Women and The Law - Essay Example

Women and The Law June 5, Final Paper: Three Articles Article The Opt-Out Generation Wants Back In Explanation on How the Topic Relatesto a Subject Discussed in Class The topic presented in the article entitled “The Opt-Out Generation Wants Back In” written by Warner relates to the topic discussed in class particularly in terms of the effect of staying at home of previously working mothers on the income of the family; the roles that continue to be played, especially in sharing the household chores; as well as in these women who opted –out while in the apex of their professional careers, only to find out that returning is more challenging and provides significantly lower income than what they used to receive before the crossroads of the decision. Therefore, the topic is significant in the light that the plight of women at the workforce and the issue of balancing work and family responsibilities seem to be fall on the shoulders more of women, than men. It was learned that even when the trend exhibited increasing numbers of women in the working place, various studies have disclosed that women still were noted to manifest sustaining the responsibilities of working at home to tend to the needs of the children, to do some cooking, and to complete other household obligations; while men were accepted to assume sole responsibilities as breadwinners. Explanation on the Appropriate Theoretical Framework as Applied to the Article The theoretical framework that is applicable to the article is the substantive equality which presupposed that there are differences in the way society has treated men versus women and therefore, there really is no equality in all gender-related endeavors. For instance, from what one has learned and recognized from the article, it was evident that while women opted to leave high-paying jobs at the peak of their careers to stay home and take care of raising their children and attending to household obligations, the more pressing future repercussions were really not seriously evaluated. After the children have grown and tending years have ended, women who opted out come to realize that their leaving the work force could have repercussions in terms of finding it more challenging to return to the work force and even facing serious consequences, especially when divorce had left women without support, without money, and without resources to support the growing needs of the children. Description of Personal Reaction to/Opinion of the Article One actually had mixed opinions in the article given that through the experiences of three women who opted out (Chimerine Irvin, Kuae Kelch Mattox, and Sheilah O’Donnel), some of these women turned out more advantageous for being accorded with the opportunities of finding more rewarding employment when they opted to return on the work force; despite obviously lower compensation. However, others who are not so fortunate could face greater anxieties for having to look for more productive endeavor at an age where they could in fact be discriminated on for entering the labor force at a much older age where younger, healthier and equally qualified contenders could be more than willing to accept positions at considerably lower pay. However, through the experiences that were relayed, it was commendable that those who were able to establish a network of professional colleagues while at their prime of the career, could still tap these network and resources to find rewarding opportunities to enter the labor force. Statement of What Difference, if any, Taking the Class Had on Reaction to the Article The difference of having taken the class is that one is more cognizant of theories and their applications to contemporary settings. As such, much appreciation is taken in crucial concerns, especially those affecting women in the workforce and their abilities to sustain supporting their respective families despite the challenges of balancing work and family life. The lessons provided ample opportunities to be apprised of how theories are applied and how, despite awareness of some disparities in according equal rights and privileges to women, society still continues to manifest insufficient support to improve the welfare and access to equal employment opportunities, as well as balancing work and life programs, which should have improved the welfare of women on a global sphere. Article 2: “Departments Are Slow To Police Their Own Abusers” Explanation on How the Topic Relates to a Subject Discussed in Class The topic presented in “Departments Are Slow To Police Their Own Abusers” written by Cohen, Ruiz and Childress (2013) is related to a topic discussed in class; particularly that which focused on chapter 4’s violence against women classified under the intimate partner violence. What is more disturbing with the article is the fact that the perpetuators are law enforcement officers who are expected by the public to adhere to legal, moral, and legal standards. As such, domestic violence remains to be a controversial issue in contemporary societies. It was learned that victims (spouses) rarely report the incidences of violence due to different reasons. For one, the main reason was reportedly fear for retaliation; followed by beingdismissed as inaccurate, unsubstantiated, and would immediately be resolved by the police officer, as promised to other colleagues. Therefore, it was asserted that very few cases of domestic violence caused the loss of job of reported officers – which is a clear indication of injustice and inequality in addressing the plight of women who were grossly discriminated on. Explanation on the Appropriate Theoretical Framework as Applied to the Article The theoretical framework to be applied to the article is nonsubordination. As learned, nonsubordination perspectives actually shift focus from exhibiting sex-based difference to sex-based subordination where there is evident imbalance of power between women and men. Likewise, since the article focused also on the dominance theory, this concept apparently delves into determining whether a rule or practice subordinates women to men. This was most evident in the article where, as law enforcement officers, their gross misconduct for imposing violence on their spouses had been met with indifference and lack of effective judicial response. The domestic violence being reported through standard processes (9-1-1) have not been appropriately addressed since police officers receiving the complaints either report the incident to the perpetuators or dismiss the allegations as a matter of domestic concern. As such, this is a case of nonsubordination that exhibits manifested dominance of men (and police officers at that) over women (or their respective spouses), who remains to be the dominant victims in this particular sector or endeavor. Description of Personal Reaction to/Opinion of the Article One is deeply