Evolution of Gender Norms - Essay Example

?Evolution of Gender Norms Introduction The role of women and position has been changing as a result of several issues that were solved through liberation. From a humble and oppressed background beginning in the 1800s, women have been faced by serious challenges that could not be solved by the actions of their male counterpart. Despite women active participation in the struggle for the abolition of slavery, they were sidelined, and several rights denied. The right to vote, own property, child custody among others were issues that the movement started by Elizabeth Stanton (Allan & DeLuzio, 2009, p. 23). The first wave of liberation, which has been named feminism led to the allowance of women to vote. The success, however, was not achieved in all the other demands. The start of the industrial revolution led to discrimination based on sex, and despite the role accomplished by the women in the earlier slavery struggles, they were not allowed to assume offices. They were given positions that did not require decision making. The mistreating and discrimination based on sex resulted in the creation of and start of second liberation. The second liberation started in the 1960s addressed issues relating to employment discrimination and other social injustices that were not addressed in the earlier revolution (Ravallion, 1998, p. 56). The urge for second liberation was brought about by the discriminatory laws passed by their male counterpart that barred discrimination in the basis of race originality, religion, color and not sex. This law did not address the feminine problems thereby forcing women to start lobbying, for recognition and change of laws to cover them against discrimination. The resultant effect of their liberation was the inclusion of sex in the anti-discrimination law. The women's liberation movements were marked by the struggle against certain issues that needed to be addressed. Despite their involvement in the liberation wars and the Second World War, women were not respected in the society leading to the creation of the new approach in the fight for their right. Minority groups worked with them in the process of liberation. Several issues were highlighted as the major reasons for the liberation movement (Berkeley, 1999, p. 96). Among the conspicuous ones are; equity, employment inequalities, freedom of choice and the ability to vote in the elections. The liberation movement witnessed in America was marked with several issues but the main focus of the liberation movement was the protection and development of women rights. The challenge of the liberation was the role of women in the society and the changing trends in the development of the various issues including change in marriage. In addition, the involvement of women in the social issues contributed to the increased awareness of the need for freedom (Davis, 1999, p. 135). Several authors have written articles based on personal experience and events that caused or propelled women liberation movement. Several events affected the speed and effectiveness of women liberation movement. These events include the Second World War, the tradition and culture of the different races. The liberation movement and trends The Victorian era was marked with several discrepancies, especially the rights of women. The women of that time were not allowed to own property, sue, and did not have suffrage rights. The Victorian England was distinguished by a strict social hierarchy (Drewnowski & Specter, 2003, p. 14). The explanation of the complicated nature of class social system is depicted by the position of the governesses. Additionally they were expected to participate in the labor as paid workforce during the era following the industrial revolution. Beginning after the industrial revolution in 1948, the revolution did face several changes and challenges. Women's liberation started as a result of the discussion in a small friendly meeting, where Elizabeth Stanton wrote the eighteen injustices facing women, resulting in the start of a mini revolution (Robberts, 2013). As the women's group started to spread the message, the movement increased resulting in the first liberation allowing women to vote. There were several other issues that were being fought against including the legal treatment of women in cases involving family disputes. Other issues addressed were child custody, property ownership, education opportunities and employment (Lovenduski, 1986, p. 112). Despite the success of the first revolution, it received some backlash during after the first day of the meeting. Second World War and women liberation Women participated actively in the Second World War. In fact about the six million women participated actively in the war. They filled the positions in factories and on farms, over 200000 women served in the military. Despite their involvement in the employment sector, the end of the war led to the change in the improvement (Lovenduski, 1986, p. 117). Women were taken back to home and made housewives thus returning to the problem of unemployment. The problem was so enormous that many writers during the time represented women as another body not equal to men. According to French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir, stereotyping of women was the main propeller of the change in the attitude of the society (Sherpherd 45). Women were viewed as a mystery despite their active participation in the war. The lack of equity in the society caused the fight against the perceived social evils represented in the society. The issues of employment also affected the minority groups in the society leading tom their involvement in the equity struggle. Additionally, women in the employment were discriminated against, thereby faced severe challenges in the working environment. The wage given to women and the minority in the group was different indicating the existing inequality in the society (Lovenduski, 1986, p. 112). The problem was obviously a problem of stereotyping and laying-off women after the Second World War. In response to the problems encountered, the second wave of women liberation began to fight the employment issues. In conclusion, the struggle of women still remains a vital issue in the contemporary