Western Women 's Roles And Roles

The fight against sexism is not a new fight. Women have been fighting for equal rights, as well as fighting for their lives, culture, and values to be just as important as men's. On August 18, 1920, women were granted the right to vote; but this was only the beginning. From then to now, the role of women in society has significantly changed due to women standing up for their rights at protests and rallies, as well as on social media. While “The Good Wife’s Guide” focused on the promotion of the traditional gender role of women and defined appropriate emotions for women, “The Revolt of ‘Mother,’” by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, represents the start of the resistance of the traditional gender role of women that we see in society today.

In Western genre, women are repeatedly portrayed as either the helpless damsel in distress or the wild saloon girl. Most Western movies have elements of a gunfight,rivalry, redemption, and/or romance written into the script. A large percentage of the stereotypes of the American West comes from these exaggerated characters and storylines. Very rarely do western films present a strong female lead. When they do, there is frequently a subplot of romance written into it. Few Western genre and cinema portray the true nature of what women in the West were like.

Ramayana, translated by William Buck, is an ancient Indian epic telling the story of a prince named Rama who fights against his adversary, Ravana. Although there are many important female characters throughout the book, they are often seen as subordinate to their male counterparts where intelligence and strength are concerned. One character who proves this stereotype wrong is Sita, Rama’s wife, who often shows that she has the capacity of being just as powerful as the men of the story. By being more mindful than most people around her, Sita defies the expectations that many characters have placed on her. Sita lets the reader see another side of women’s power and shows us the strength that women could have. The reason that Sita proves to be powerful is that she seems to have an understanding of the deeper meaning of her life; precisely the quality that men don’t expect her to have.

Women in Western Europe and Japan compare and contrast religiously, politically, and economically. Religiously, women in Western Europe were better off with the advantage of becoming a nun than women in Japan were who lost their role in Buddhist and Shintu rituals. Politically, feminist thinkers were allowing women to have a greater say politically but there were fewer female rulers or regents in Europe. Japan who had female empresses prior to Koken was less inclined to have success. Economically, women in Japan could not inherit land but were able to be in the merchant class, while women in Europe could also inherit land; they were better off and more economically engaged than Japan with the running and working of a craft guild.

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.

The changing role of women in literature from the late 8th century B.C. to the 21 century A.D. is evident that women have become more or less respectful in later works. This is portrayed in the Odyssey, Sakuntala and Good Country People.

Throughout the history of the U.S., women have had two major social roles that were defined by gender. Women had two major roles, the first is being a moral compass for society. Women were seen to be virtuous and pure to the point that the idea of a woman stepping on the “wrong path” was horrible and made that particular woman worthless in the eyes of society and more importantly made her feel worthless to society. An example of this is seen with Helen Jewitt, Helen was tricked into sleeping with a man when she thought the love of her life was dead. After she slept with the man she felt terrible and was left stranded, she made her way to New York where she became a prostitute. In one of her letters to her parents, Helen writes of how ashamed she is and what a disgrace she is to her parents and that she can never go home because she would be the talk of the town. Helen is a prime example of how women that “failed” to live up to the rigid morals of society felt and how they were perceived by others. Women as keepers of morals can be seen in the American Female Moral Reform Society Warns Mothers About the “Solitary Vice,” 1839. Just the title of the document and the name of the activist group shows how much women were seen as the keepers

During the long nineteenth century, political revolutions, industrialization, and European imperialism resulted in dramatic changes in the role of women in Western Europe and Eastern Asia. As industrialization spread in Western Europe, women were no longer able to fulfill their dual role as a mother and a worker. After the introduction of industrialization, laborious tasks were moved from the household to factories and women were forced to choose either the life of a mother or the life of a worker. Women who chose to leave their households were subjected to harsh conditions, low wages, and long hours. The majority of married and middle-class women were confined to the home, and deprived of an education and civil rights. Unlike the

In the ancient world, views of women were often derogatory, yet some viewed women as intelligent and powerful. The Epic of Gilgamesh and Lysistrata both display the complex opinions towards women of the time. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the characters Shamhat and Ishtar provide the audience with a biased view towards women, but this work also provides a more positive opinion of women through Siduri, Utnapishtim's wife, and Aruru. As paralleled in Aristophanes’s Lysistrata, Calonice and Peace represent negative perspectives of women, but this play also portrays women positively with Lysistrata and Myrrhine. The ancient texts of The Epic of Gilgamesh and Lysistrata simultaneously depict women as inferior, equal to, and superior to men to represent the complex views of women that were present during ancient times.

