...1.1 INTRODUCTION The 56th session of the Commission on the Status of Women will open on 27 February at United Nations headquarters, focused on the theme of empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, sustainable development and current challenges’ Rural women constitute one-fourth of the world's population acordng to UN WOMEN (2012). They are leaders, producers, entrepreneurs and service providers, and their contributions are vital to the well-being of families, communities and economies, and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Rural women account for a great proportion of the agricultural labour force, produce the majority of food grown, especially in subsistence farming, and perform most of the unpaid care work in rural areas Block (2010). Agriculture provides a livelihood...
Words: 1195 - Pages: 5
...One of the sisters, Phoebe, is made out to be infatuated by sexual desires due to being linked with a man killing demon, known as a ‘Succubus’. The demon kills men for their testosterone, while trying to reveal the demon, Phoebe’s sister Prue gets transformed into a man. Also interesting in this particular episode is that the men who are disrespectful towards the women are the ones that are killed. While stereotypically women were displayed on television in a way that facilitated the “male gaze” in this episode both the male and female gaze are seen, giving a sense of gender equality. The sisters stare with desire at their neighbour Dan while at a dating event and likewise when Prue turns into a man she gazes at women, rather than men. In a short summary this episode really highlights the power of the women, as they are able to beat the demon and are not represented in a stereotypical way, they are sexually free and very much...
Words: 926 - Pages: 4
...The Empowerment of the Future of Women “Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult”, Charlotte Whitton (The Soul Sisters). Hilary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Oprah Winfrey are just a few names who have taken women leadership to the next level. But why does progress still seem to be a struggle for other women? Men seem to be dominating the political world in the U.S., and females seem to be striving to be the next powerhouses, but their professional image seems to be standing in the way of their future. Although women have made significant progress in obtaining low level leadership positions, their professional image continues to prevent them from receiving these same positions in higher forms. Political standards for future female candidates have become increasingly difficult to fulfill. The claim made for women not obtaining these higher level positions is simply because women are “less hierarchical, more cooperative and collaborative, and more oriented increasing other’s self-worth” (Eagly, pg. 2). Candidates for the job must be “likeable and tough” (Braude), which is seemingly become more and more difficult for female leaders these days when men are strong participants with these characteristics. When one wants to put a female and a male in a rink together, who would come out on top? The obvious choice would be the male, but it is not time to give a female the chance? The opportunity for women leaders...
Words: 2452 - Pages: 10
...is the empowerment of women, with a focus on economic opportunities, decision making and women’s well- being. In many Pacific island countries, it has taken decades for the enduring view that a women’s place in society is at home in accordance with spiritual beliefs, custom, tradition, and norms. Empowering women represents a diverse range of concepts and may vary widely among individuals, cultures and countries. This essay will examine the benefits of empowering women at an individual level, benefits which can be summarized as economic, political and social. Firstly, economic empowerment is one of the most important driving forces behind economic growth and poverty reduction. Economic empowerment interprets women’s ability to act on their own and make decisions on matters that affect them. In order to increase economic advancement of women, there is an urgent need to formulate the right policies that can allow such an objective to grow unhindered by uncertainty and doubt. Education policies that encourage and offer training opportunities in developing women’s entrepreneurship opportunities and improving women’s access to finance is another major instrument in generating income, reducing poverty and improving the standards of health and so forth. Formal and non- formal education systems are the key foundations for more women participating in the economic arena.. A local example by the Minister for Women, Dr. Jiko Luveni in a statement at the final day of the Pacific Women in Business...
Words: 801 - Pages: 4
...debate on women, their rights, their future and their plight has been going on. As time changed, women also changed but the issue of conflict remains the same. In this regard many oppose the changes and many accept it. This essay will discuss the issues that are surrounding the empowerment of women. The implementation of women empowerment has both negative and positive aspects. There can be many disadvantages of empowering women. Firstly, many people still have the traditional perception that the woman's place in the society is her home. Empowering women would mean to allow her to leave her comfort zone and indulge in activities that could pollute her spiritually, emotionally and physically. A woman’s most precious possession is her virginity (Hudson, 1977). Most Islamic countries still follow this norm. Therefore, many at times women might not be given a fair chance to go out in the society to fulfill their dreams, socialize or to even voice out their opinions. For example; a Muslim woman is denied the right to choose her husband, report of abuse and is even excluded from mosques due to certain Islamic principles (Issues Of Concern For Muslim Women, 1995). As such, this can prove to be a little difficult for women living in some Islamic countries to totally move away from their cultural values. Secondly, lack of education for rural women restricts women from knowing their legal rights and also from getting involved in activities outside the home. In some areas women are still...