disturbed on the contents of the article inasmuch as the people, who citizens expect to protect them, are the ones perpetuating forms of aggression and violence to their partners, who they vowed to love and support. To exacerbate the concern, these have been happening without legal policies and sanctions that should have corrected and prevented domestic violence to continue. As such, this is another indication that the dominance theory and nonsubordination persists and create a wider gap between men and women for leaving relevant issues of aggression and violence against women to be left unattended and unresolved. Therefore, from the point of view of women, it is significantly unjust and unfair not to be able to assert being provided with appropriate course of action through legal means, to address domestic violence. The voice of women continues to be exhibited as grossly restricted and confirms that discrimination in this particular discipline predominantly exists. Statement of What Difference, if any, Taking the Class Had on Reaction to the Article Taking the class contributed to marked recognition that there are disturbing issues regarding disparities among gender that have continued in contemporary times. Despite knowledge on various theories and proposed recommendations to minimize the gender gap, policy makers and legislators fail to provide concrete action that would uplift the conditions and welfare of marginalized groups, including women. Thus, the class have provided eye-opening opportunities to assert that changes have to be made and as students and current or future members of the workforce, we could start proposing courses of action that would address domestic violence and ultimately put a stop to discrimination against women. Article 3: Odierno: Army won't lower combat standards for women Explanation on How the Topic Relates to a Subject Discussed in Class The topic asserted in the article entitled “Odierno: Army won't lower combat standards for women” which was written by Michaels (2013) is related to the subject on discussing the theory of fair equality. As asserted, by applying this theory in the situation where the army would not lower standards for accepting women for the physically demanding ground combat fields positions, the military is actually creating an unfair result. The fact remains that women are still physically disadvantaged when compared to men due to natural biological set-up of the physique and stamina. As such, not lowering the standards is tantamount to setting an unfair advantage to men, who could be the only ones to pass the rigorous training and qualifications credentials for the job. Explanation on the Appropriate Theoretical Framework as Applied to the Article As already noted, the theoretical framework applied to the article is the formal equality theory. Formal equality defines the principle of equal treatment that people should be treated alike, according to actual characteristics rather than assumptions/stereotypes about sex, race, and other characteristics. In this case, men and women were treated alike; the army did not lower the standards for women. However, the equality of principle treatment should not universally apply in all situations and cases to ensure that equality among men and women is consistently practiced. By asserting that standards for recruitment and selection for candidates for the physically demanding military positions would remain the same, it is most expected that women could rarely pass the rigorous training and examinations on an equal footing with men. As such, despite promoting equal opportunities for employment in the military, the policy actually gives unfair advantage, rather than justifying that the formal equality should strictly apply. Women who are therefore determined to pursue positions in the ground combat fields position should either have physical strength and endurance capabilities that are above average or even equal to those manifested by men; otherwise, the ruling would only provide false hopes in a discipline that has been dominated by men for a long time. Description of Personal Reaction to/Opinion of the Article The main point being argued in the article supposedly rationalizes the need to strictly adhere to consistent physical standards when considering women as potential applicants for the ground combat fields position. However, it is clear that by sticking to these standards, the military is in fact, being unfazed in subliminally discriminating on women, who are known to be physically challenged than men, in terms of complying with the demands and requirements of the identified positions. Thus, one is grossly dissatisfied with the manner by which Gen. Raymond Odierno, the Army's chief of staff, has apparently applied the Equal Employment Opportunities law. It is like asserting that, despite Pentagon’s encouragement to open all military jobs to women, the fact remains that some physically strenuous jobs are designed to fit only men. They should have just argued that women, by biological nature, would not be able to endure the requirements and qualifications required of that particular ground combat fields position. Statement of What Difference, if any, Taking the Class Had on Reaction to the Article The opportunity accorded in taking the class was instrumental in illuminating one’s recognition that some facets and disparities among men and women could not just be levelled or put on an equal footing by the way that biological considerations should be taken in consideration. As we have been reminded that only women could give births, and thus, could avail of leaves or benefits associated to giving birth; there are also some jobs which are designed primarily to cater to the physical requirements that only men could do. The class enabled this realizations and therefore, despite trying to apply theories, such as the formal equality theory where the principle of equality should prevail, some situations should not force on conditions that are impossible to apply – like opening military jobs with strenuous physical requirements. Obviously, despite trying the best of the women’s abilities; although some women could succeed, people should just accept that men would be better off serving in this endeavors. Works Cited Cohen, S., R.R. Ruiz and R. Childress. "Departments Are Slow To Police Their Own Departments." 2013. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/projects/2013/police-domestic-abuse/. 15 December 2013. Michaels, J. "Odierno: Army won't lower combat standards for women." 18 November 2013. USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/18/odierno-army-women-combat-budget/3629673/. 15 December 2013. Warner, J. "The Opt-Out Generation Wants Back In." 7 August 2013. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/11/magazine/the-opt-out-generation-wants-back-in.html?pagewanted=9&_r=1. 15 December 2013. Read More