From prehistory to 1450 CE, in many different and complex civilizations, religion has influenced the gender roles of many societies. From prehistory to 600 BCE, in Mesopotamia, women could own property, maintain their dowry, and even trade. However, from 600 BCE to 600 CE, in Rome, women were completely under the control of their paterfamilias. Than, from 600 to 1450 CE, in the Byzantine Empire, women were constrained to their homes, and when they went out, they had to wear veils over their faces. Religion influenced the gender roles of many societies and civilizations from prehistory to 1450 CE.

In 1919, Women were first granted equal rights to vote; the struggle for women to play an important role in history can be dated from the 1900’s and all the way back to the ancient Mesopotamian time period. Women have been viewed as goddess to unwanted servants throughout the variety of change in rulers, religions, and simply time periods. There has been a constant battle for women to have equal rights and to be treated equally in all aspects of life. The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest recorded account of the roles of women and their importance in a functional society. The role of women in the Epic of Gilgamesh was only small highlights of the story, but their influence on the epic hero’s journey was life altering; Ishtar, Shamhat, and Siduri were able to create and maintain a civilized

Gender role goes beyond biological sex, it is more based to identify leadership as masculine and feminine gender stereotypes. In the middle east, women viewed as housewives, they can not be open with men, and they are not freely to wear what they want. That is because of the tradition, the culture, and the religion that everyone takes very serious. The patriarchy is well known in the Arab World It is getting better over time, but very slowly. Leadership, the final dissections, and all the power belongs to men. They have the freedom to do anything at any time. In the books of Season of Migration to the North and Miramar, genders play an important role in both of the novels.

Or she could be this powerful independent woman. With Sita’s story it’s a different kind of dualism. Agha-Jaffar described Sita through westerner’s point of view, “Sita appears to be self-effacing, full of self-blame, and tolerant of the psychological and emotional abuse inflicted upon her by her spouse” (152). Someone who believed in traditional Hindu values would see Sita in a positive light for strictly adhering to the Hindu laws of dharma. Another example in the book that shows dualism is, “Sita is considered a heroine because as a female, as a wife, and as the avatar of Lakshmi, she consistently places her husband’s welfare and wishes above her own. She optimizes the wifely devotion that young Hindu females are encouraged to emulate” (153). This shows how heroic she is, but she is a hero for being a good wife. Where is when I read the story she seemed strong and independent when Rama said he didn’t believe her and embarrassed her in front of everyone. She stood up for herself and proved him wrong by going into the

The diversities within North Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia (cultural, religious, political, etc.) play a crucial part in the status of women and the key features of gender roles in these particular geographic regions. The Middle East and North Africa share commonalities through Arabic and Islamic culture. Establishing equalities for women amongst the current social and political changes of Middle Eastern and North African societies stands as a difficult obstacle to overcome, but in spite of this, women’s rights efforts are still being made. While Islamic culture is dominant in Southeast Asia, the culture of Southeast Asian nations is diverse. Islam and gender in Southeast Asia have contributed to the continuing debate over Islam, feminism, and gender rights in the region. The cultures of North Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia are male dominated, but this cultural dominance might not sustain in the future. This essay will compare and contrast the current status of women and the key features of gender roles in North Africa and the Middle East with those of Southwest Asia. Examples will also be provided to justify any arguments that are made.

Valmiki’s Ramayana has transcended being simply a folktale, and has manifested itself into an embodiment of virtues. It has great influence over the expectation of a women in the society; the status and the ideal itself has been conferred upon them by the Ramayana which depict ‘Sita’ as the ideal wife worthy of being emulated by Hindu women. There is a similar, recurring pattern that seems to unfold for any women depicted in the Ramayana who actively stray beyond this idea model. These women, particularly Tataka, Shurpanakha and Ahalya, are depicted as creatures that conclude in paying the heavy consequences set on them by the patriarchy.