Words: 936 - Pages: 4
...up in the last century is overpopulation, there are simply too many people at certain places on the world for their area’s to live on. If we combine these two we get the grand question that this essay is about: “Does mother Earth have the carrying capacity to meet the needs of future population growth?”. I would like to say that the simple answer is no, as there is lots of evidence that our planet can not endure in keeping living conditions for humans optimal, with global warming and pollution damaging the ecosystem. for example: human machines and electrical devices release Cholorofluorocarbons which damage the ozone gases in the ozone layer which protects the humans and other beings from harmful ultraviolet rays. If the ozone layer gets depleted fully the human race will...
Words: 984 - Pages: 4
...ANTH 2001: Gender and Development. Department of Anthropology University of Witwatersrand ESSAY TWO – DUE 21st OCTOBER 2011 Write an essay on one of the following questions, using the reading material in your reading pack and, where possible, other research and readings that you discover independently. The essays should be typed and between 2,000 - 2,500 words long, at 1.5 spacing and margins of at least 2.5 cm all around. Please number pages and ensure that your NAME and STUDENT NUMBER are on the upper right corner of the first/front page. Choose one of the following topics/questions: 1) With reference to at least two ethnographic examples discuss the relationship between motherhood, militarization and resistance. 2) Batliwala and Ahanraj (2007:21) argue that it is a “gender myth” to assume that giving poor women access to economic resources - such as credit –will ensure their overall empowerment. Discuss what they mean by this idea of “gender myth” with reference to the shifts from Women in Development (WID) to Gender and Development (GAD). 3) With reference to at least two ethnographic studies explain and discuss the significance of heterosexual masculinities and femininities in shaping experiences of vulnerability to HIV/AIDS infection, treatment, and care. 4) With reference to Robert Morrell’s work on the shifting notions of masculinity (2001) as well as other relevant ethnographic examples discuss the role of...
Words: 271 - Pages: 2
...philanthropist, and activist who left an indelible mark on American history. Her remarkable journey from poverty to becoming the first female self-made millionaire in the United States is a testament to her resilience, innovation, and commitment to empowering others. This essay will delve into the life, achievements, and enduring impact of Madame CJ Walker, highlighting her contributions to the beauty industry, advocacy for African American rights, and her lasting legacy as a pioneer of economic empowerment. Madame CJ Walker's entrepreneurial spirit and determination were evident from an early age. Born in 1867 to formerly enslaved parents, she faced numerous challenges and hardships. However, her unwavering resolve led her to establish a successful line of hair care products specifically designed for African American women. Recognizing the need for specialized hair care solutions within her community, she developed and marketed her own products, including the renowned "Madam Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower." Through her innovative approach and business acumen, she not only transformed her own life but also uplifted countless others by providing employment opportunities and promoting self-confidence among African American women....
Words: 436 - Pages: 2
...2. Women Empowerment in Modern India Dr. Shruti Singh For centuries women were not treated equal to men in many ways. They were not allowed to own property, they did not have a Share in the property of their parents, they had no voting rights, and they had no freedom to choose their work or job and so on. Gender inequality has been part and parcel of an accepted male-dominated Indian society throughout history. Women were expected to be bound to the house, while men went out and worked. This division of labor was one of the major reasons why certain evils like 'Sati Pratha', ‘PardahSystem', 'Child Marriage', 'Dowry System', etc. took birth in our society. The traditional Indian mentality assumes that the place of women is mainly concentrated to the household activities like kitchen work and upbringing of the children. There is systematic discrimination against women economically, socially, politically and culturally more so, in India. These discriminations & disabilities are practiced at all levels day in & day out. Women Empowerment is the ability of women to exercise full control over their actions. This means control over material assets, intellectual resources and even over their ideologies. It involves, at the psychological level, women's ability to assert them which has, so far, been constricted by the 'gender roles' assigned to them especially in a culture like India which resists changes. This essay throws light upon the different challenges that are faced by Indian...
Words: 3533 - Pages: 15
...(Ms) Course: Gender and Development (HSO 306) Question: Briefly discuss the following theories and show the strengths and weaknesses of each approach to Gender Development; WID, WAD and GAD. Gender relates to the social constructions and relations between men and women and it does not simply look at maleness or femaleness. Development is a multidimensional concept but in general it entails social upward mobility and empowerment but not limited to this. In studying gender relations and development it is of great importance to look at the approaches adopted by feminists in redressing and addressing social disparities. There are many approaches but shall give considerable to WID, WAD and GAD and give their contributions to development as well as their strengths and weaknesses. One of the most famous approaches to development was the feminist Women in development (WID). This was adopted in the 1970s in response to women movement in the west. The women in the west advocated for inclusion of women who have been excluded from development policies and programs. Baserup (1979) point out that the primary goal of WID was to include women into existing initiatives cited in Schech and Haggis (2000). Women were marginalized and excluded from the benefits of development. In so doing, the WID approach pointed out that the major problem to women’s unequal representation and participation is the male biased and patriarch cal development policies (Beneria and Sen 1982:161 c.f Schech...
