Gender Differences and Similarities between the United States and Afghanistan - Term Paper Example

? Gender Differences and Similarities between the United s and Afghanistan Gender Differences and Similarities between the United States and Afghanistan Introduction In every society, there exist gender differences and similarities that are based on the men and the women roles in the society. In some nations like the US, the gender roles have greatly changed over time, unlike in the Afghanistan where the traditional status of society still continue to prevail despite the oppression of one gender against the other. The gender differences are evident in the work place roles, family roles, income, among many others. The society in the US has undergone great transformation overtime while that of Afghanistan has resisted the forces of globalization with small changes taking place over time1. This term paper focuses on the gender differences and similarities between the United States and Afghanistan. Most of the differences between these two nations are founded on the differences between the traditional customary practices in Afghanistan and the modern setting of the American society. As a result, there exist many differences between the gender roles in both countries than similarities. Gender Differences and Similarities between the United States and Afghanistan There have been consistent principles in the Afghanistan society in matters concerning gender role. The principles reveal differences between genders in regards to the roles of the women and men in the society. On the other side, in US, there exist differences between the both genders and there are limited differences between the roles played by men and women. Gender reforms have continued in US overtime, and are supported by most of the citizens. Contrary, in Afghanistan gender reforms have been limited despite the existence of contentious issues that need to be changed2. Since American gained independence in 1776, the gender reforms have continued to be implemented and the reforms are geared towards guarantying gender equality. In Afghanistan, the gender reforms that have faced great resistance, and are responsible for the 1929 fall of King Amanullah for his support of gender reforms3. The differences and similarities between the two distinct societies are displayed by the society level of transformation, acceptance, or rejection of change. The governments in the two nations have also played a critical role in the differences and similarities. Whereas the US is a democratic federal presidential constitutional republic, the Afghanistan has recently adopted a democratic government; in 2004, and the gender reforms are still underway but in a slow rate. More so, the number of major political parties in Afghanistan is nine whereas in US, they are two major parties. The number of political parties reveals the degree of democracy and the ease with which the government can make and implement policies. Similarities between the men and women in the United States and Afghanistan Despites resistance by some individuals who are non-reformist, a number of the Afghanistan women along with those of American origin have been allowed by their respective constitutions to serve in the public offices. However, those of Afghan origin are few because it comprises only those in the urban centers and can have access to higher education. More so, the Afghanistan education system mostly encourages education of the boy child. Majority of the American women have equal education and employment opportunity as the men. Many of the women work in senior public and private positions. Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Condoleezza Rice are among the most senior women public servants in the US history. In Afghanistan, very few women serve in senior government positions since most are not sufficiently educated and the educated are discriminated by the male dominated society4. Irrespective of that fact, reforms are taking place and it is expected that the effective equal employment opportunity for all gender will be achieved in the future. In reference to their sexuality, there is a notion that both the American and Afghan women have positive notion towards it and in many cases, they question the maturity of the male. The women perceive that they are equally mature and hence form lobby groups that bargain for empowerment of women. This has resulted to significant differences for the Afghan women when they are in public and in private environments but slight differences are displayed by the American women who have been strongly empowered by the constitution. While in privacy, the Afghanistan women share ideas and responsibilities in terms of the household chores with their spouses5. This also occurs among the American spouses. In both societies, in case either spouse is engaged in morality, they can conceal the issue from the public. However, when the issue gets into the public limelight, in Afghanistan, the resulting punishments are severe for the males than for the females since the male should have a positive public image in order to maintain the family honor. That is slightly different in US whereby both genders are equally accountable to the law. In both cultures, the women in the rural areas are more submissive than those in the urban areas. This is because they happen to be liberated and can challenge the men through courts. Differences between the men and women in the United States and Afghanistan In reference to the degree of morality, the two countries have great differences. The moral fiber of the Americans has greatly decayed because of the negative consequences of globalization. In some states, the gay and lesbian marriages are legalized. Such states include includes city council in Washington and the district of Columbia among others6. In America, many religious values have been done away with and the rate of immorality is very high. The level of binge drinking and abuse of drugs is very high and these have increased the death rate. As a result, the American society is beginning to be dominated by an aging population. The level of gang violence and other violent crimes are very high in the US with both men and women engaging in crimes and drug abuse. Though the level of violence and terrorism is equally high in both countries, majority of the crimes are committed by men. The constitution of the Afghans does not legalize same sex marriage and people found to be committing such acts are executed. Drinking is illegal and despite the high level of production of