Women Enjoy More Rights than Before - Essay Example

?Women Enjoy more Rights than before Women’s rights have been a burning issue in the social and political spheres around the globe since mid- twentieth century. The hard work and resilience of the supporters of women’s rights have reshaped the ways of our world in a drastic manner. Consequently, women today enjoy more rights than their predecessors, who were victims of discrimination on the basis of their gender; had no voice; and neither any sort of representation in social, political or any sort of public or commercial domains. There was no turning back for them once the realization dawned upon them that they were equal beings as men- and thus should be treated equally. The gendered roles of men and women institutionalized the supremacy of men which was further reinforced by the fact that being the bread-earners, they were naturally the heads of their families. This kind of male dominance prevailed since centuries, until the mid-twentieth century, when women’s rights activists initiated historical movements. Up till then, women did not have many chances of getting high education as compared with men. However, with the passage of time, they became aware of their political and social rights and sought to fight for them. In many countries of the world, women were deprived of their inheritance, and so much was to be done to earn their birth rights. For instance, the right to express themselves; the right to have a voice or opinion; the right to earn or work; the right to marry the person of their choice; the right to have or not to have children; the right to vote; the right to divorce; the right to adopt a religion; or simply the right to live their own lives, rather than being dictated by the norms of society or the patriarchal system. Prior to this awareness, they had no rights over their own bodies or sexuality. Having right over your own body means having the power to decide for yourself. Self determination was denied to women since ancient times; but the dynamics of the twentieth century changed the mindset of all and sundry, once various movements in different parts of the world gained momentum. Perhaps the first step was to step out of the domestic domains and enter the work force with men. As their roles changed, there developed a natural urge to change their social and political status. After a long journey, women today can claim to enjoy equal benefits at workplace, access to therapeutic abortion, maternity leave, etc. The health exception drew additional legitimacy from Britain’s passage of a therapeutic law in 1967. In the late 1960s, reformers succeeded in securing laws for therapeutic abortion in a number of states, which set up complicated processes heavily supervised by medical committees that allowed women to end pregnancies in “hardship cases” involving rape, incest, the probability of a deformed child, or the threat of death. (Stansell, 315) The Abortion Law is yet a controversial topic in many parts of the world. However, women’s rights’ activists that were in favour of this law hailed the decision of the government in this regard. The official law prevented women from aborting themselves at home that posed severe health risks for them. However, abortion by choice is yet not a simple task in many states and is only performed where necessary. If the reasons of abortion are primarily for the health or honour of women, or in case of a deformed child, then women are granted this right. Conservative societies, like Japan were reluctant to change their attitude towards women, as demanded by the women’s rights’ activists. Regarding the abortion rights in Japan, during the 70’s and 80’s, a massive change was witnessed among women who fought for women’s rights. This movement spread awareness among women about their rights whether to have a baby or not. “...women in the reproductive health movement diligently prevented the revision of the national law that would have limited access to abortion. The revision would have legally nullified women’s rights and justified the foetus’s rights.” (Kato, 145) Having the right and access to abortion means a lot to women’s rights activists, as it speaks volumes about their hardships and struggles that yielded this law. Similarly, the issue of female sexuality sparks debates everywhere it is brought up for discussion. In a sexual relationship, women were not expected to display their sexual desires or wish for sexual pleasure. Ironically, they were merely treated as sex-objects rather than sexual-beings, who had their own sexual desires. In France, Female sexuality, in the 1950s, was not discussed in public, except on the pages of a few women’s magazines and then only in relation to natural childbirth or birth control. By the early 1960s, as it was progressively dissociated from procreation, attention was also paid to sexuality as opposed to reproduction, most notably to the right to sexual pleasure. Women’s magazines played a major part in this, keeping sex (married sex) on the agenda. Elle played a leading role in breaking the taboo surrounding sex. (Duchen, 205) Thus, women’s sexuality was considered to be meant for child bearing, not for fulfilling their carnal demands. In this respect, women today enjoy much more sexual freedom than before. The main force behind women’s rights movements across the globe was the call for treating women as equal beings as men. Whether it was a sexual relationship; or any sort of work-relationship; women deserved to be treated on equal basis. In the USA, The women’s liberation movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s articulated women’s universal right to work, but its initial focus was more on the civil than on the social aspects of this right. That is, feminists first sought to end discrimination and remove barriers to education, training, hiring and advancement, and only subsequently defined the need for maternity leave, pregnancy benefits, child care and other services that would allow all women to avail themselves of these opportunities. (Grimshaw and Holmes, 207) The emancipation of women from their domesticated roles changed the face of the workplace and the patriarchal system. As women gained education and sought professional training in their respective fields, they earned their due rights at home and at workplace. The stepped out of their limited and domesticated roles to overhaul the entire system and the way their societies treated them. The women’s rights’ movements across the globe have spread awareness among men and women and consequently changed their mindsets, over the decades. Though these movements are still active; and have more supporters than ever; and they have been successful in forcing or convincing the governments and world bodies to recognize their rights; yet, a lot needs to be done in this regard. However, the long struggle of the women’s rights’ movements must be commended and appreciated for winning the inherent and birth rights of women for generations to come. Work cited Duchen, Claire. Women's Rights and Women's Lives in France, 1944-1968. Florence, KY, USA: Routledge, 1994. Print. Grimshaw, Patricia; Lake, Marilyn and Katie Holmes. (Eds). Women's Rights and Human Rights : International Historical Perspectives. Gordonsville, VA, USA: Palgrave Macmillan, 2000. Print Kato, Masae. Women's Rights? : The Handicapped Foetus and Abortion in Japan. Amsterdam, , NLD: Amsterdam University Press, 2009. Print. Stansell, Christine. Feminist Promise : 1792 to the Present. Westminster, MD, USA: Modern Library, 2010. Print. Read More