My New Perception Of The World And Gender Studies Class Essay

In class, the topic of gender inequality was brought up constantly. The book “ A People's History Of The United States” by Howard Zinn mentions a chapter on the Intimately Oppressed. In the chapter, there are examples of gender inequality such as the wife serving the husband, how the wife is the homemaker, women having no rights, different norms about sex, girls not allowed into schools and are not allowed to own property. Women were denied property, right to vote, wage inequality, education and careers. There are many social inequalities that occur between men and women, such as denying of education for women. Also in work areas women get paid less than man. There are many crimes against women that are not taken seriously. Men prevent women from getting higher paying jobs and keep them for themselves. In many countries women get paid less for doing the same exact job as men. Gender stratification theory of child bearing is discussed in the book as well in class. Many women are raised in other countries with the mindset to have as many babies possible and not concentrate on education. The conflict theory illustrates that men maintain position of power over women was discussed in class as well as in the book. The book highlights many different situations where women feel vulnerable because men have all the power. We also discussed about the ideology of control that women face.

As individuals, we are all given assigned aspects that define us. Race, gender, and social class are just a few of the characteristics that make us who we are. We also choose to take on certain aspects that reflect our own interests such as careers, fashion, and fandom. When our chosen and assigned aspects come together, our own identity is formed. These parts eventually impact and affect each other with the idea of intersection. The interconnection of being a woman and belonging to a certain career cross and act on each other in ways that are mostly negative. Many women find being successful in their careers very difficult especially women who are based into a male dominated industry.

This class has brought a lot of change to my views on the seemingly everlasting prevalence of sexism in America. Before taking women and writing this semester I had not realized how the stereotypes surrounding masculine identity have taken hold of much of the Greek life on college campuses, male-dominated/labor intensive jobs, as well as influencing a significant portion of the mainstream advertising and media that my peers and I consume on a daily basis. The readings that accompanied the course were clear, informative, and provided me with more insight to the challenges and inequality that women have had to confront in the past and continue to face in the present. This class taught me many things about the current

Throughout this course, I have read many articles that have left distinct imprints on how I view things. I used to think of gender, race and class as something natural and meaningful. However, after this course I am inclined to feel differently. It is truly upsetting that each social construct results in some type of disadvantage for some and empowerment for others.

Throughout the past twelve weeks of taking Women and Gender studies, I have learned extensive amounts of information and will be able to take all of the ideas and concepts learned into action outside of the classroom. Each class, we had various conversations about what was going on in the world around us and how that affects each and every one of us. With the knowledge that I now have, I feel as if I am a much better citizen in Canada since I acquire the knowledge of the history in Canada and the conditions of women’s lives, and also how factors such as race, class, and sexual orientation come into play in daily life. In class, we talked about oppression very often which is, unjust treatment of control. Oppression is a major issue in Canadian society and has many aspects to it. One of the most important pieces of information that I got from taking this course was how destructive power systems function to maintain their

2. I chose this test because I was interested in seeing what I thought about male/female roles.

Historically, sexuality has been a source of oppression, as well as pleasure and empowerment. The manner in which law recognizes sexuality is important for it produces a standard to be adhered to. From this standard, norms are established. The legal system acts a regulatory and governance body that acknowledges and legitimized cultural norms influence gendered identities. Cultural feminism suggests that gender disparities can be justified through biological differences. Gendered assumptions are therefore justified through reproductive capabilities, such as nurturing and domestic attributes of women. The analysis of law and cultural norms that perpetuate sexual danger and inhibit pleasure will be conducted through a sequential analysis of the three primary waves of feminism in light of Catherine MacKinnon and Gayle Rubin’s feminist critiques. Radical feminists such as Catherine MacKinnon argues that sexuality is the linchpin of women’s oppression. Gender is a hierarchy and a division of power, and therefore, women are inherently oppressed due to their sexuality. The source of sexual oppression originated from gendered patriarchy, specifically through woman being viewed as subordinates to their male counterparts. In contrast, sex-positive feminists, such as Gayle Rubin, reject sexual essentialism and suggest that sexuality is constructed.

