Yicong Yang (Yang)
110.01
Midterm research
paper
Final Draft
Mar 9, 2012
Women might not live with
freedom and dignity
Today, women's rights have become a global good which caused
plenty of debates in the modern society. It seems that women can go to school
and get college education, they can have their own career, they can choose
their marriage freely, they can vote for their country's president, they enjoy
the same rights with men. In fact , most countries are not really free for
women. Although women who live in new economic time are endowed more right,
obviously they will not live with freedom and dignity. A real freedom and
dignity society for women is still a big challenge for humans because they will
meet the challenges from religious practices , cultural
practices, beliefs and rules which are really exist
in most undeveloped and developing countries.
Religious practices, specific customs of religions, which negatively
influenced women's freedom and dignity. Today, women in some religious country
are short of rights because the religion affects these countries a lot.
Fundamentalists are afraid of modernization and changes. According to
"Feminist and Fundamentalists," usually women in developed countries
have more equal rights with men. Women in developing and some religious
countries are suffer unequal treatment with men. Fundamentalists are afraid of
changes because they think the past world is better than today's world. Furthermore,
they usually think women should have the equal rights with men. Most
fundamentalists even think women are part of men. in Afghanistan,
the religion believes only women' husband can see what his wife looks like.
Every woman in Afghanistan cover their face even the whole body. According to
"Women in Saudi Arabia to vote and run in elections,"
unequal rights between men and women. In the past, women even didn't have rights to vote or
become the candidates. They usually are not
allowed to attend to political program. People in Saudi Arabia who believes
that women only need to stay at home and take care of her husband and children.
Although his King Abdullah passed the new policy that women can vote for
selecting the local government and become the local candidates, fundamentalists,
extremely opposed his new policy, who believe the new policy will damage their
traditional culture and religion which they have followed it for thousands
years. According to "Hillary's Women's Rights Problem," women can't
go to school and get educated in many developing countries like Afghanistan.
Afghanistan people think women don't need knowledge and a knowledge woman is
bad. Besides this, women also don't have equal economic opportunity to get more
jobs or do some business because these countries' culture require women only
stay at home and take care of their husband and children.
cultural practices,
which means some customs of culture, also extremely affect the women's freedom
and dignity. Many
countries have thousand years history. The history made a lot of specific
negative influence about women' rights and freedom. Through the thousand years
development, the local people who live in these developing and undeveloped countries
think some bad cultural customs are their traditional culture. They want to
keep these corrupt customs. According to "Feminist and Fundamentalists,"
there are many unequal and very inhuman treatment to women in developing
countries. In Ethiopia, people cut girls' genital when they were just 7 or 8
years old. It's hard to believe there is still exist the inhuman customs in the
world. Their people think the custom can show the loyalty to women' husband. According
to "Infanticide, Abortion Responsible for 60 Million Girls Missing in Asia,"
parents are prefer boys in China and India. Even some families have girls and
they usually ignore girls' education due to their traditional culture. In
Chinese culture, boys can continue their family and raise their parents.
According to five thousand years history, men have responsibility to raise
their parents when they become old and don't have ability to raise themselves.
Furthermore, this traditional thought make people think men are more important
than women. Another example, women need to bear the expensive dowry on their
marriage in India, which also can prove culture affects the women's freedom and
dignity. Because of this traditional custom, many families refuse to have a
girl. Besides this, traditional culture in China and India thinks men are better
than women and women are just part of men because in the past, the economy is
based on men. According to "The End of Men," women are in a low
status in most culture in the world. Many culture believes that women just can
do some easy work, like house works and sale works. They think women can't do
some professional jobs like lawyer, scientists. Because of these cultural
practice, women can't live with freedom and dignity in the future.
At last, Challenges of beliefs and rules also have negative
influences on women's freedom and dignity. Especially in religious countries in
middle east, many Islamic countries, their laws are based on the Koran, which
limits women get the equal right and status. According to "Women in
Saudi Arabia to vote and run in elections," there is a role that make
women can't enjoy voting right. In Saudi Arabia, women can't vote for the
election. They even can't become the legal candidates. Beside this, women also
can't drive. People in Saudi Arabia, thinks women driving is dangerous. Another
role also makes women in Saudi Arabia can't enjoy freedom. Saudi Arabia
government ban women go outside without her husband, brother or father. This
law totally limit women enjoy their freedom. In "The End of Men," Rosin
points that women get more professional jobs than men. In fact, women get more
medium management jobs. This kind of jobs need more communicate with employers.
Unfortunately, men in charge of most top jobs, like CEO. This not means women
don't have enough ability to handle these jobs. This is a kind of rules. People
who stand in the highest status don't believe that women can have ability to do
these works. On another word, traditional culture prevent women go to the
higher status. Besides this, there are also some policy prevent women get
freedom and dignity. In "Infanticide,
Abortion Responsible for 60 Million Girls Missing in Asia," Karabin argues that China has "Only One Child" policy
and this prevent the development of equal rights of women. Belief and rules
usually exist more than thousand years , which make people think the ideas
which are different with them are totally wrong. All these fats force women
live in a society which is hard for women to get real freedom, dignity
and the equal rights with men.
In conclusion, all facts prove that it's seems like a
impossible dream that women can live with freedom and dignity. There are three
main challenges which prevent women get equal rights and real freedom from the
future society. The first challenge comes from religious practices which force
women to follow the old religious doctrine. The second challenge comes from
culture practices that force women must to follow the old and outdate customs
which are nearly disappeared in developed countries. The third challenge comes
from beliefs and rules which always limit women' freedom. It's hard to challenge their traditional ideas and thoughts. The
only way to change them need to use advanced culture to assimilate their old culture.
All these facts are showing a result which women might not live with freedom
and dignity in the future.
Ramdas, Kavita. “Feminists
and Fundamentalists.” Global Issues 11/12. Ed. Robert
M.Jackson. New York
“Women in Saudi Arabia
25 September 2011.
