History of women in the workforce - Essay Example

?Insert Work and gender Several proposals have been brought forward into the attention ities, among them acknowledgement of the law that guarantees equal rights and opportunities among both men and women. Other aspects are also highlighted that relate to women’s basic rights in the society. Over the ancient period of times, unique gender roles continue to play the centre of contradiction between male and female. Studies point out that women continue to face gender discrimination and poverty in rural especially in rural areas due to social imbalances (Hughes and Hughes 208). For instance, they are not included even in public policy making that affects them directly. This has precisely become a global phenomenon because they do not have access to equal opportunities. Following the lack of involvement of social entities, the feminine gender has found itself vulnerable to different detrimental factors such as diseases, physical abuse, emotional abuse and even sexual abuse. This paper, therefore, seeks to find and explore the role of women in the society and their vulnerability in an environment that is almost dominated by their opposite gender. Historically women have all through been highly faced with some obstacles that have been brought about by religious, cultural practices, ethnic background and sometimes abuse from their own spouses. Some conflicts have developed in the family relations with regard to gender. Arguably it is believed that behavioural norms have made gender roles vary from one culture to another In China, for example, women are treated as subordinates as opposed to their male counterparts. Therefore, they do not have any right that is supposedly supreme to that of their husbands or fathers. Different roles are set for them. For instance, collecting firewood and fetching water. Significantly the way gender roles are shared is partly attributed to the role that is being played by religion whereby, for example, in the Asian culture the women are highly forbidden in the holy places of worship especially when they are considered unclean due to some reason such as menstruation, ovulation and miscarriages (Hughes and Hughes 212). Following this functional system of their bodies, they are considered unclean, and can, therefore, not stand in the pulpits or holy temples before they are secluded or sent to undergo thorough cleansing that is presided over by high priests. Significantly, this automatically depicts the men as clean. It also associates them with high divinity and high morals than their female counterparts hence bringing out the relations and differences between the two genders. Widespread discrimination is also another stumbling block before them. The way roles are distributed to women is partially attributed to religion and other social and cultural factors. Religion has been used to curtail the empowerment of women in society who are perceived as a weaker sex. Social-cultural factors such as societal taboos and traditions have also played a role in making women’s struggle for freedom a pipedream. Over the years, however, women have come out to claim their position in society. In the modern society, women have been able to crush the traditional nutshell and have been able to unleash their potential to the society. Women have managed to work in different disciplines like medicine, sports activities, art and even education. This is not only a comfort, but also a stepping stone to them since men continue to dominate the lucrative upper and better paying jobs in the government and other areas whereas, on the other hand, the women are not given full equal opportunities and rights like their opposite gender. They have little or no say at all in even the ownership of property because they are considered to be their husband’s property. Gender and sexuality are also taking a rather intriguing direction. Almost all religions have come up with a development that covers issues on sexuality and ethics. The society tends to look down upon the females in matters relating to sexuality. For example, Xin Hua, a lady in China does not have her own free will to choose for herself a suitor. Such an act makes the community frown at her. In some other provinces in the Republic of China, a girl who tries to experiment with her sexuality is seen as evil and with loose moral standards (Hughes and Hughes 196). In other insidious circumstance, one is sent away from the society. These are traditions that have been passed over to the generations after generations. It forms a part of a political setting as a decision has to be collectively agreed. Therefore, it is evident that the society in general has a negative attitude and frown upon such a topic. This often has led to a lot of conflicts with emphasis on how different generations perceive things in society. This has drastically changed with the civilization cycles the society has undergone over a long time. Whatever that used to be a fuss in the older generation is taken casually by the younger generation. In ancient china, women and young men used to bow their heads down and palms together when greeting men. This is a sign of respect, and although still practiced in some parts of the republic of china, it is old-fashioned, and shaking hands is the norm. With this gender conflicts at hand, it worsens the situation at some point and bring in some turbulence in the societal setting. The two genders, male and female, often find themselves in conflict over encroachment of each other’s traditional birthright. This has led to others opting to abandon their traditions. Some opt not to engage in formal marriages and others choose to marry and divorce at their convenience. The society becomes capitalistic, and everyone is for himself and God for us all which is not a good indicator as far as the social fabric is concerned. Both genders are out to acquire status and out do the other. Men are out to protect their niche in society, and govern everything whereas the women are working twice as hard as men to so as to be recognized by society. This has transpired up to levels where women take up tasks traditionally meant for men and try to outshine the performance of their counterparts. The younger generation that has over the past steered off traditional practices live with hope that they are headed on a good path and not the woods. Young people are full of optimism that the future is their hands and appreciate the fact that they play a significant part in steering where the world goes (Hughes and Hughes 87). They have done this through technological innovations that have revolutionized almost everything in the world. That is just but one perspective that the youth hold. On the other hand, the same youth live in fear that they may be headed for a dead end. This is after watching their trends and results deteriorate day in day out. A majority of the youth now live every day as it comes. A study by the United Nations shows that the youth are the most vulnerable to many negative effects that the civilized world has brought. For example, they are subjected to a lot wars instigated by their countries, they are also subjected to the harsh world of immorality and everything it has to offer. These and other factors make the hope of the youths fade each and every day. With the life expectancy of the some nations being as low as 40 years, the prospect of living to see their grandchildren is no more. In conclusion, therefore, it is paramount that the codes of the genders be respected to avert such crisis. The society ought to have an open mind and approach the issues that affect the society with a lot of sobriety and a conscience mind. The genders ought to deliberate on means of combining their synergy so as to improve the society. It is essential that the factors highlighted in this paper be critically analyzed with the aim of generating improved solutions in order to avert, if not subdue, the conflicts in society, and improve on collective bargaining by both genders in improving the society. Work cited Hughes, Sarah Shaver, and Brady Hughes. Readings from prehistory to 1500. Armonk, NY [U.A.: Sharpe, 1995. Print. Read More