Equal Rights vs. Economic Restructuring - Assignment Example

Teacher The cases cited that women could not own a property, had no legal rights to their wages, discouraged to work under the pain of being fired or forced resignation, working while doing domestic work may be an exaggeration today in the United States because it is no longer the case of most women but this illustrates the inequality that women had to bear and to some extent, are still facing today. There are some advocates on how to address this inequality such as Goldman’s contraception and economic independence and Kollontai’s suggestion that the state should provide childcare support to the women to alleviate their hardship and allow them to pursue their professional careers.

I particularly agree with Kollontai’s assertion that until economic inequalities are changed, nothing will really change and no, granting women the rights of suffrage, property ownership, wage ownership, and legal citizenship has not totally eliminated inequality. The assertion of Kollontai and Goldman are valid and in fact already practiced today and connected in a manner that childcare support from the state allows greater economic independence for women because it gives them the freedom to pursue their careers.

This is however simplistic because childcare support and economic freedom does not automatically end inequality and discrimination against women. To eliminate inequality, the sense of justice should be present in all dimensions of society from the home, workplace to society at large. For example, to end inequality, husband and wife should treat each other as equals and therefore will take parenting and marriage as shared responsibility. It meant that the wife will not have to cook and serve the husband after work and it can be done by either party who has the time and energy to do it.

In the workplace, it meant ending discrimination in all its forms from unequal wages to unjust treatment of pregnant women. This should also transcend to society at large where women should be seen not just as wives and housekeepers but an important part of societal development.