The Modern Woman - Essay Example

Philosophy 10 December Today’s Woman Introduction The modern woman is no longer a naive lady as compared to the woman ofyesterday. Today’s women are much empowered and because of this there have been many positive changes that have taken place in the society. The women in earlier generations suffered a lot, since despite the fact that they had the potential to do great things, they were denied such chances by being treated as an inferior sex. For example, in the bible when the first human was created who is Adam, God saw that the man was very lonely and he need a companion and a helper as he was in-charge of the whole world. God created the woman (Eve) from the ribs of Adam and therefore human beings have interpreted that the woman is inferior to man. As a result of her supposed inferiority, the woman took the female role of being a house wife and a helper to the man and all the decisions were made by the man and in some of the cultures, this has been the trend to this day. Most of the time much of the women’s work has remained unrecognized and to some extent, undervalued, be it economically, politically, socially, or culturally. For example, many house chores are seen to be very easy, but in a day, a woman is supposed to prepare meals three times and at the same time do the cleaning while also taking care of the kids. If the total number of hours that both women and men work is put together, the woman works for more hours compared to a man (Gupta 73). In today’s society, the world is going through social change and the role of women as being house wives is changing. Today women are being educated and as a result, they are occupying high powered positions and influential careers, which have brought a fresh outlook and a positive impact in the society. This paper discusses the positions of women in today’s society and the positive impacts they are making. The Role of Women in Literature Many women have been victimized for their attempts in the field of writing. This is because literature was a male dominated field and for a woman to get a position in literature, it has not been an easy task. Most women in these patriarchal societies have seen their gender as being a very big and painful obstacle towards the success of their writing careers. The nineteenth century saw the emergence of elite and educated women in America and Europe. Since then, this has presented threats to the societies which are very rooted in patriarchy, as women can represent themselves even in public arenas and that means empowering women (Pastor and Lloyd 2-3). During the second half of the twentieth century, Latin America saw an emerging and influential group of women writers, who have left an authoritative legacy through their literature. Most of these writers concentrated on their historical marginalization, but the trend is changing and the modern women writers have embarked on different themes like those of science and mathematics among others. The women are now seen to have positive impacts in the society from all aspects of their literature. In America, there have been many women writers who have contributed a lot to literature. Examples of these women include Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison among others. Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) is a re-known folklorist and writer, who is celebrated for her great impact on the culture of the African American society of the rural south (Britannica Educational Publishing, American Literature 131). She is also remembered for the contributions that she had on the Harlem Renaissance. Harlem Renaissance was an African American culture, which involved creative arts and that had a lot of influence in the African American history. The impact of this was that it helped the black people to be proud of their heritage and re-conceptualize the stereotypes from the whites that had affected their heritage to each other. It has also served as the basis of all African American literature as well as black literature worldwide (Britannica Educational Publishing, American Literature 131). Toni Morrison was born in 1931 and she is another woman writer who has had a lot of impact in the society through her literature (Britannica Educational Publishing, Contemporary Authors, 182). She is a noble prize winner of 1993 for literature. For over thirty years, she has been considered as the most respected novelist. Her literature has been greatly noted for her examination of the black female experience in the black community. Through her novels, she has been able to voice the needs of those women who have been silenced. For example, in her novel known as Her beloved, which was based on a true story, she gives a story of a slave girl who kills her infant daughter so as to save her from slavery (Britannica Educational Publishing, Contemporary Authors, 182). This novel shows the marginalization that the African American women were undergoing in the society. This is clear evidence to show the role she has played in the African American Culture. Through her works, she has also voiced the long silenced history of the African American and this has helped her readers to understand this history (Britannica Educational Publishing, Contemporary Authors, 182). The Role of Women in Science Throughout history, women have been underrepresented when it comes to science. Despite the many changes and improvements in science during the past years, women are still under represented in science and technology. This is due to the roles that have been allocated to women in the society, like being home makers and keepers as mentioned earlier, and also the prejudices which have encouraged male presence in these fields, consequently affecting the participation of women in science. During the 17th century and with emergence of modern science, women started showing interest in occupying positions in scientific institutions though the number was still low. Today the number has risen as women play greater roles and make greater contributions in