Words: 451 - Pages: 2
...health continues to be threatened by a male dominated medical model of health care. Evidence of this can be found in the medicalization and the psychologisation of women’s health. This essay examines both of these practices and how they relate to the need for a specialty in women’s health. It also suggests how these issues can be mitigated. The Need for a Specialty in Women’s Health The more you depend on forces outside of yourself, the more you are dominated by them. Harold Sherman The need for a specialty devoted to women’s health can be attributed to a profound male bias within the medical model of health care that ignores women’s total health needs and therefore threatens their health. Women have often been short changed by medicine when it comes to research, drug trials, the safety of medical products as well as the diagnosing and treatment of their health conditions. Using research as an example, we find that it has traditionally been conducted on men by men and that the findings are then generalized to women (Munch, 2004, p.113). This falsely assumes that women and men are the same in terms of common illnesses and diseases such as heart disease, arthritis and cancer when in fact, the opposite is true. For example, rheumatoid arthritis is three times more likely to occur in women; lung, kidney, bladder and...
Words: 872 - Pages: 4
...Prevalent Feminist Media Fallacies of Female Empowerment While many efforts have proven successful to halt them, the danger of pervasive toxic ideas still poses a large threat to the building of female character. Ideas and thoughts shape the way humans perceive and therefore experience life. Moreover, women have learned, and continue to learn how to hate their inherent qualities and some modern feminist ideals have not helped to resolve this. Surprisingly, an essay by Herbert Kohl titled Should We Burn Babar has brought this to my attention. To summarize his main idea, the Babar children’s book series, by Jean de Brunhoff, according to Kohl has powerful and potentially harmful negative influence on American children’s perspective of life,...
Words: 1346 - Pages: 6
...Women leaders have risen in a relatively slow phase in any domains of the competitive field since late 18th century. However women entrepreneurs can date back at the earliest era of 17th century, formerly by French mademoiselle Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel. The 21st century business world is more competitive in nature. The firm expects energetic and ambitious driven candidates to occupy the higher managerial Tag names like the CEOs or the President. High incorporated firms have tightened the barriers for new entrants regarding time management, intellectual skills and work commitment. The key problem with this prior explanation is that these expectations are still difficult for women to meet. Working females still struggle to balance their career and family life. Also belief of the business world as a man’s territory or the game field still persists from the date of the co-operate world existence to the current era. The business world is contemplated within a male hierarchical framework that had always hindered women to access the crowning point of top business positions. This essay will seek to critically examine the slow growth towards empowerment of women leadership and also consider the effects of their leadership style that had shaken the pure stereotyped business world. One question that needs to be asked, however is whether women are confined from entry to the higher co-operate levels within the respective firms. Men are believed to be more assertive and autocratic in...
Words: 2094 - Pages: 9
...Prior to the American Revolution and during the 18th century, the quality of education was considered sporadic at best. However, over time, education was prioritized, and it was able to become a normal part of society. The type of schooling offered was typically very different depending on the gender and background, but many were at least able to enter the realm of work, politics, and activism. McMahon states this led to the social status of women to change immensely, and that “. . . Education was a critical tool of self-fashioning and empowerment for women” (Of the Utmost Importance, 477). Lucia McMahon established her argument with the use of documents such as essays, speeches, newspapers, and books. The primary sources, on the other hand,...
Words: 383 - Pages: 2
...Empowering Women Essay How far have the female characters actually achieved empowerment by the end of the films you have studied for this topic? (35 Marks) The films I have studied for the topic of empowering women are ‘Everlasting Moments’ (D. Jan Troell, 2009) and ‘Seraphine’ (D. Martin Provost, 2008). To empower someone is to make someone stronger and confident, specifically in controlling their life and claiming their rights. In these two films I have looked at how the main female characters have been able to achieve empowerment or any obstacles that have prevented achieving empowerment. In Everlasting Moments, the film was set in the early 1900’s, which was a time of gender inequality and oppression. Women were seen as being subject to guardianship by their spouse and so were treated as simple possessions, they were unable to vote and jobs were not open equally to men and women. The central female character, Maria, is a young working class woman who experiences poverty and patriarchal oppression from her violent husband, which is further reinforced in early 1900’s Swedish society. The film, Seraphine, which was set in 1914 in France, is about an undiscovered working class female painter named Seraphine, who again experiences social and gender inequality. In Seraphine, there are both obstacles that Seraphine faces to empowerment and ways in which she could be considered as empowered. An obstacle she faces is her social status; as a working class woman she is powerless...
Words: 1417 - Pages: 6
