Women Role in Society - Research Paper Example

? Day Month Year The Role of Women in Society Introduction Women have a long and storied history in human civilization. In some societies, they rule with an iron fist and make many of the decisions, while in others they are considered to be subservient to the male. It seems that few societies have treated females as equals in comparison to their male counterparts. Yet, in a modern and civilized society, equally they should be treated. One way to determine how women are being treated in our society today is to examine their roles. We want to look at issues such as domestic violence, negative and positive expectations thrust upon women, and whether or not males demonstrate superiority over women. We will do this briefly by examining and analyzing two stories. One is a book by Chinua Achebe titled ‘Things Fall Apart’, while the other is an essay by Maxine Hong Kingston titled ‘No Name Women’. Things Fall Apart This novel is quite interesting as it focuses on the tribal culture in Nigeria. We see the main character, Okonkwo, as being quite violent, all the while also having an ambitious outlook in life. Through the book, we see him as being a person who espouses masculinity. He exerts his manliness time and time again and certainly believes he is superior to women. At one point he brutally beats his wife in order to prove a point. This seems to communicate that domestic abuse is ripe is the cultural setting of this book. The author seems to be drawing awareness to the notion that the role of women in some cultures is one of subservience to the male. In this particular story, the reader witness’s masculinity being demonstrated in society by the beating and emotional distress women suffer at the hands of the men in the tribe. The role of women in this novel is perhaps best portrayed by one of the minor characters, Ezinma. Being the daughter of Oknonkwo, it is interesting to learn more about their relationship. The father quite often expresses his wish that Ezinma would have been born a girl, yet we get the picture that deep down inside he is quite proud of her. Perhaps she is even his favorite daughter. It is one of the only glimpses we have, however, of him really endearing himself to women, either inside or outside of his family. Ezinma does not buy into the notion that role of a women is simply to be submissive to the man. She becomes quite bold in the story and often contradicts the wishes of her own father. We get the picture that she could grow up to be a social advocate for woman’s causes. In the end, she supports her father and helps him out politically, but we get the idea that she wants much more and that her father will eventually allow her to adopt a different role. There have been numerous beautiful females like Ezinma over the years that have gradually reshaped the way society view women. Over time, they have redefined the way men are expected to behave towards women in a civilized and cultured society. The author appears to be hinting at that in this book. This student looked a bit further into the life of the author, Chinua Achebe, to discover that his ambition was to rewrite the perception of the West towards Africa. He felt that the continent was unjustly being targeted as uncivilized in many respect, particularly in its treatment of women and the poor. To get his point across, he wrote sensationalized novels, such as ‘Things Fall Apart’ in order to express that Africa is truly a misunderstood culture. Sure, it is different than the West and many practices are antiquated, but times are changing. No Name Woman No Name Woman is just one chapter of a larger novel that takes place in China. This one chapter alone is frequently used to analyze the role women in Asia, particular in Chinese society. We learn in this brief account that women who gave into sexual temptation were treated like the character in the Scarlet Letter – they were shunned by society. The main character’s aunt, for example, had to flea her village when it was discovered that she succumbed to sexual temptation. Yet, how many men give into the same temptation, but nothing is done to them? This demonstrates the idea that women are seen as less than equal, even today, in many societies. Kingston seems to be speaking to the reality that society wants and needs to gain control over its members. One way to do this is to create the concept that one gender must submit to the other. The author’s view of China is of an ordered society that follows a set of rigid rules and customs that must not be questioned. Have an illegitimate child, for example, and expect to be completely cast out of the community. She demonstrates this time and again focusing on adultery. The point is made that this dominance over women supersedes everything, even a villages need to survive. A case in point is the big deal that was made over the aunt’s impropriety causing the society to lose focus over the dire need they were all into collect food and take of their basic needs. Often times, even in today’s society, we like to focus on the mistakes made by people, rather than looking at out for our own collective well being. Finally, this story demonstrates the fear the women live in. They do not want to upset society, fearing that things will only get worse for them. They have learned to live the way that society expects them to, and few encourage civil disobedience. This is represented in the way that Kingston’s mother tells her daughter to not tell anyone the reality of life for women in Chinese society. She says, “You must not tell anyone”. By telling the story of her aunt and portraying the reality of life for women throughout China, Kingston is making the point that the populace needs to learn what is happening, grow stronger because of it, and be given the power to change. Conclusion The role of women does change from culture to culture. The two works presented in this essay give a glimpse into the cultural beliefs about what tasks a women should have and how they be treated in just two of those cultures. The simply fact that we have assignments, such as studying women’s issues, demonstrates a startling reality about society. No matter where women might live today, they are at a perceived disadvantage. They do not have equal access to jobs, are treated differently in the eyes of the law, and are often abused at home. The list goes on. In the West, the traditional role of women might be seen as that of a homemaker. In the East, additional responsibilities are added and in many societies they might even be the primary breadwinners. Through it all, however, males tend to be seen by society as the dominant sex and they enjoy many more privileges that society has to offer. We must all continue to work on behalf of women to ensure that they are seen as equal be society. We must work to make certain that abuse will not be tolerated. We must also strive to ensure that mistakes made by women are not punished more harshly than the same mistake made by men. To not do so is to perpetuate injustices that have been going on far too long. The negative stereotype that exists today as to the role of women must be gradually changed into an idea that is positive and uplifting. Women deserve to have their sprits raised as society begins to alter the role that they play in the maintenance of cultures around the world. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor, 1994. Print. Kingston, Maxine H. No Name Woman. Print. Read More