society because equity has not been achieved. In the 1960s, the second wave of liberation began which dealt with oppression of women in the middle class. The work of Betty Friedan in writing the book “The Feminine Mystique” was the landmark of the revolution against women injustices in middle class. Her work led to the passing of the Civil Rights Acts which forbid discrimination based on sex, race, religion and nation of origin. At the time, young women already in colleges played a role in the anti-war. This was not the end of the revolution. There are still issues to be solved relating to women empowerment and equal access of opportunities. There are several achievements made as a result of the revolution that began in 1848, but much still is to be done in the solving disparities still existing in women rights (Sherpherd, 2007, p. 135). In conclusion, the whole article deals with the history of women revolution in the solving of social injustices through the ages to current social issues. The liberation has been a success. Factors that propelled women movement Segregation and significant events shaped the women movement. The segregation of the blacks is a vital issue, which propelled activism. The segregation law that kept blacks and whites apart was the center of conflict to most of the residents of Montgomery, Alabama since its inception in 1943. Unfair enactment of the law leads to a series of arrests that took place before the culmination to the Rosa Parks’ fateful day. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks is arrested aboard a lime-green and old bus after a day's work. The arrest was because of Parks’ imperviousness to the request to give the seat in the middle section to the white man. The middle section which was lawfully set for the African Americans yet when the whites’ section was full, the blacks are forced to give out the seats to the whites and move to the back of the bus. Such events and the other mistreating of women played an vital role in the development of agitation. Race has been a significant issue in the American society with the initial laws protecting the white race only (Berkeley, 1999, p. 169). The protection of the rights of the black, Hispanic and other minority groups in the society is vital because it leads to poverty. Despite the change in the community, the disparities between the races is still prevalent with the main focus is on the issues of employment and equitable access of the employment opportunities. The racial discrimination has been in the society and continues to be the main problem in the society. Racial discrimination is still prevalent in the American society as witnessed by some of the comments aired after the re-election of president Obama. Discrimination may not be at a high magnitude as it as in the 1900s, but still exists in the society in a minimal form (Robberts, 2013, p. 23). It was inappropriate for women because it was a double tragedy including gender and race segregation. Women liberation involved the struggle to achieve recognition and rights which was achieved in bits with the first success being on the rights to vote. The greatest contributing factor in the liberation is the segregation Media coverage Media played a vital role in the activism and women liberation movements witnessed in America and parts of the world. Knowledge is power and the faster information are transferred the better the whole process. In the past, the focus was on the use of posters and the newspaper was common. In fact, during the first liberation movement, Elizabeth Stanton used newspaper to spread information in America. The faster spread of information increased the rate of activism and number of women interested in the whole process (Lovenduski, 1986, p. 118). As the information spread, more women became involved in the liberation struggle. The increased involvement was propelled by the report given in the newspaper. The development of the new platforms of communication has improved the liberation struggle. The current awareness level is high compared to the past due to the role played by the media in support of activism and liberation movement. The use of newspaper and posters contributed significantly to the involvement of other stakeholders in the world. The development of the bill of rights in America was a product of activism and involvement of the government in the protection of the rights of the people (Kingston, 1989, p. 73). In fact, media influenced the government to take action against the increased racism, segregation and gender inequalities. Therefore, the media was integral during the women liberation movement. Conclusion Women liberation is linked with other factors such as racism and male chauvinism which impacted negatively and violated the rights of women and other social groups. In fact, the story of women liberation movement cannot be completed without considering the role of women in the society. Media, segregation and discrimination are the weighty issues that influenced activism in the society and propelled the women to taking actions and undertaking the different events (Robberts, 2013, p. 49). Despite the past success of the liberation movement, the contemporary world still exhibit gender discrimination. The high positions in administration and politics are held by men indicating the existence of a glass ceiling. The glass ceiling is a product of psychological tuning of the female mind. It results from the environment that influences personality development. In conclusion, women liberation movement is an ongoing process that requires the support of other stakeholders to succeed. Bibliography Allan, C., & DeLuzio, C. (2009). Women's Rights: People and Perspectives. Chicago: ABC-CLIO. Allen, T., & Thomas, A. (2003). Poverty and Development. London : Oxford University Press. Berkeley, K. C. (1999). The women's liberation movement in America. Virginia: Greenwood Press. Davis, F. (1999). Moving the Mountain: The Women's Movement in America Since 1960. Illinois: University of Illinois Press. Drewnowski, A., & Specter, S. (2003). Poverty and obesity: the role of energy density and energy costs1,2. The American Journal of clinical Nutrition , 6-16. Kingston, M. H. (1989). 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