5 Sexist Laws That Still Exist in the United States

Ryan Lau | @agorisms

For many years, women have fought for equal treatment, both at home and abroad. During many of their struggles, they faced considerable backlash for doing so. Now, in the eyes of many, the United States is a shining example of gender equality, at least in a legal sense. For the most part, a woman can do everything that a man can do. But unfortunately, there are still a number of areas in which the country does not provide women with equal rights. The following sexist laws still exist in parts of the country.

1. Custody Rights for Rapists

In seven states, (Alabama, Maryland, Mississippi, Wyoming, Minnesota, New Mexico, and North Dakota) a woman has no protection against a custody battle if she decides to keep a child that is the product of a rape. Even if courts convict the man, he may be eligible for custody time. At the very minimum, he is legally able to begin a custody fight.

In the events that a rapist wins, the mother, rather than being away from her attacker, must share custody. As a result, she is at increased risk for further attacks due to the proximity to her rapist that shared custody would place her in.

Some of the states, including Maryland, have recognized this as a major issue. Lawmakers have been trying to remove the parental rights of a rapist, but thus far, they have been unsuccessful. Though they see this as one of America’s sexist laws, there is a long way to go before they can change it.

Eight other states allowed parental rights for rapists until 2016 when they removed them.



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