lead other organizations to do the same thing. It definitely
matters, particularly to those women admitted. As Alexis said, they should be very proud.
It's great that Augusta has decided to start admitting women, but it really isn't that big of a deal. As almost everyone has pointed out, Augusta, being a private organization, has every right to exclude anyone they want from their golf course. I don't think their past exclusion of women was sexism on the part of those controlling Augusta, rather preservation of tradition. Honestly, if this is a victory for women's rights, it's a very shallow one. Firstly, 99.99% of the population couldn't become a member of Augusta, so it isn't as if this was some huge injustice to women everywhere. Secondly, outside of Augusta's members, this will change absolutely nothing; no one will treat women differently because of this.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think women are treated about as equal as they will be. Discrimination against women has been cut down significantly in the past 50-60 years, and at this point, aside from removing sexists from our society, there isn't much the government can do. I don't think that women should be treated differently from men in the workplace, and the vast majority of employers are fair in their treatment of women. Many times, people too quickly try to put the blame on sexism, without looking deeper in to the issue and trying to understand the rationale of the "sexists."
Augusta National admitting women into their club is a great step forward for them and gets them out of a traditional mindset where women are treated as inferior to men. However, to the rest of the world it does not seem like a very important event since they are a private organization and they have the right to decide who to let in. Women's rights have definitely come a long way since the beginning of this country, but still women are not treated completely equally. I would not call myself a feminist because although I do believe that women should be paid the same as men for doing equal work, I am glad women do not have the right or ability to be drafted into the army, so sometimes I appreciate that women and men are not always looked at in the same way.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Augusta National. Only 92 years after women were granted suffrage, you have allowed two women to join your elite golf club of around 300 members. The first black man was admitted to the club in 1990. Clearly, this is a racist and sexist group of America's elite, and, to be honest, why should we care if they allow two women to join? As others have said, this is much ado about nothing. This was simply a publicity stunt quite possibly aimed to garner additional support for our GOP President and VP candidates, who have spotty records regarding women's rights. Their plans to eliminate abortions and limit access to birth control (which would affect a whole lot more than two women) are much more worthy of the public's attention than this.
ReplyDeleteAs many of the comments have said, Augusta does have the right to choose who it admits into its club,and if the organization doesn't want female members, they have the right to prevent them from joining. It's sad that even after the womens suffrage movement, females are still discriminated against in various ways, in the workplace in golf clubs, but I guess that's the price we have to pay. We aren't required to join the draft,therefore we should make less money than a man doing the same job, yes that makes sense. The fact that women aren't required to join the draft is also a low blow in my opinion, it shows that we are thought of as weaker in society, I don't see the problem. I don't understand why it took so long for them to admit women it the club, but in the end it was up to them as a private organization to choose who was admitted into the club.
ReplyDeleteI think its good that this club let go of dated polices and are letting women play, but at the same time private clubs should be allowed to make their own polices without government intervention. I'm not saying that discrimination is good in any way shape or form, but if a club has an anti women policy it should be a good reason for a women to stay away from them because they probably aren't very friendly towards women.A friend once told me "i have people in my family that are racist, they've always been racist, and they will die racist. There's nothing i can do to change that, but i should keep my black friends away from them." I say its good that they changed their policy, but if they were coerced or bullied into changing they probably aren't friendly toward women, and women should stay away from them. If there policy prevented a women from being near potentially sexist and aggressive people, maybe the policy should of stayed there so women wouldn't have any chance to be near them.
ReplyDeleteThe topic of Augusta National admitting women into their club has been a hot topic for the past couple years, just last year Virginia M. Rometty, the CEO of IBM was looked at very heavily by Augusta National for membership because normally the CEO of IBM is invited to become a member of their esteemed club. I disagree with Byron, with his statement saying that they are a racist and sexist group. Boy Scouts of America vs Dale 1999 allowed a private organization such as the Boy Scouts to not have to allow gay man to be troop leaders. This because they are a private organization and Augusta National could do the same with women if they wanted to. Although I do praise them with this move because women have come a long way and are a big part of the world compared to 30 years ago. Women are very strong people in this day and age but as Claire said they still are not treated equally. I believe they will keep on getting more respect but never truly be completely equal, men will always be inferior. Women deserve to be treated (even though they will not be) the same as men, but a private organization can do whatever they please.
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