opium, it is illegal to abuse it. The level of drug abuse is higher in Afghanistan than in the US and it is the men who mostly engage in the vices7. In Afghan, the morality of women is highly respected and in case a woman engages in any form of immoral activity, she is executed. The women are expected to be ideal members of the society and should ensure that the good cultural values are maintained. They are said to be a symbol of Afghan nation, family, and society hence reflecting honor of the Afghan values. That requires the men to protect and monitor them closely in order for them to preserve their purity. By respecting the women, the Afghans perceive that they are adhering to the teachings of Islam while preserving their culture. What many are left questioning is the definition of an honorable behavior and whether restricting women grants them an opportunity to take part in developing their nation. In addition, seclusion (Purdah) is highly evident in Afghanistan whereby the women are required to have their separated places with men through a process called veiling8. This kind of seclusion limits the ability of the women to access education and employment opportunities since most remain restricted in their area of residence. The degree of seclusion varies between families, social class, region, and ethnic group. Men and women who have the opportunity to marry one another are not allowed to interact. This reveals that the Afghan society is dominated by conservative men who happen to consider women to be in a social context, immature and cannot be able to be in command of their morality. In this context, the women are considered untrustworthy who when not controlled can interrupt the social order. It is expected that a woman should remain a virgin until she gets married. A woman who loses her virginity before marriage can be killed by her father during the marriage day. In the US, the men have no control over the women’s morality or their way of life, though spouses are expected to remain faithful to one another. Both have the chance to engage in every activity they may wish provided it is morally upright. Morality is defined in accordance to the individual perception. Both sexes have an equal opportunity to maintain good moral. The American culture is a modern society that is totally liberated and the people have the opportunity to express their feelings without fear. This is evidenced with the story involving General John Allen and David Petraeus who are said to have been involved an extramarital affairs scandal and as a result are being investigated9. The religious views are normally differentiated from the political ideologies. In case of any issue in reference to the public order, those in the religious political positions or interest groups have to disagree or agree on the subject. That has been the case when contentious issues such a gay marriage, among others have arose the public interest. In some cases, the citizens are required to vote in order to make the decision that is backed by the majority. Unlike in Afghanistan, the Americans interact freely without seclusion. The men and women interact with one another and social barriers like separate housing do not exist. All genders have the opportunity to enjoy all the amenities without limitation. The American woman is liberated, and can get the public attention she deserves for whichever reasons. This is evidenced in the case of Monica Lewinsky10 who almost caused the impeachment of President Bill Clinton after the blue dress scandal. Whether a virgin or not, that cannot affect her relationship with her suitor since the Americans morality is dependent on the way the children are brought up. In both countries, there have been changes in the role of women during the time of combat. The roles of the women and men have changed in the modern time whereby the women have been received unprecedented combat exposure in both countries. In the US, the women are directly required not to have a direct ground military exposure; they serve in various other positions that put them in risks. Despite not being employed in the frontline, their enemies use guerilla warfare strategies that eventually increase their risks. The women exposure to enemies’ fire is a new phenomenon in the US, although there some countries like Russia that have used women in war. In Afghanistan, the women rarely serve in the military, however, due to the increased use of nuclear and other deadly weapons they become victims of the enemies’ fire. Recently, there has been evidence that the Afghanistan women along with those of US have received a higher combat exposure as the war against terrorism continues11. Some studies have argued that women have received a higher combat exposure than men have even though they do not serve in the warfront. Both men and women are engaged in the US military deployment, just like in Afghanistan. However, the Afghanistan women military activities are mainly to handle those who are fatally wounded. In the Afghanistan, the social position of the women is more often than not dependent on the public conduct of the women. When the women within the family fail to conform to the required social norms, the family becomes an outcast as it is condemned for immorality. The women must, therefore, ensure that they maintain the required social order as dictated by the social norms12. In regards to infidelity, there is a high expectation that men are to be sexually incontinent. There is prestige attached to having illicit sex with women who are not under their command and loss of prestige when they have illicit sex with women who are not under their command. In the US, this is not the case; the social order is dictated by law. Both the men and women are responsible for the family social position in the society. The family social position is dependent on the economic and political status of the spouses. Either whether spouse engages in social misconduct or not, the family social position remains the same. They only lose their self-esteem. This is displayed by some key figures like Arnold Schwarzenegger who have remained very popular and influential despite having been engaged in an extramarital affair 15 years ago with a house help. Eventually, he had to divorce his wife of 25 years13. Despite the divorce, Arnold Schwarzenegger has remained a public figure. Both sexes have equitable chances of engaging in extramarital affairs. In Afghanistan, the gender roles are mainly defined by a preset path established by the society norms. The male roles revolve around supporting the family