Role of women in times of social change

Role of women in times of social change From a passive housewife to an active member of society in times of social change, where are our women heading? So, what influenced the women in our society to change? With smiles on their faces and freshly cooked meals on the tables, they used to wait for their husbands to come back home from work. Their ambitions were centred on the marriage, fulfilment of the role of a proud housewife and devoted mother and the economic security that their husbands, the breadwinners, have provided them. But, in the past fifteen years, a womans path from an obeying housewife to an emancipated, independent and active member of society has been both, a cause and a reflection of social change in the UK. Feminine mystique Looking back to the past decade, there has been significant influences from the Womens Liberation Movement that has tackled the traditional gender roles. America has not only brought the drive to invent the clever labour saving devices designed to liberate women from domestic drudgery, it has, also, introduced Betty Friedans book, The Feminine Mystique to our British ladies. In this feminist classic of 1963 Friedan claimed: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The women who grow up wanting to be just a housewife are in as much danger as the millions who walked to their own death in concentration camps (Friedan in Fermaglich,2006,p.58). Her strong views of the womens position in society have caused historians to charge her with carelessness, insensitivity and exaggeration. However, nobody could stop the raising assertiveness of women who claimed that the labour saving virtues of modern household technology were countered by an expansion of maternal duties and more exacting levels of cleanliness. As feminists point out, for women of the 1950s in general, happiness was defined by a stereotyped view of the womans role as a homemaker and consequently, many women experienced social isolation. Women were expected to give up work once married and magazines such as Woman portrayed the image of a perfect housewife as the social norm1  [0]  . These high, and often impossible expectations are some of the causes that make the depressed housewife one of the more frequent visitors to the councillors office1  [1]  . Challenging the traditional values With growing female dissatisfaction and frustration, the rise of feminism is quite understandable as many women have begun to question their image of domesticity in the sixties. The teenagers, in particular, have challenged their, rather prescribed roles and as the young girls have developed into women, they promoted more liberal attitudes. The rising female resilience towards social constrains have resulted in a union of British feminist movements. With their aim to promote equality between the genders, at the first National Womens Liberation Conference held in 1970, they assertively demanded equal pay, free contraception and abortion on request, equal educational and job opportunities as well as free twenty-four-hour childcare  [10]  . Betty Friedan had set up the National Organisation of Women in 1966The success of feminism in bringing about the legal changes cannot be denied. In the past decade, the passing of the Abortion Act 1967, Divorce Reform Act 1969 and Equal Pay Act 1970  [11]  have made the women the main beneficiaries. However, the feminist conference and the four iconic demands took place after the government legislated in favour of women. This proves that some social injustices are still affecting women which are beyond the scope of legislation. These belong to the world of embedded prejudice among women as well as men. Even with their significant achievements, feminists still struggle to change the principal attitude at large we are still witnessing social and moral restraints that many women, particularly single mothers, spinsters and divorcees face  [12]  . Education was another useful tool by which girls expectations were manipulated. The universal secondary education and the expansion of universities in the 1960s facilitated admissions of women to higher education, but women felt frustrated that better jobs were still going to men even with their equal qualification  [13]  . Therefore, the emancipated, middle class girls have promoted the feminism as they benefited the most from the campaigns for equal rights. However, women from the lower classes have seen feminism as nothing more than the obsession of the middle class  [14]  as they did not feel the direct affects of the feminists urge for womens liberation. Girls work girls shop! Still, the most encouraging trend indicating the change in the society is that more women are working outside their homes. Nevertheless, researchers take 1961 as the critical point when, for the first time, it was the married women who dominated among the female workforce. As the figures have been steadily rising since then, historians and sociologists predict that we are heading in a way where by 1980 two thirds of all women at work will be married  [15]  . The reasons and impacts of this trend cannot be ignored. While many women view work as an escape from the loneliness of their homes, the families where both parents are in work benefit from an increase in consumer power. With an extra income, there are opportunities for a holiday or purchase of a car  [16]  . Therefore, the higher standard of living is an inspiration for married women to work  [17]  and also, a persuasive argument for their husbands to accept the new trend. This change has largely transformed the old fashioned attitude of the 1950s where working women are portrayed as a threat by depriving men of their jobs  [18]  . Combined with the increased family income and low figures of unemployment, new attitudes systematically led to a general increase in consumerism. Nevertheless, if all the reinforcement of feminism and the recent change in the law have caused Britain to go girlie, female natural affinities are not to be overseen. The fact is girls shop!  [19]  . Feminist propagandaThe new, liberating fashion for young women, mini skirts and see-through blouses, welcomed the beginning of the buy-and-throw-away consumer culture as we know it today. Even after the feminists criticised the new styles as a reinforcement of the new female stereotypes, relatively cheap clothes as designed by Biba have helped to create the concept of shopping as a leisure activity which has spread from young women to society at large  [20]  . Apart from fashion, the challenging attitudes of the younger generation had an impact on society in many ways. Teenage girls embraced feminism as it complied with the rebellious nature of the youth culture who were urged not to accept tamely what they were told, but to make their own judgements  [21]  . This presents the biggest threat to the future of the old fashioned, traditionalist Britain and if by looking at our offspring we can draw predictions about our future, the feminists are the ones to celebrate. Equal Pay fact or a myth? Families with both spouses in work contributed to an economic emancipation of society and allowed women to gain a degree of independence. But, less encouraging is that, in every occupation, employers restricted women to particular kinds of work, where they must accept low skilled and inferior jobs  [22]  . But, towards the end of the sixties, as the female workforce grew and women became generally more liberated, there was a growing attitude that discrimination was wrong  [23]  . This injustice has inspired over eight hundred women, sewing machinists at Fords Dagenham factory to surprise the country with their strike for equal pay in 1968. Even after the striking women agreed to 92% of male wages, their actions, the support of the first female Secretary of State, Barbara Castle, and the urging of the feminists, have publicly highlighted the existence of the discrimination of women in the sixties. This has subsequently led to the reform and the passing of the Equal Pay Act in 1970  [24]  . For most women, the feminists ideas about female fulfilment was alien and unrealistic, therefore, the majority regarded it as a movement of the affluent middle class  [25]  . But the sewing machinists proved that the there has been a change of attitudes in general as women from all social classes wanted better and more equal roles in the society. Having afternoon tea with the Secretary of State women of DagenhamBut, five years after the changes have been made in the law, employers discrimination still leaves the gender gap  [26]  . The types of jobs that traditionally belong to women, such as nursing, remain less paid than the ones dominated by men. The evidence of inequality between the genders is in brutally honest statistics in the past ten years the salaries of women increased less rapidly on average than those of men. Today, average earnings of women is just a little more than half of those of men  [27]  . However, the life stories of Yvonne Pope, the first women Air Traffic Controller in 1960 who has also earlier this year became the first women pilot and Annie Nightingale, the first woman on Radio One inspire many girls. Even while the debate about the principle equal pay for equal work continues, these women, pioneers in the world of male employment give optimism to many young girls. Working mothers, the pill, abortion on request: Is modern society exterminating us? The defenders of a traditional, patriarchal family have made the link between the recent fall in birth rates and increases in female employment. Their accusing finger points to a direct causal effect of the women in work which subsequently strengthens the beliefs that women belong at home. This attitude is still embedded in society, although a report in 1963 denied any correlation between the two. Still, many women, even today, feel guilty when applying for jobs  [28]  . While Penelope Mortimer and Margaret Drabble wrote articles in which they supported the traditionalist views by glorifying the position of women as mothers, feminists questioned the belief that women could only be fulfilled through motherhood  [29]  . They also campaigned for the right to family planning measures and the first effective contraception pill has undoubtedly become the feature of the decade. Even after officially going on sale in 1961, the turning point was in 1969  [30]  when it became an available choice to all women regardless of their marital status. The feminists eight year long battle to make the pill available to everyone proves how effortful it was to change the traditional attitudes towards motherhood and sex. The Pill was largely criticized by many, but probably the most disputed of the sixties reforms is the Abortion Act 1967  [31]  . Even though it was illegal in the early sixties, the expensive West End clinics performed thousands of abortions a year. At the other end of the social scale, horrific back-street abortions with coat-hangers and unofficially trained clinicians were the main cause of avoidable maternal death  [32]  . Even so, abortion is strongly opposed by the Catholic Church who asserts how all life is sacred  [33]  and not even all feminists agreed with it  [34]  . However, the passing of the Abortion Act is, after all, a powerful indicator of the extent to which women had become more emancipated. Decline in birth ratesVoluntary child bearing and the increase in divorce rates as a consequence of the passing of the Divorce Reform Act 1969 have all had a transforming effect on domestic life, the idea of home, and all the roles and functions of womanhood  [35]  . These play the important factors in producing smaller families as does increased family affluence which have made people choose their priorities with care. Even the modern architecture reinforces the trend towards smaller families new houses are designed for families with only two or three children  [36]  . So, where are our women heading? When analysing social change, it is important to stress the diversity in aspirations of British women. Whether that is as a housewife or as a career woman, some are free to choose their lifestyle, but others are still constrained by the attitudes and norms of the society they live in. The changes in government policy extended womens choices, but it remains to be seen if they have achieved the right balance between work and family. However, it is the social as well as economic circumstances which unavoidably leave some women more equal than others. In the future these issues will need to be addressed if women are to overcome the discrimination that still exists3  [7]  . However, the promotion of equality between the genders by the younger generations indicate, not a revolution, but a slow evolution of a womens role in British society.

