Women and development - Essay Example

This is mostly the case in African countries and countries of the Middle East. Unlike their American counterparts, most women in African countries and the Middle East face difficulties and are subjected to victimization by men. This paper seeks to compare women’s economic conditions in an undeveloped society in Africa with the conditions in America. Some of the aspects that the paper will explore include education, economic conditions, family structure, as well as health. In addition, the paper will give an explanation of the factors that contribute to the differences between the two cultures.

There exist differences between the levels of women empowerment in both the United States and Africa. The economic conditions of women in most African countries are based on involvement in agriculture. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, the involvement of women in the economic activities is based on informal labor. Women in sub-Saharan Africa can be regarded as guardians to their children and are the sole providers of the children’s material needs. Women are expected to cater for their children in terms of food, health needs, as well as education needs.

This burdens women, and they cannot be said to have benefitted from the numerous advancements in technology with regard to the improvement in machinery used in agriculture (Nallari, 2012). On the other hand, women in the American society can pride themselves of improved economic conditions. For example, in the United States, women economic conditions can be termed as better than the economic conditions of women in Sub-Saharan Africa. American women have an opportunity to gain employment in formal work settings where they receive competitive salaries, just like their male colleagues.

American women do not have to bear the burden of child rearing since they have high salaries, which they can use to cater for all the needs of their children. This explains why women play a key role in the economic development of America. Compared to women in Sub-Saharan Africa, American women do not experience poverty. Women from sub-Saharan Africa are subjected to poverty since their ascension up the social ladder is hindered by men. Sub-Saharan Africa women have to do household chores and also engage in meaningful employment in order to provide for their families (Thompson, 2013).

In terms of education, women do not get equal opportunities like men in Sub-Saharan Africa, and this has hindered women from career advancement. While the boy child is highly regarded, the girl child is only allowed to gain basic education and their efforts to get higher education are threatened by men. For example, few women have outstanding academic credentials since they cannot access university education (Fallon, 2008). On the contrary, women in America have an opportunity to study with a lot of ease and get as many academic degrees as they want.

This is an advantage to women since with academic credentials they can gain employment in reputable organizations and improve their status (Thompson, 2013). With little education, women cannot take advantage of numerous job opportunities that present themselves as compared to men. Since high income jobs are a preserve of the well educated, the governments in Sub-Saharan Africa have to the realization that women should also be accorded equal education rights with men. In the recent past, women empowerment has taken center stage in Sub-Saharan Africa as a result of which the society has been challenged to educate the girl child.

Consequently, the girl child has started experiencing success in life since education is a regarded as key to a better life in the contemporary world (Mikell,