Can Women Have a Career and Be Mothers - Essay Example

Critically discuss the view that a “woman cannot have a career and be a mother” from a feminist perspective. Female perspective is the study of gender oppression in women. In many societies women have been naturally oppressed. Historically the norm has been that men are dominant to women, this is referred to as patriarchy. The idea that women cannot hold careers and be able to sustain a household with husband and children has been the main conflict in the society. In this modern civilization it has become easier for women to go into the job market and still maintain a household. The society is based on conflict between the genders. It is the difference between men and women in the negative aspect in the society. Feministic perspective is made up of three phases. First and foremost is suffrage and political rights. This is where they are not partisan to most political agenda. The second is social inequality and gender inequality. The last is the globalization which is inclusive of capitalism and industrialization. The following are factors that go against women in this agenda, making it more difficult for them to achieve this desire and the solutions to the problems. Modern families have a culture where kids are taught that males are dominant within the family. From the onset young girls are brought into the limelight that they are second to their counterparts or brothers. They grow up with the mentality that men are better than women. The society has undermined the woman to the role of housewife and child bearing duties. They are henceforth not given the capability to rise to the occasion. They are submissive to men and act like slaves at times to them. This is passed down to their children whom they bring up in an oppressed setting. Education is also a factor that inhibits women from getting into careers; the curriculum is based more around male dominated subjects. You find that subjects such as home science, food and nutrition are encouraged to be taken up by women while as careers such as engineering architecture and finance are being left for their male counterparts. Due to this many women are left to be house wives because of their career choice. Sociologist Heaton and Lawson they argue that the curriculum is a source of gender inequality within schools. The schools hold text books that show modern family cultures where kids are taught that male are dominant within the family setup. Feminist perspective is looking at the world from women point of view. Seeing it through the eyes of women what they go through, why, how and most important how to make the world a better and more conducive place for women to live in. Almost everything in the society is male dominated and as such the women are holding the short stick. The patriarchal society has male chauvinism and bias by male sexist. It looks down on women critically at home, in the streets and at work places. Everywhere there is division of labor, these places women are underrated. In regards to property rights, the women suffer s injustices. In some societies women are treated as property themselves. Men pay dowry to parent to buy women as their wives. Women are exchanged for an amount of money or even material things. This payment is for the parents having given birth to a girl and brings her up to womanhood. If one is dissatisfied by the woman, she can be returned and his money refunded to him. In these modern times female genital mutilation still prevails. This is where young girls are discontinued from school and undergo the female genital mutilation. After this experience they are then married off to older men who make them their wives and keep them as property. As much as these practices are old and traditional, they are wrong and should end as the world is changing. The gender imbalance should be corrected. The immediate society should come up with more ways to fight these exploitations. It should put in more effort to combat the indifference the society has towards their women. One way is to make more awareness to this vices that undermine women and level them to material possessions. Feminist theory analyses the woman status with the use of making women lives better. The theories question the difference between men and women, class, ethnicity, sexuality, age, nationality. They develop, deploy, and popularize the inequality. Women are given a voice to air their concerns. It also shows the many ways women have contributed to society. The power men have over women is slowly over the years diminished. This is because of all the women that are going against the set prohibit. They prove the world and everyone in it wrong. Throughout the individual relationships and the entire society, women have risen to the occasion. Today women are the head of their families. They are the leaders of companies and social groups. They are bosses in places of work and head government offices. The awareness has been assisted mostly by feminist literary. This has challenged outlook of authors. Historically women were presented in literature as objects. The societies valued male author’s more than female authors. More female authors have come to play the role of changing this assumption. Female author have shown the experiences of women and portrayed them as intelligent. Women can now tell their own stories, their own way and express themselves effectively. We are no longer living in a world of unfairness but one of awareness. The information is there and women are standing up for themselves in all aspects of life. In their families and jobs, women are being viewed differently by their male counterparts. Female culture needs to be incorporated. This will make a leveled playing field for both genders. All discrimination will have to be addressed for there to be total equality. Dismantling the hierarchies in workplaces, government and families will also lead to gender equality and social discriminations. Working within the logics of cultural communities to end inequality at the grassroots levels. Education can be an agent of secondarily socialization that can solve these differences. Changing the national curriculum is one way. Another avenue is to encourage young women and girls to take up courses that traditionally have been set aside for their male counterparts. The society is also to blame because of the expectations they have set for women. The society wants