Sylvia Plath: A Search for Self :: Biography Biographies Essays

Sylvia Plath: A Search for Self      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The collective body of Sylvia Plath's poetry demonstrates definitively her mastery of her craft. Plath has been criticized for her overtly autobiographical work and her suicidal pessimism, however, close study reveals that her poetry transcends categorization and has a voice uniquely her own. As Katha Pollit concluded in a 1982 Nation review, "by the time she came to write her last seventy or eighty poems, there was no other voice like hers on earth" (Wagner 1). In works such as "Lady Lazarus," "Daddy," and "Morning Song," Plath relates her own painfully experiences in the form of dramatic monologues using a persona who eventually triumphs over adversity by regaining the self that had been lost before the struggle of the poem.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Plath, the narrator of "Lady Lazarus" has "the great and terrible gift of being reborn . . . she is the Phoenix, the libertarian spirit" (Wagner 71). In compact three-line stanzas, the speaker sardonically comments on her unique ability and its implications. Her tone demonstrates her boredom towards the attention paid to her by "the peanut-crunching crowd." Unlike the Biblical Lazarus who is called forth from the grave by Jesus, Lady Lazarus is able to resurrect herself and so avoids the polarities of God and Lucifer. Neither of these figures is able to exact punishment for the atrocities that man heaps on man, so the speaker transfigures herself by reducing her body to ashes and reviving her life through flame. As Leonard Sanazaro points out, "This willfulness to arise and devour humankind in the form of a self-fulfilled deity points up the impotence of the traditional concepts of good and evil" (Wagner 90) Lady Lazarus transcends these boundaries.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The imagery used throughout the poem is associated with the treatment of the Jews by the Nazis in concentration camps during World War II. Plath addresses the inhumanity of the situation, using such phrases as "A cake of soap,/A wedding ring,/A gold filling" to represent a human being. Plath also alludes to the medical experimentation that was practiced by the Nazi doctors. Plath has often been criticized for relating her hardships to that of the Jews. After all, she grew up in a relatively stable and affluent home and received an excellent education; her suffering was in her mind. Plath said specifically that her poems had come:

