Women of Today and Queen Elizabeth - Essay Example

Women of Today and Queen Elizabeth The Feminist Movement in the contemporary world has frequently represented the equality and power of women from the perspective of economic, social and political concerns. Either it is political, economic or business decisions, the role of women at positions of power can bring substantial changes to the society as well as energize the aspirations of the future generations. Although, there are still many barriers for the women to succeed in a male-dominated world, there are also few notable women like Queen Elizabeth I, who have marked their success, by taking the position of power. Here we shall present an argumentative topic on why the women of today are failing to get to position of power. We shall also discuss what makes the women of today to be less significant than Queen Elizabeth in pursuing the positions of power. It has been the universal myth that men are powerful and are often associated with power, leadership and efficiency while women are viewed as subordinate, weak representations. Although women are represented as meeker gender, most women in the real world are equally intelligent, independent and efficient. The dominance and power of women in the contemporary world is much restricted in various arenas, and particularly in the political scenario, it is totally at the lowest degree. Their representations in positions of power is certainly limited by various factors such as gender bias, cultural norms, media representation, personal beliefs, patriarchal society and more. Even in the history, there are women like Queen Elizabeth, who has fought hard to get rid of these demeaning connotations associated with females in the society and have succeeded as well. Across the world today, women are greatly underrepresented in positions of power, be it in business, media, or politics. Ensuring that women get equality in positions of power and influence is certainly a social justice and democratic legitimacy. What makes the women of today to be less indulged in power positions is that they are still covered by under-representation in the patriarchal society. Particularly in the political scenario, their existence is minimal, owing to the gender disparities. Queen Elizabeth, one of the most famous England monarchs, has a great reputation in the world political history for overthrowing all the society’s mainstream views, by placing herself as the dominant power in England. Although, she had an advantage of royal succession to the throne, her abilities as a ruler and a politician are hailed not only by the people of that period but also the subsequent generations. Progress of women in politics as well as any sector has not seen a great increase, mainly due to the society and its attitudes. However, we cannot contend that the society can outpace the ability of the women and her influence in positions of power. Women generally have the potential and talent to succeed in positions of power, despite the cultural, societal or political barriers. As in case of Queen Elizabeth, she has surpassed all the societal stereotyping of the Victorian period, where women were not expected to be how she was; an opinionated, emphatic and immodest woman, breaching all the gender norms of then period. There is still a differential view in the society towards women rising to power; unless and until this tendency is resolved, it is hard for the societal stereotyping and gender gap in various walks of life to get changed. It is essential that the women of today have to overcome these societal connotations for placing themselves in positions of power. It is essential to understand the fact that discrimination against women and social stereotyping is not the sole cause for the women to be not in power today. Even though women perform as well as men do, they are still at the vulnerable position to be easily manipulated and charged. Moreover, their personal beliefs play a vital role in determining their ambition of placing themselves in power. Surveys have shown that women are less likely to think themselves of emerging into powerful political positions. it was observed that men are nearly 35 percent more likely than women to esteem themselves as potential political candidates. “Women are not only less likely than men to consider a candidacy, but they are also less likely than men to take any of the steps required to launch an actual political campaign.” (Lawless and Fox 5). So it can be evidenced that the attitude of a women matters much more than the societal and cultural norms. Particularly in the political settings, men outnumber women and what makes the women of today to lack in succeeding in the politics is not their inability to compete but their attitude itself. It is worthy to note the ability of Queen Elizabeth as a woman in power. She was indeed reputed for her political significance and is viewed as a reflection for what true sovereignty should be. Even in today’s democratic world, Queen Elizabeth’s political ability is valued, not as a monarch, but as an efficient politician and decision-maker. Women of today have to bring to their mind that their presence in positions of power would deliver a positive affirmation of what a women can do out of her ability. “The presence of more women in positions of political power around the world does serve as a powerful affirmation of what’s possible for others.” (Forbes). The question why women of today are less inclined to positions of power or failing to succeed in rising to power is still attributed to the society as a whole. As far as women are concerned about domestic life, it is hard for them to maintain a strong work-family balance. Similarly, the notion of underrepresenting women in positions of power has a broader influence on the ability of the women and their involvement. Thus, we can conclude that women at positions of power have the ability to change the world for a far better, but still require few changes from the part of social and political settings of today. However, the attitudes of women can also place them in position of power as seen from Queen Elizabeth I, who had handled the gender limitations efficiently and ruled the country. So, active role of women in positions of power depends not only on the social and political system of the nation, but also the attitudes and efficiency of the women herself. Works Cited Forbes, Moira. “Hillary Clinton: Why Women Must Dare To Compete In Politics.” Forbes, 26 June 2013. Web. 17 Apr 2014. Lawless, Jennifer L. & Fox, Richard L. “Why Are Women Still Not Running for Public Office?” Red. May 2008. Read More