Anne Meneley's Roles Essay

When my roommate was in elementary school, the boys in her grade would not let her play sports with her. The reason they gave her was that she was a girl, and sports were not for girls. She was told that she was not strong enough to play, and that sports were a boy thing. They then told her to go play house or kiss tag. When they said that, she proceeded to beat the boys up, making them look like the ones who weren’t strong. While violence is not the way to prove someone wrong, this story has a point. Taylor wanted to play basketball, but she was told she couldn’t because she was a girl. This might seem like innocent children making assumptions, but this is where it begins. These children will grow into adults that watch movies like Pixel, where the woman who is objectified is literally turned into an object, watch television shows like Two and a Half Men, which glorifies the manipulation and sexual conquest of women, and read books like Lolita and take it seriously. This idea, while developed in other places as well, is created through the media.

Throughout the times women have proven to themselves as well as people around them that they can take on roles just as important as men. This paper will begin by detailing the work experience and cultural barriers of Hatshepsut, the queen that reigned in Egypt during 1479- 1458 B.C. Followed by the impact she had on gender roles and issues. Next the cultural challenges and obstacles faced by women in Saudi Arabia will be addressed. These women have had many years of restrictive traditions placed upon them and now they have the chance to get a higher-level education and become professionals in their society. Lastly, the paper will discuss the impact the women who worked in factories during World War II had on gender roles. As well as what their culture thought was meant to be all they accomplished during their lifetime.

I am a 38-year-old white American female. Some would argue that there is no better time to a woman in America – we have far more rights and privileges than either our colonial ancestors or women in many third world nations. Yet, even in my lifetime women have achieved milestones like the Violence Against Women Act, originally passed in 1994 but reauthorized and updated in 2013. Females in this country fight battles on many fronts that males, as a group, do not have to deal with on the same level. Women are sexually harassed, assaulted and raped far more than men. I myself have dealt with all three scenarios so far in my 38 years. Sexual harassment, sexual battery, and rape are all social problems that millions of American women face daily.

Between 500 CE and 1450 CE, elements of women’s roles in the Middle East were changing while others remained the same for over 900 years. The duties women filled in society remained constant through the years. Changing, though, was the decline of social importance of women and a degradation of their rights.

Every day, women experience violence at the hands of men. Somehow, in our society, even rape and assault have fallen into a moral grey area. With the controversy surrounding [that], few pay much thought to the less extreme, but far more common acts of molestation. While smaller attacks are considered innocuous by many, they too can have long lasting effects of and we as women have no way to ever escape.

This academic journal is relevant because Lindsay Markle discusses the challenges women in the Middle East confront daily due to gender norms that are embedded in culture, religion, and family structure. These gender norms influence the way women are able to participate in their economy and in the public sphere.

Janine Latus’ If I am Missing or Dead is a true story that incorporates various aspects of both family violence theory and feminist theory. Although one could argue that overall, the story emphasizes many more aspects of a family violence theory, aspects of the feminist theory are undeniably present throughout the book as well.

The oppression of women through occupationally established sex segregation and the gender wage difference remains an important economic discussion. The overall gender wage gap has fallen significantly since 1890 to its current rate of 21.4%. Women are making great strides increasing their labor market experience and skills. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Report 58.6% of women make up the labor force, 50.2% have multiple jobs, and 75.4% of single mothers are in the labor force. Today more women are head of households. Despite all the progress a large gender pay gap still exist. This is not simply a result of women’s choices, but structural, economic and social barriers that limit women’s ability to compete resulting in lower pay.

Freedom and equality are ideas this country has had for centuries that have evolved over time. In 1776, what Thomas Jefferson meant by “all men are created equal”, is that white males are dominant in society. Women are treated worse than men and slaves treated worse than women. People that weren’t of the “superior” race/gender of a white male were typically treated as if they were less. Women and African-Americans aren’t being treated as bad today, but they’re still being treated worse than the white males of society. Even today, when white males are typically the leaders of society, it’s not always race and gender that creates inequality; sometimes it’s money that creates the issue. Not just from past evidence, but from present

Social and cultural beliefs are the central reason for the harsh discrimination of women in the Middle East. The

oppressive nature of the societal pressures for women to remain inside the house and have solely

In every nation, individuals have seen or experienced violent relationships at some point in their lives. Some people even have a pattern of being trapped in violent relationships. Usually, this individuals that are caught in a love and war relationship are sometimes reluctant to leave. There are many reasons for this social phenomenon that constantly occurs in violent relationships. According to Seccombe, “Intimate partner violence (IPV) refers to violence between those who are emotionally or sexually intimate, such as spouses, partners, or those who are dating” (264). It seems that has two people date, their connections begin to blossom as time goes on. Soon after, they decide to be in a relationship together and may even cohabit with each

Religion goes hand in hand with culture, and in the Muslim countries this is very apparent. The cultural importance of men over women may have stemmed from religion, however it was further recognized when imperialist countries introduced capitalism and class divides. “Islam must combat the wrenching impact of alien forces whose influence in economic, political, and cultural permutations continues to prevail” (Stowasser 1994, 5). Now, instead of an agrarian state where both men and women had their place, difficulties have formed due to the rise in education and awareness that women can and do have a place in society beyond domestic living Though women are not equal to men anywhere around the

In the book, Women in the Middle East, a Saudi Arabian proverb states, "A girl possesses nothing but a veil and a tomb" (Harik and Marston 83). The key words, "veil" and "tomb" lend evidence to the fact that many Middle Eastern women lack identity symbolized by the “veil” and lack the right of ownership except for their veil and the tomb. This statement further enforces the notion that many women in the Middle East are expected to serve and tolerate the oppression of the men in their lives throughout their lives on this earth. Moreover, it confirms that many of these women do not get the opportunity to obtain education, join the work force, and even participate in the political affairs of the country. This arrangement further helps the

Gender inequality has been an issue since long before the 1840s, when feminists finally brought the problem to light. Most ancient cultures were societies based on gender inequality, skewed towards male-dominance. Most societies are still mostly patriarchal, in fact. Patriarchy is the root of discrimination between sexes and genders and has been for a very long time.