Black Dog by Penelope Lively Essay

Brenda Case is a mid-age housewife with personal problems. The English modern short story â€Å"Black Dog†, written by Penelope Lively, portrays Mrs. Case as being a frustrated woman with a peculiar manner, besides this she has difficulties to adapt within the society’s norms. This is probably because Brenda Case is going through the largest crisis in her life; the mid-life crisis. This gives Brenda some difficult factors to deal with. She is going through this emotional state of doubt and anxiety, realizing that her life is halfway over. Through the whole story Brenda is searching or her own sincere character, but has trouble finding it. As a defence mechanism, she supersedes all of her feelings. Was this the life she really would have wanted? The Black Dog symbolizes her â€Å"shadow life†. We’re situated in a suburb of England; the Case family is a regular middleclass family. Mrs. Case, who is the principle character, is a housewife and her husband, John, makes the money. Their life is characterized by the static tedious daily routine; her doing the shopping and him attending the Job. One day Brenda starts seeing a large Black Dog lying in their front yard. She constantly has a fear that the dog is going to eat her, basically paranoia of the wild animal. However, Mr. Case cannot see the dog. He even asks all the neighbours, but they haven’t seen the dog either. The colour of the dog should illustrate bad omen and negativity, but was this really signifying bad omen or was all this commotion simply caused by Brenda’s alter ego or her introverted state? As mentioned the dog symbolizes Brenda’s shadow life; the psychological term of the life that she could have had or if you live in the shadow of someone else. Mrs. Case obviously did not have a dream of becoming a housewife but she first realized her own character now. Perhaps she was pressurized from outside influences on what to do. This is also shown when Brenda follows the guidance from her two well turned- out daughters; they advice her to go on vacation and redecorate the house. However, when this made no progress they send her to the doctor’s office. All these recommendations are not helping Mrs. Case crisis, she finds out that facing the problem was the right solution for her. She understands that the Black Dog will be there all the time until she faces the real problem, her mid-life crisis. I would assume answering the question of â€Å"What is valuable in life? † and â€Å"What is the meaning of life? † would be a difficult task. The vagueness of the query is inherent in the word â€Å"meaning† and â€Å"value†, which opens the question to many interpretations. Some would use theological or spiritual explanations, where others would use scientific theories or philosophical arguments. The power of the words means different things to different people. Clearly Mrs. Brenda Case has gone through a her ageing children; all of a sudden she did not have to take care of her kids any longer. We can conclude that most outside influences have noting to do with your real self. You need to find your own sincere meaning of what life is and what goals you may have got. Some say a mid-life crisis also is the beginning of individuation and a process of self-actualization that continues on to death. But what is a mid-life crisis? Is it the physical changes associated with ageing or the changing of spousal relationship? Is it the death of parents or the children becoming adults? Perhaps it is the menopause for women and work issues for men? I guess a crisis through mid-life would involve reflections on what the individual has done up to that point often associated with feelings that not enough was accomplished. Maybe Brenda had the convincing that she one day would be successful accountant manager, instead she became a housewife wearing a pinafore. At the end of the story John Case suddenly see some footsteps of the dog, but what is causing his hallucination? A large question remains unanswered.

The Lessons Learned from Vietnam Essay - 802 Words

The Lessons Learned from Vietnam Lorenzo M. Crowell discusses the lessons that Americans have learned from the Vietnam conflict in his article The Lessons and Ghosts of Vietnam. Crowell analyzes the lessons learned from Vietnam and applies them to the military strategies of today. Crowell does overlook some problems involving the power of Saddam Hussein after Desert Storm and the comparison of two dissimilar wars. Crowell is effective in his arguments with the use of first-hand viewpoints, current newsprint, and political figureheads. Although the article The Lessons and Ghosts of Vietnam had some weak points, overall the article is effective and informative. Crowells main idea in his paper is how Americans have†¦show more content†¦One problem that arises in the article is Crowell trying to compare two dissimilar conflicts. Vietnam was a conflict that did not directly involve the United States. Desert Storm did involve the United States by jeopardizing our oil supply from the Middle East. The military was also prepared and ready to fight during Desert Storm where as in Vietnam the draft was introduced due to the lack of volunteer soldiers. The military strategies used in each conflict were different. In Vietnam man-to-man combat was employed over a slow period of time and Desert Storm utilized a more rapid attack using ballistic missiles. Crowell says, #8230;military force should be applied without restrictions, reflects an assumption that the unsatisfactory Vietnam experience might have been satisfactory without gradualism#8230; the war could have been ended quicker, perhaps even with victory (234). These two wars were s o different that Crowell should not have compared them and is ineffective in proving his points regarding the two conflicts. Another main issue that Crowell overlooks in the article is the problems in Desert Storm. The article mentions only the positive results in Iraq and ignores the mistakes made by the military. The main problem is that Saddam Hussein is still alive and dangerous. The threat of biological and chemical weapons that Iraq posses still lurks above our heads. Also the medical issues with exposures to the chemicals that SaddamShow MoreRelatedLessons Learned from the American Experience in Vietnam Essay994 Words   |  4 PagesLessons Learned from the American Experience in Vietnam DeVry University HUMN415: Vietnam and the 20th Century Experience Spring A 2010 Lessons Learned from the American Experience in Vietnam The Vietnam War was a war that seems to have thought the American Military and Government officials a lot about diplomatic negotiations, presidential leadership, and cultural/social contexts. 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