Tammy Wynette once sang, "Sometimes, it's hard to be a woman." She could have stopped right there.

As a matter of fact, it's usually hard to be a woman in a society that often seems intent on ignoring our unique challenges as human

beings. Portrayed as "nurturing helpers," "mothers," or "shrews" and , women continue to struggle

against a cluster of stereotypical roles attached to our sex.

While men have their own unique challenges and struggle under sex stereotypes of their own, many of the problems women face are

rooted in our biological reality and our reproductive capacity. As young girls, we watch our bodies change and suddenly come under

the male gaze. We begin to menstruate, experiencing the first indication of our "otherness" in the uncanny reality that we bleed

every month yet don't die.