After reading Dan Mccord and Kiana Wai’s post on “Men are breadwinners; women are homemakers”, we decided to investigate the success of the woman in our society today.
Looking at most materials out there about women, it is clear that, in the not so far past, the traditional role of women is generally to take care of the home. The woman – the nanny, the indulgent grandmother, or an older sister – is most likely to have such great influence on the child from the womb through its early formative years. Just think about it for a moment, the words, unspoken messages and expectations of the care giving woman affect and determine the child's future destiny. No wonder, prominent people like Dr. James E. Kwegyir-Aggrey (1875-1927), a Ghanaian scholar once said “if you educate a man you educate an individual but if you educate a woman you educate a nation”? and George Washington (1732-1799), the first President of the United States, said this about his mother: "All I am I owe to my mother...I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her."
Looking at most materials out there about women, it is clear that, in the not so far past, the traditional role of women is generally to take care of the home. The woman – the nanny, the indulgent grandmother, or an older sister – is most likely to have such great influence on the child from the womb through its early formative years. Just think about it for a moment, the words, unspoken messages and expectations of the care giving woman affect and determine the child's future destiny. No wonder, prominent people like Dr. James E. Kwegyir-Aggrey (1875-1927), a Ghanaian scholar once said “if you educate a man you educate an individual but if you educate a woman you educate a nation”? and George Washington (1732-1799), the first President of the United States, said this about his mother: "All I am I owe to my mother...I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her."
But then, there came, what we will referred to as the “reformation or evolution” that resulted in the “today’s woman”. This famous writer captured it beautifully, and I quote:
"A startling thought this, that a woman could handle business matters as well or better than a man. Never before had she put this remarkable idea into words. She sat quite still with the heavy book on her lap, thinking how in these past lean months she had done a man’s work and done it well. She had been brought up to believe that a woman alone could accomplish nothing. Why…. why….her mind stuttered, I believe woman could manage everything in the world without a man’s help-even having babies. With the idea that she was as capable as a man came the sudden rush of pride and a violent longing to prove it, to make money for herself as men made money. Money that would be her own, which she would neither have to ask for or account to any man.” ‘Gone with the Wind’, Margaret Mitchell, 1936
The following links highlight the accomplishment of some women in our society today:
Balancing work and family: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=182
Statistics of women in business: http://www.catalyst.org/publication/132/us-women-in-business
In your opinion, does “culture” have an impact on a woman’s ability to “reform”?
13 comments:
it's almost odd because the u.s has a moderate degree of masculine values, according to hofstede, but support mechanisms exist at both the institutional and organizational levels that foster greater balance between work and family: the family leave act, employer daycare, tax credits for childcare expenses. This culture affords women a greater opportunity to reform; the ability is always present, but a culture may serve to promote or discourage that reform thereby having an impact.
alex
The culture absolutely has an impact. Growing up I wasn't even aware of the fact that there was a need for women to "reform" from caregivers to breadwinners. I was raised with the idea that I could pursue whatever I pleased if I worked hard enough. I grew up wanting a career and did not/do not expect to have trouble making one just because I am female, yet a woman from Saudi Arabia would probably feel quite the opposite. Even in a place like Japan, I think there are notions of a woman's place and a man's place that are still in people's minds, though they are more subtle.
Much like Mary, I was never shown the picture that women weren't able to do exactly what men can do. I grew up in a house full of women (my mom, my twin sister, and my baby sister) and my mom made it very clear that if you work hard enough, no matter what gender you are, you can do what you want. My twin sister is a doctor and my baby sister is a in school to be a teacher. I have a friend that I grew up with whose family is from Iran and there roles were completely different. The father was in total control of everything and everyone in that house. Comparing his family to mine was complete opposites yet he AND his sisters went on to become very successful. I think culture plays a part in it but there are pieces of it that we don't see from the outside.
I will agree with the other comments in saying that I really have never been raised to think that women are inferior to men and that they couldn't do just as well as men in the business world.
Luckily, we grow up in a society that the majority of the time supports total equality for men and women.