Throughout American history, women, have been discriminated against and did not receive the same political as well as social rights as men since America was heavily a patriarchal society. Although women were still not on the same level of power as men in America, when women began to actually make social and political advancements in the early 20th century, their newfound liberty exceeded the independence that women of Old World cultures received and this if evident in the book Breadgivers Anna Yezierska. In the early half of the 20th century, a women's role in America was not only controlled by the society, but it was also profoundly defined by her culture. In Breadgivers, the daughter of Jewish immigrants must battle with

Ask yourself this, Is this world biased against a particular gender? Do we mainly focus on women's issues or men's?' What would your answer be? I bet most of you would say no, we aren't biased at all. And, in many cases, that would be correct. But look at some of the other parts of the world where women aren?t allowed a say, they aren?t allowed to put their point of view forward even in our own society. They aren?t allowed to know information until the male passes it on to them. This ?gap? between women and men is widest in these areas. This type of treatment was happening at the times of the great ancient Greek playwrights such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, and the controversial Euripides.

I took this class because it was one of the options for my major that was required. This course was appealing because I read that it went through the different aspects and changes that gender norms have gone through and I thought it is a current topic today so I might as well dig deeper. I never really gave this topic or some of the chapter’s issues much thought before this course and I feel that after completing it I have been able to learn and develop new ideas on sensitive subjects. Without this course I would have never have learned about the political and social issues surrounding gender. I identity myself a female with the traditional characteristics that are found in parts of the book but, I now am able to distinguish and recognize

According to Aldous Huxley in his novel “Brave New World” Huxley mentions that “men have far more superior roles than women do in brave new world,”and I for one do not agree with the way Huxley denotes women in his novel. Moreover, the real question is, Are men and women equal in Brave New World? In Brave New World the new world is considered to be a world in which everyone is equal in every aspect because there are isn’t any traditional work women do mentioned. For instance, there is no cooking mentioned so it implies that women do not do the cooking and they do not do the cleaning either because they have machines that do it for them the “vacuum”.

Throughout my years in the Women and Gender Studies program here at the University Of Toledo, I have enhanced my mental capacity in many ways. Being introduced to the program was a gift. Feminist concepts, ideals, methodologies, understanding myths, stereotypes was beneficial to my overall success at Toledo. Using the theories and critical thinking skills that were essential to the program in my professional and personal life helped shape me into the strong woman that I am. Intersectionality, body image, and privilege are three major themes that will be ingrained in me as I continue on my collegiate journey.

Annette Bair and Marilyn Friedman have opposing views on whether women have distinct moral perspectives. Like Friedman, I believe that women have no different moral perspectives than men. Some people, like Bair, think that women base their moral perspectives on merely trust and love and men base theirs on justice. Friedman points out that care and justice coincide . People use justice to decide what is appropriate in caring relationships and care is brought into account when determining what is just. Since these two moral perspectives correspond, gender does not distinguish different moral perspectives.

I have a very vivid memory of discussing my classes to my mother before this first semester began, and whenever I listed off my Women and Gender Studies class I remember my mother asking me, “What do you think you are going to learn about in there?” I recall opening my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I stopped, and looked at her and said, “You know, I’m not really sure. I guess we will find out!” I knew going in to this class I was excited, but for what I had no clue. However, looking back on my experiences, discussions, and the knowledge I have gained from this course, I know exactly why I was excited. There is an entire world out there that the media and politics had hidden from me, but now my eyes are opened. I can

The textbook identifies four approaches to gender development: biological, interpersonal, cultural, and critical. Define each theory. Then answer the following question: which of the theoretical approaches to gender do you find the most valid? Be sure to include at least two examples from your own experience as well as two scholarly sources to back up your claim.