science (Dimitriadi 1). In history, there a number of women who have been recognized for the role they have played in science. Women like Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin, and Kalpana Chawla are some of the best examples of women who have made significant contributions in science and inspired other women to reach the high levels of science. Since time immemorial, women have played a vital role in the understanding of scientific processes and have also impacted the understanding of scientific progress. Women like Maria Agnesi, Laura Bassi and Emilie du Chatelet are discussed in detail. By the age of nine, Maria Agnesi had mastered three languages which were Hebrew, Latina, and Greek. She played a great role during the eighteenth century and is considered as a great figure in mathematics during the time. Her recognition in the role she played in mathematics came as a result of important work which she had produced for her brother’s use, but it ended up being the best when it came to understanding the subject of calculus (Gingo kings.edu). Laura Bassi is another woman scientist made a great impact in science. Due to her extensive work in Physics, she earned herself a degree and a membership in an Academy in Italy. She also made great contributions in the field of astronomy by discovering a comet. Though she was not very good in mathematics, she was able to perform advanced calculations and also publish the results (Gingo kings.edu). Emilie du Chatelet was also a prominent woman scientist. She developed her own algebraic formula and commentaries in her study. She shaped the mathematics by translating Newton’s book to a French language which helped her community. Her most famous work is known as Institutions de Physique. These are just but a few women, who with their influential careers and high powered positions, have brought a fresh outlook and positive impact to the society, and particularly in the world of science where women have been un- recognized for a very long time (Gingo kings.edu). The Role of Women in Gender Gender refers to the differences that exist between men and women in social, psychological, and cultural contexts and that is the reason why it is said to be constructed by people and not by biology. Women have made great efforts in ensuring that the difference doesn’t go to the extremes where one gender is favored over the other, and that is when they fight for gender equality (“Equal Participation,” 15). As a result of many women obtaining high powered positions and influential careers, they have brought a fresh outlook and positive impacts to the society in all aspects of gender. For many years, gender in most cultures has been constructed in a way that women have been given the roles of housekeeping and taking care of the kids, while men are perceived as the breadwinners. With most ladies being well educated, the society is really transforming to the best. These educated women are acting as representatives and are attempting to address the needs of women and eliminate the marginalization that exists (“Equal Participation,” 15). This has helped in empowering women, as they now have better chances in male dominated fields and their contributions are being recognized. Additionally, as women have acquired the high powered positions and influential careers, they are now involved in formulation of policies on development. Research has shown that women are very important when it comes to decision making and development of meaningful gender mainstreaming strategies. Women have also been involved in leadership which is unlike the previous societies where the women had no say in the society. It can therefore be said that women are making great impacts when it comes to changing the mentality that the society had about gender roles. Conclusion The society is undergoing social changes and many transformations are taking place. Women have become more and more empowered through education thus having more positive impact in all aspects of the society. This can be seen from the contributions they have made in previously male dominated fields such as science and technology. As mentioned earlier, women have also made positive impacts in literature, which was also perceived as a male dominated field. Some women been victimized, but at last they emerge as victors in their quest to publish their literature, which have had positive impacts to the society. For example, Toni Morrison’s literature has helped many people understand the history of the African American cultures and also the discriminations that the women have undergone for many centuries in the patriarchal societies. Additionally, due to more women acquiring influential careers and high powered positions, gender has also been affected in a positive manner. Many women are now involved in decision making which was not the norm several years back. They are now seen as crucial assets in the process of making policies for development. All these changes brought about by women have brought a fresh outlook to the society today. Works Cited Britannica Educational Publishing. American Literature from the 1850s to 1945. New York: Britannica Educational Publishing, 2011. Print. Britannica Educational Publishing. Contemporary Authors: 1945 to the Present. New York: Britannica Educational Publishing, 2014. Print. Dimitriadi, Angeliki. Young Women in Science and Technology: The Importance of Choice. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, May 2013. PDF File. “Equal Participation of Women and Men in Decision-Making Processes, with Particular Emphasis on Political Participation and Leadership.” October 2005. PDF File. Gingo, Matt. “Women in Early Modern European Science: Maria Agnesi, Laura Bassi, Caroline Herschel, Mary Winkelmann Kirch, and Emilie du Chatelet.” November 2000. Web 10 December 2013. Gupta, Mukta. Economic Participation of Women. New Delhi: Sarup and Sons, 2000. Print. Pastor, B. M. and Lloyd Hughes Davies. A Companion to Latin American Women Writers. Woodbridge: Tamesis Books, 2012. Print. Read More