I even had a teacher once who was working to get her piloting license. Flying planes was a hobby of hers outside of teaching. Who's to say that women can't do things just as well as men?
To answer the question, I do believe that culture play an integral part in impacting a woman's ability to reform. Although there is still not 100% equality in the workplace, we have come a long way since the 1950s and before.
I do think the advent of successful female corporate ladder climbers and CEOs will help inspire prospective female business leaders for future generations. And thus, we will see the statistics on that Catalyst Pyramid steadily rise.
I must agree with Bill. Culture has a major impact on a women's ability to reform. Current events in Saudi Arabia are a perfect example. Saudi women have been protesting laws that prevent them from driving. In America, it seems ridiculous that a woman would not be allowed to drive simply because she is a woman. However, in Saudi Arabian culture these women are considered radicals.
Culture doubtless has a part to play in the women's rights movements of the world
David Mouron
I wholeheartedly believe that culture plays a role in how women "reform." While some will try to reform, such as those in Saudi Arabia that David mentioned, some see no need, even in that same country where I myself have heard that some who wear Hijabs see no problem with it.
I believe that women can do just as much as men, however that is because I was raised in a household that sees that view. I think it starts with the household and is then shaped by the culture since some households "go against the grain." Perhaps if I was brought up elsewhere I would think that women couldn't do the same amount of work that a man could.
I agree with the statement that culture influences the reformation of women. If it were not for the American culture, a lot of women would not find it necessary to reform into the "working mom". There are hundreds of factors in our society the brings women to believe that being a breadwinner (not necessarily "The" breadwinner); one of those factors being the increase in single parent homes and divorce rates. In places that still frown upon deadbeat parents and split marriages, those women may not have any motivation to produce income because there is a known fact that the male will provide under all causes.
With that being said, I also believe that women have grown an intrinsic motivation to become successful and notable citizens as well.
I agree with everyone that culture influences the reformation of woman. With that being said, I was raised by my father so I do believe that men and women are equal. I do not believe in having "roles" in a marriage - that men work and woman should stay at home. In my house my husband and I share the responsibilities of working and taking care of our daughter. I believe that times are changing and that we will see more woman being the breadwinners in the household.
Culture definitely has an impact on the reformation of the image of a woman. The image of a woman is itself an aspect of culture, same as the image of the man is. Our culture in the United States has had a trend of equalization between genders of importance in the family unit of who provides the majority. As was previously mentioned, single-parent households has done some to change the image of what is needed for the successful raising of a child, but the move towards single-parent households is a relatively newer one. My grandmother who was born in 1933 graduated from college at a coeducational school here in America, something that was first allowed in Saudi Arabia in 2009. The rate of reform is based on culture and there will be obvious differences,
Most people use "gender" and "sex" interchangeably. You shouldn't.
http://www.who.int/gender/whatisgender/en/
<"Sex" refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women.
"Gender" refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women.
Aspects of sex will not vary substantially between different human societies, while aspects of gender may vary greatly.>
Culture dictates a woman's role in her society. Laws may prohibit a woman from working in certain fields, or social norms and mores might. In fact, sometimes social norms and mores are stronger than laws. So culture has a great impact on groups of people's opportunities in life.
Culture is THE most important impact. Collective achievement is the essence of how a society functions. So within culture is a society; If it doesn't accept you from the start based on static qualities, how can reform ever happen? R-e-v-o-l-u-t-i-o-n.
Culture absolutely has an impact on whether women can reform their roles and values in society. I will use India and the United States in comparison, since we just watched the movie "Outsourced." The female lead character in the film, even though she liked Todd, could not let anyone know about her affair with him, because she had already been promised to another man by her parents. This idea seems ridiculous to Americans, because we are allowed to marry and date whomever we want, to a certain extent. Even though it is acceptable in both Indian and American culture to obey your parents, the Indians are on a whole other level with it. Women in America have broken out of their gender roles over the years, and continue to move up in society as political leaders and CEOs right along side men.
Post a Comment