Gender Roles And Contributions Of Women

In the post classical period, different societies viewed the women in different ways, therefore they were all treated differently. Due to all the passages being around the world, it shows how differently and similar these societies treated women. All have a different opinion on women’s role and position within their society. Some views were negative while others are positive and think both sex’s are both equal. In document 1, Islam: The Koran, it talks about how women are made from men.

Many people describe the role as a mother and a wife as something that is to be welcomed, a natural stage for women. However for the narrator, it changed from something seemingly beautiful to “old foul, bad...” Motherhood to her is then what creative women were to other people during the 19th century. Creativity was natural for the narrator, unlike motherhood; it was part of her being. Motherhood however, was a prison of domestic

Maternity is one of the first things that comes to mind when discussing femininity and often womanhood is falsely reduced to just motherhood; this is a notion that prevailed strongly in 1900s society and unfortunately still holds strong ground in this age. Women were seen as nothing more than child-bearers by society and are structurally and biologically disadvantaged in the professional field.

For centuries now, women have been bombarded with an infinite amount of conflicting and overwhelming messages about what it means to be a woman and which behaviors are considered appropriate, especially regarding sexual behavior. Traditionally, women have always been defined in relation to men. Men are seen as strong, while woman are seen as weak. Men are superior and women are their subordinates. This is exemplified by the fact that “masculine” traits such as strong, non-emotional, and competitive are considered socially desirable traits, while “feminine” traits such as docile, emotional, and passive are not. We evidently live in a society that is not only sexist, but also undoubtedly racist. The white woman typically appears as virtuous and pure, while the woman of color typically appears as unclean and tainted. If the woman of color also happens to be poor, she appears as being even more worthless. Therefore, in the United States, femininity as a concept is inextricably linked with concepts of race and class. In the present paper, I discuss the effect that this is having on women and their sexuality, the events that have paved the traveled path towards gender equality, and current issues plaguing women today, such as the attack on our reproductive rights and our value as women.

From silent short films of the 19th century to full length films of the 1920s, women have played important central roles over time. Women have transitioned from submissive conservative roles to liberal something. A big part of this is due to the view of women changing in history.

Women are typically degraded as those who are lowly and aid the purpose of serving men, and bearing children. “The female contains all qualities and tempers them, She is in her place and moves with perfect balance, She is all things duly veil’d, she is both passive and active, She is to conceive daughters as well as sons, and sons as well as daughters” (Whitman).

Women are classified into different categories. If you are able to have a baby, you are valued higher than other women. Unfertile women are referenced as “unwomen”. Throughout the book, it is evident that there are a few unorthodox characters.

The roles of gender are changing rapidly. Throughout U.S. history men have played dominant roles and were always the family breadwinners. As women get more education and make more money they are becoming the primarily breadwinners of their families. More women are working outside the home and their earnings are important to the well-being of their families. What are the effect on their families, careers and equal wages?

“A woman is human. She is not better, wiser, stronger, more intelligent, more creative, or more responsible than a man. Likewise, she is never less. Equality is a given. A woman is human.”(Nazarian, 7) Women portrayed a prominent role in history. In the early 1920s women's roles where to stay at home to cook, clean, and take care of the children. However during World War 1 women were to go to work and produce war time essentials. They where also given the chance to vote, and this is when women began to be seen as equals. Women wanted to stand on equal ground with men. In the 1920s women started a new generation by the way they dressed, and acted in society. Women fought for individuality and wanted to be seen more as humans. In the 1920s women’s roles changed society, such that women now have a more prominent, unordinary role then before; which created a different view on women. The rules that women fought against changed society’s views on them forever.

For century’s women were viewed to be inferior to Men. In some cases, women were not even considered to be human. Our sole purpose for living was to please men and reproduce. Although women bare the gift of creating life inside their womb and giving birth it is still seen as weakness as motherhood and nurturing women are feeble.

The role of women goes far beyond being a caregiver at home, breeding of fun for kids or men, as Sor Juana reflected in his work. It is the first responsible for all social change as it is transmitting values of life and other human beings. It is able to release an entire society of authoritarian submission of any government to education that gives them their children at home and the example set in your environment.

Your place is to make the food, clean the house and take care of the children. And of course you’ll have children because that is what I, your husband, want. You must succumb to everything I want simply because I bring home all of the bacon. If you have a problem with that, then I guess you shouldn’t have been born a woman. But since you were in fact born a woman, shut up and go make me a sandwich. For many years, this was the role of women. Then, in 1848, the Women’s Rights Movement began and allowed for women to change that role to something of more importance. However, I believe that the change from that movement only piled on more things for women to be responsible for instead of giving us the same rights as men. I am hoping to show how women are still oppressed today and how culture has affected how women are viewed.

Reproductive technology holds a dominant presence in this text. Science fiction is accommodating to new technology and innovation. On the surface, the reader is able to consider the plausibility of women being able to reproduce and multiply in the absence of men. The inclusion of technology in SF works brings an air of ambiguity to the text (Wolmark 73). The narrative progresses to display the women’s effective progression and survival without men. Rather than worshipping the men, as Bud thought they would, they seem to be rather uninterested. Conventional gender roles and reproductive have obviously been shattered in this world. With characters such as Andy, who has physically masculine traits, but is not a man. The introduction of an androgynous character solely for the use of more physically demanding work mirrors the patriarchal idea of there being “man’s work”. However, Andy’s existence is a rebuttal to this, as she is still a female, with the exception of some genetic alterations, which allow her to complete strenuous tasks. The complete redefinition is exemplified at the end of the story when Lorimer asks if the men were given equal rights, it would be futile due to the structure of the women’s society (Tiptree 632). Tiptree effectively and convincingly challenges gender roles using the premise of a society that fully functions without men. While the concept seems farfetched, the spatial and temporal separation

Simone de Beauvoir defines the lived experience of women as one of “otherness,” and from this stems the oppression of women. De Beauvoir explains the lived experiences of women when she states that “he is the Subject; he is the Absolute. She is the other.” The man constitutes himself at the “subject” and the “absolute,” both descriptors place complete emphasis and importance on the man, the women are only relevant in their existence as the “other.” Since women are presently regulated to the category of the other, “humanity is male, and man defines women, not in herself, but in relation to himself; she is not considered an autonomous being.” Without a form of autonomy women have no basis for understanding themselves as women. If women must identify themselves through men, there is no way to escape a society in which men are the center of society and women are merely peripheral beings that conflate themselves to the wills and wishes of the more relevant man.

Throughout history, women have been seen in many different lights. From a woman’s perspective she is strong, smart, helpful and equal to men. In the eyes of men, she is seen as the weaker being, the housewife, and the caretaker. By looking at the following pieces of writing, one can see that through the centuries, women have struggled to break out of the mold that man had put her in and make themselves known in society as important.