The discussions in class have been geared toward how women are oppressed in the work place. It is still true that women sometimes are paid less and are less intermixed into the high-class profiles of companies, but according to an article “The Importance of Sex Forget China, India, and the Internet: economic growth is driven by women,” women in today’s society are becoming the main driving force of growth. Something I thought was interesting in this article was how they referred to women as “the world’s most under-utilized resource.” The reason why women are doing so well economically is because of the facts that girls get better grades than boys, more women go to universities, pushing to achieve the goals they set out for themselves, and achieve higher financial returns.
Being an educated woman can lead you to experience a more flourishing life where you may have many more opportunities. It is said that being educated does not just help you in the work force, it also allows you to raise better-educated children. By being a mother who has a job and also takes care of the children sets an example to them and steers away from the gender stereotype of women being just housewives.
The idea of stereotyping women and men into the ideals that society has accepted in the past was shown in the article “Chore Wars” by Ruth Davis Konigsberg. The article discussed how women felt and how society was changing. Women discussed how they did all the housework and childcare, and how it was acceptable that when their husbands came home they threw around their clothes and made a mess expecting and knowing that their wife would clean up the mess because “it was her job.” Throughout the article though it started to talk about how when women started to work the roles became more equal. The article states that “ benefited the most from women’s entering the workforce is, ironically stay-at-home mothers, whose husbands are doing more child care as a result of the larger cultural shift toward involved fatherhood and now stand out as uniquely low in their total workload.” It is proven that in a household that the mother and father both work there is less dispute, equable roles in the household, and a healthier living environment.
http://www.economist.com/node/6800723
I agree with the point that you bring up that being a mother who has a job and takes care of the children raise better-educated children and guide them away from gender stereotyping. I find a few points interesting in the article including: how women account for over half of the world output and also how countries with more women in the work forces actually have higher birth rates. What I question in the article is where it states, "women still get paid less... but as prejudice fades over coming years, women will have a great scope to boost their income". How long can we expect the prejudice to fade away? Can we actually have a world without any prejudice? As much as I want all inequalities to fade away, I think it is a very hard task to complete. However, I do think inequalities are becoming less and less given the facts of this article. Women are stepping up in the work industry and are starting to rise into high ranks in the work force. Another disagreement I have in the article is towards the end where it states, "women are less likely to waste money on bombs and tanks". Being a future military officer, I believe that defense for our country should be a big priority. The development of these assets give the chance for more employment for citizens in the US. I just think it is wrong that the article thinks we are wasting money on the military when we clearly aren't because our troops are still at war. Overall, I agree with the article that women have the potential to become high executives in the work force and to improve the economy as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think it is awesome when a women can have a career and family. I aspire to do so one day. Women with children are just as capable as men in the work force, if not more, they just need a strong support system to help. I also think its wrong that the article thinks we are wasting money on the military. Its a necessary part of a country. I'm glad this article recognizes women's abilities in the workforce.
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