Essay on the Woman Question in Western History

The status of women in most of western history was restrictive and oppressive. Women enjoyed limited economic, political and legal rights as compared to their male counterparts. In fact, they were to follow directives from males as a way of being submissive. People expected them to carry out traditional gender roles confining them to the domestic and private sphere of the society. However, with time, the status of women in the society have improved gradually.

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The causes of new women definition after the world war in western civilization.

During the era of the World War I, women posed their capabilities regarding support in different sectors that concerned the war. The women showed a positive effect in labor force by offering assistance as workers and engaging in various services. For instance, the women were employed in arms industries, as railway crews, as clerks. They also participated as labors in the farms for the delivery of food. The female employees also gained fame and increased tremendously in the early 1990s (Remy-Herbert, pg. 12). The capability of women in offering help in war-related tasks during the First World War I do not make them regarded as unable in the western settings.

Furthermore, the issue of providing jobs and hence receiving the wages gave the women a sense of economic independence. Women showed the ability to do men's work in combination with responsibilities such as motherhood and taking care of other home chores. Because women did their work away from their homes also earned them a fame of social independence (Remy-Herbert, p.g.12). That act of womens ability during the 19th century and especially during the era of the world war labeled them significant in the society.

Consequences of the Women Movements during the Twentieth Century

Most of the results from the women movement were positive but not up to their satisfaction. Some of the results that emanated from the movement especially in the United States of America were engagement in professional jobs, a cry for equality in participation in politics, sports, as well as positions in religion matters (Epstein, para 1). The scope of the women movement went as far as to the usage of the media to strengthen and sensitize the issues to the public in a wider range. The social inequalities commonly viewed as private matters became loud and known to everybody. Therefore, the outcry showed there is a need to be taken care of without secrets.

Although the efforts yielded positively, it was not up to the satisfaction of the objectives. Currently, women still suffer an inferiority complex. For instance, women tend to be assigned low-paying occupations. Women also encounter most of the domestic violence and viewed as the one responsible for any mistakes in occurrence (Epstein, para 2). Furthermore, they are also seen as caretakers at homes especially to children, hence, denied freedom in other important sectors.

Are There Any Noticeably Similar Movements Occurring Right Now In The Twenty-First Century?

Notably, the strength and vibrant movement that happened as before no longer exist. Currently, the mass movement for women no longer exist and has been substituted by private institutions and other organizations silenced through adequate finances and well-salaried staffs (Epstein, para 3). The most reason for the decline and suppression of the movement is as a result of focusing substantially on the problems and weaknesses of the movements. The concentration on the movement's problems render the agenda fragile and hence fall apart.

Do Twenty-First-Century Women Take For Granted The Consequences And The Achievements During The Twentieth Century?

It is evident that the results from the first feminist's movement were not stronger and broader in comparison to the second wave of change especially in the United States of America. The current stake seems more sturdy compared to the earlier times and seems not to be diverted easily (Epstein, para. 9). The previous perspective of feminism movement seemed shallow whereas the second wave has tended to be deeper and serious. That indicates that twenty-first-century women have not taken for granted the consequences and achievements but have engaged in a deeper and serious thinking on how they can reach the apex of their objectives.

Is The Struggle Over For Women Regarding Social Equality?

It is evident that the emergence of the movements occurred due to womens denial for positions such as politics and other cultural issues. The liberation efforts were therefore directed to fighting for the social rights in the society (Epstein, para. 1). Over the years, women are the primary participants in child care. Due to the perception of women as inferior in blue-collar jobs, thus assigned low payments. There also exist discrimination in participation and inequality in sports and religion matters (Epstein, para 2). That has apparently indicated that the struggle for women has been to achieve the social equality.

Who Is Ophelia? How Is She Defined And By Who? What Is The Role Of Ophelia?

Ophelia is a woman who desired to be a nun, and who seems disturbed and not at rest. She is addicted to cigarettes. Ophelia is being regarded as a rebel since she acts opposite of her expectation in secret as shown in the first line of the third stanza "Ophelia was a rebel girl." Ophelia seemed violent and possessed as if in a distress of an issue. She is being referred to as Cannonball and hurricane indicating she harbor potentiality of a particular change in the society which has not yielded any fruits as mentioned by the last line of the seventh stanza, ...lay wasted and in vain She would keenly observe and sympathize with the suffering one is going through as if she is aware of it. Ophelia represents a kind of a woman who has manifested a state of hopelessness in the society.

Why Does Beauvoir Ask, What Is A Woman?

The writer Beauvoir tried to define what a woman is since there already existed a distinction from that of a male. For instance, she tries to find elevated positions held by women in political posts, in the field of artist, and religion but found very few. That notion ignites her research about who is a woman and tries to define in considering her line of life and sometimes the general view of woman treatment (Beauvoir, pg. 8). Beauvoir would also observe the state of her mother, and her confinement to housework just like as a servant.

Beauvoir was childless and got educated in prospects for a nun. She regards motherhood as torture. She narrates how she lost career opportunity as she indulged in drug addiction through her cousin Jacques. Jacques father openly declares the hopelessness to his daughter about marriage regardless of the level of education. Conclusively, Beauvoir had already realized man would mistreat a woman irrespective of the royalty, level of education or brilliance, and degree of chastity (Beauvoir, pg. 10). The mistreatment would also be evident from the publications The Second Sex." Beauvoir tries to define the woman in parallel to her life and knowledge she gains about the general treatment of the women.

Why Does Friedan Think That The Feminine Mystique Emerged After The Second World War?

Friedan enumerates the femininity mystique situations that existed since the early 1950s. Women tried to define themselves besides acting as the house caretakers and their children. House chores were their only responsibility and taking care of their husbands. Little girls dreamt of becoming perfect wives. In some instances, women would fear to ask their husbands about who they are. According to Friedan's discussion case study, women would realize empty and don't know themselves besides what they do (Friedan, pg. 21). During the early 50s and 60s after the Second World War, women would only care about their homes and nothing more, and that heightened their interest of knowledge about femininity.

Works Cited

BIBLIOGRAPHY Beauvoir, Simone De. The Second Sex. 1949. 11 April 2017. http://uberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/1949_simone-de-beauvoir-the-second-sex.pdf.

Epstein, Barbara. "What Happened To The Women's Movement." 53.01 (2011). 11 April 2017. https://monthlyreview.org/2001/05/01/what-happened-to-the-womens-movement/.

Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. Ed. George J. McLeod Limited. Toronto, 2013. 11 April 1917. https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/ows/seminars/tcentury/FeminineMystique.pdf.

Remy-Hebert, Brigitte. "The first Woman's movement." Suffragist struggle in the 19th and the early 20th centuries. (2013). 11 April 2017. http://www.jfki.fu-berlin.de/academics/SummerSchool/Dateien2011/Papers/juncker_remy.pdf.