economically, linking the family with outsiders, and politics. More so, they are expected to be brave and possess leadership qualities. Within the family context, the male are expected to be providers for the family, which incorporates their old parents, and to act as disciplinarians. The role of the mothers is to nurture the family, and remain in the stressing motherhood. Even in situations in which the female is highly educated, she is expected to give family issues the main concern14. In efforts to overcome gender stereotype in Afghanistan, Dr. Anahita Ratebzad founded the Democratic Women's Organization of Afghanistan (DWOA). The purpose of DWOA is to educate the woman about the rights and freedom. This revolved around formation of social programs in order to do away with women seclusion by men. Most important to note is that, prior to 1985, the women status within the Afghan society was not known. It is after passing Decree No. 7 in 1985 when the women status was recognized, and hence, they could voluntarily enroll in the military15. In case of the US, the gender roles are defined by your level of education and income. In instances in which the man is not working, there are reversed roles whereby the mother will be the breadwinner and the man has to take care of the household. That means that in this situation, the man has to remain submissive since the women roles are not limited to the household chores. That explains the reasons why many executives do not get married since most men do like to be submissive. That also explains the high rate of divorce rate among the couples in US since the financial stable women prefer to be independent rather than live in chains of marriages that in most instances are not fulfilling. In the US, the power of the women is high when she becomes independent and she can make independent decisions, though at times the decision is influenced by the parents when she is not married. Upon marriage, she consults with the husband and does not to remain submissive to the husband’s demands. More so, the US household plans their family with many opting to have one or two children. Neither the boy nor the girl is given priority since there is high degree of gender equality in US, which makes either the boy or the girl to have an equal chance of becoming success. In addition, both men and the women have equal rights and in case of marital abuse like spousal rape, the women can file a case against the spouse16. On the other hand, the women in Afghanistan are most influential when they become grandmothers. The success of the spouse is evaluated by the ability to have many sons. That means spouses with many girls are perceived to have limited chances of being successful. The Afghan women are considered by men to be personal property in which the men can derive pleasure besides bearing children and providing labor. There are no incidences of spousal rape since women; especially those from the rural areas have no rights17. In Afghanistan, most women provide manual labor in the fields and others engage in production of handicrafts. Nuristani women engage in farming while their spouses herd livestock18. There are also nomadic women who rare livestock for production of products to be consumed within the households and the surplus is sold. It is the responsibility of the men to shear wool while the women spin the wool to make tents. Other women activities include putting up the tents and taking them down. In the US, there is no defined role for any gender. The woman can engage in any activity she wishes to engage in, provided she has the potential to deliver the desired results. Many US women have succeeded in fields that were initially considered men’s fields. Among them, include Beecher Catherine Esther, Blow Susan Elizabeth, Benedict Ruth Fulton, Pagels Elaine Hiesey, and Langer Susanne Knauth, among others19. That is a revelation that the American women are offered an equal opportunity and they match the results produced by the male counterparts. In regards to income, in Afghanistan, the men earn more income compared to the women. The number of women earning income in steadily increasing. However by 1978, the women who earned an income were only 8% and almost all this population was living in the metropolitan areas. There were mainly professionals working either in the education or health sector of the economy. These two professions reveal the traditional role of an Afghan wife of nurturing the family. Others were engaged in other professionals with few being self-employed and a few working in the private sector. Presently, the educated women work hard to support the reconstruction of Afghanistan since the nation economy has been dominated by men. Most of the educated women are also forming lobby groups to bargain for equality and justice, and not to be treated as being less than men20. In the US, there are some states where the women workforce exceeds the men. In such states, the men have formed lobby groups since they feel that the future of the boy child is in danger of extinction. There are many successful women than men, among them include Oprah Winfrey who is African American origin and is considered a global media leader21. More so, the income in jobs is considered by the level of competence and not gender. Conclusion Based on the above research, it is evident that the gender roles in Afghanistan and in American are poles apart. The Americans are liberated and their women and men play equal roles without gender stereotyping. The Americans relationship between one another is mostly dictated by the constitution that gives equal rights and justice to all irrespective of the gender. That is contrary to the Afghanistan society whereby the gender roles are dictated by the gender. The women continue to be oppressed by the laws that are founded on the Islamic teaching. It is apparent that there is a lot of pressure from the women lobby groups both locally and in the international community. They advocate that the women need to be provided with equal opportunity just like the men. Bibliography Afghanistan - State Building, Sustaining Growth, and Reducing Poverty. Washington, D.C.: World Bank, 2005. Barabak, Mark Z. "Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver announce separation". Los Angeles Times. May 09, 2011. 2012, November 14. 2012, http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/09/local/la-mew-arnold-maria-separate-20010510 Butler, John, M. Forensic DNA Typing Biology, Technology, and Genetics of STR Markers. 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