women to marry early and have children. The main job of a woman becomes child bearing raising children, maintaining the home and keeping the family cozy while the man is left to be the bread winner and head of the family . If the society can encourage the agenda of working mothers then the inequality would reduce. The woman would to also bring in her income to supplement the husband. In cases of single mothers the society should be a bit lenient on then because they are the sole bread winner. Feminism also defer in multiculturalism. Come cultures oppress women and restrict them to the traditions of the society. In this case the society condones the working mother and praises the stay at home mother. This is unacceptable and should change. The law in place can undermine women in the work place. There are not enough policies to assist women get ahead in the job market. The law in place favors men more than women. Liberal feminism is fighting this state of lawlessness against women. This is being done establishing legislation to fight discrimination. Women will archive better equality if the current social structure also favors them. Changes in equal opportunities will end patriarchy. Women can also have a say in the political agendas if more are encouraged to run for public offices and political seats and positions. The added value will be that they will assist in making policies that favors women needs and assist in turning them to law. The gender division of labor contributes to women in equality. The fact that men get paid more in their salaries as compared to women is a key contributor to this inequality. Men also get higher positions in companies. If a woman get a child while still working her chances of getting promoted reduces. Social feminism believes that the gendered division of labor needs to be solved so as to equalize the work place for women. More prosperous work opportunities should be left for women to take up, thus encourage the inequality to end. Radical feminism highlights that women are abused physically and emotionally. This violence is inflicted on the women in workplaces, classrooms or playgrounds among others. It twinkles down to protecting women from such abuses and the patriarchy will end. This can be done by advocating for women rights. The discrimination of women by men also needs not to be taken lightly as many women who suffer from abuse also do not come out in the open. Women need to be protected from rapists and bullying and all manner of violence against women. Structural oppression explains that result of capitalism, patriarchy, and racism leads to inequality. Socialist feminists agree that the working class is taken advantage of as a result of the capitalist mode of production; this is also extended to gender. Important to note is that not all women face the same oppression. Black and white women make racism oppression. This is where the skin color makes matters in the work place or at a job interview. In most cases black skinned women are discriminated more against than white women. Difference body types make discrimination also. A plus size lady is more segregated in work places than slim women. Face forms all attribute to inequality. There needs to be mechanisms in the workplace that condemn discrimination of this nature. Harsh punishment to people who are discriminating, carrying out the heinous act of looking down on people should not be taken too lightly but with harsh and severe consequences. Emotional and psychological oppression occurs to women who are brutally looked down upon by the society and men around them. This affects women with their confidence and leads then down the path of depression in most cases. Mental oppression eventually will lead to psychological and physical discrimination. The environment needs to be safe. The society needs to acknowledge this vice against women and stop them from happening. Violence is aggravating the already deplorable state of oppression against women. Other feminist theorists advocate that the different roles given to women and men within companies. This is examined well in gender difference, including the division of labor at home. The men do not cook or clean because they believe that most house chores are to be done by women. Women are thus seen as objects and are denied the opportunity for self-realization. The self –worth of women has been deduced down. In conclusion, given the changing times of the modern society, more women are able to be in careers and still become mothers. The added advantage is that the few that are doing it are setting the stride for others to take up the challenges. Example is policy maker Phyllis Schlafy who for the longest time has been advocating for policies that empower women in sectors of employment. More women have also started to take up careers after child birth and manage quiet well. The ability to multitask has greatly assisted women in the ability to hold a job and maintain the household too. More women are taking up roles as doctors and engineers and proving to the society and men that they are on the rise to achieve the freedom from societies oppression. To women, gone are the days, where we depend on men for everything. Equality is paramount in this era. There are greater strides that women need to take and make before they can fully be free from oppression but at least they are on the right road to reach that independence. Women are good manages of their homes and as such are also good managers of their work. In the work place, more women are getting positions due to their ability to handle the job description. Women are competent and thorough in their duties and this is evident in many cases of successful women in the world. Instead of looking down on women as the weaker sex, we should lend a hand, pull them up and achieve a better and stronger society. A society that does not advocate for discrimination but encourages equality. References Boundless “the feminist perspective” boundless sociology The flipside of feminism Schlafly Phyllis Lee Bryant, director of sixth form, anglo-european school logatenston Essex Source: Boundless. “The Feminist Perspective.” Boundless Sociology. Boundless, 27 Jun. 2014. Retrieved 08 Apr. 2015 from https://www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/boundless-sociology-textbook/sociology-1/the-theoretical-perspectives-in-sociology-24/the-feminist-perspective-158-7930/ Read More