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Gender inequality in the modern world
Gender inequality throughout society
Vertical and horizontal gender inequality
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Women’s rights in every culture are different depending on the customs practiced in that society. Every country has their own way of finding a loved one, getting married, and settling down. Families from certain cultures such as South Asian countries prefer their children getting arranged marriages, whereas other cultures do not condone arranged marriages. Along with marriages, the way both genders are treated and respected can differ depending on where one is from. In the novel, Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet, by Kashmira Seth, the protagonist, Jeeta, lives in a society where women are seen as the inferior gender and is constantly told that girls are only good enough for marriage. She is caught between following her mother’s demands or losing her …show more content…
In such countries, arranged marriages happen very often and newly wed brides are very vulnerable to domestic violence. It is a common thought that the bride becomes the husband’s property after marriage and therefore, he is given the right to discipline her if circumstances are such. Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet, which is set in India, displays domestic violence between spouses. The sister of the protagonist, Mohini, states in a letter to Jeeta that, “Anoop lost his temper and slapped me hard across the face…With the right side of my face swollen and my eyes blood-shot from crying…Two weeks ago he punched me again…I hit the shelf of the kitchen, and we had to rush to the hospital…I’m afraid he’ll really hurt me.” (Sheth 213-215) In this quote Mohini vents to Jeeta about her abusive husband with whom she lives with in America. By being from a traditional Indian family, Mohini is forced into being married to a boy of her parent’s choice for the reason that he will be an honourable and respectful man who will keep their daughter happy because of his wealth. Often times in marriages such as these, it is not guaranteed that a wealthy man will be honourable and keep his wife happy. Unfortunately, Mohini is not alone when it comes to the amount of girls who are subjected to violent abuse as stated by Divya Nair that, “Reportedly, 133 (57.3%) participants have experienced …show more content…
The differences depend on how exposure of one culture to other cultures can cause adaptions within a society and what they deem is appropriate behaviour. Western media has been known to influence the perceptions of many societies and has often caused alteration in the way individuals of a society judge women in their day to day activities. In Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet, it is seen how the parent’s of Jeeta’s best friend, Sarina, are influenced by the western society. Sarina’s parents encourage their daughter and Jeeta to go to school and make education a priority instead off getting married when they say, “‘Jeeta, what do you want to study?’ Neel’s papa asked me. ‘I… I have no idea.’ … ‘Yes. Maybe you’ll want to pursue the law Jeeta. Any lawyers in your family?’ I shook my head. ‘Come see me if you want to go to law school.’ I looked at Sarina. She knew how different and difficult this conversation was for me.” (Sheth 115). In this quote, Sarina’s parents tell Jeeta to pursue the law and follow her dreams so she can be independent and provide for herself instead of having to rely on a husband. For Jeeta, this conversation is difficult since in her household she has never been told to pursue an education or that making a person out of herself was important. Jeeta’s traditional parents have always told her to aspire to marriage and for them it was an expectation for her
Parameswari, B. (2015). Domestic Violence and Child Abuse. IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science, 20(2), 56-59. Retrieved from http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jhss/papers/Vol20-issue2/Version-3/I020235659.pdf
Gowda came face to face with this problem during her time in India, volunteering in the orphanage. In Secret Daughter, one of many moments of gender prejudice occurred when Jasu killed off his two children because they were girls. “We can’t do this…She will become a burden to us, a drain on our family. Is that what you want?” (Gowda 16). Jasu believed that a daughter was a burden. He had hoped for a son to carry on the family name as well as work in the fields with him. His closemindedness to the value of females was the cause of two children that were let down by their dad. When Asha was in the slum parts of Bombay, interviewing mothers, she found that their sons went to school while their daughters stayed at home with them. “Why aren’t you at school? [laughs] girls don’t go to school, only boys do.” (Gowda 109). Not only is gender inequality present throughout India, it is also being taught to little girls that it is normal. Allowing them to think that it is normal to be worth less than their male counterpart and that’s how it will always be. Another occurrence of gender inequality in the novel was when Saria told Somer that she should not go out alone without a male with her. “It is not appropriate for women like you to walk on the streets alone. You should not have gone without one of is for your own safety.” (Gowda 72). The treatment of women in India is so terrible that a woman is unable to
The books, The Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara with Susan McClelland and A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, are memoirs about two young Sierra Leoneans lives before, during and after the Sierra Leone Civil War. The Sierra Leone Civil War was a conflict about governmental power in the country and it lasted many years. Both memoirs recount the way that the civil war affected their lives and determined their lives’ paths. Kamara and Beah, had similar experiences of living through the Sierra Leone Civil War yet their experiences were also different.
The marriage between Stella and Stanley has become a very dysfunctional relationship. Stella being attracted to a man of forceful nature becomes blindly accustomed to the everyday routine of an abusive relationship. Many women in the 20th century and even today put up with household abuse, many who were unable or unwilling to leave. One case that appears time and time again is the high abuse in the traditional custom of child marriages. In rural areas, such as those of Afghanistan child marriages are common, even more common is the abusive and controlling nature towards the underage brides. Much like Stella’s marriage, these underage brides will live in abuse, unable to speak against their husbands, and be tormented and humiliated throughout their marriage.
Life is filled with many difficulties which affect us all in one way or another. However, we do not all face the same difficulties. If we are to survive we need to first understand what these difficulties or problems are, in order to learn how to deal with them. One such problem is, is domestic violence. It is necessary to determine whether the problem is personal one or due to society (social problems), so that the individuals involved can learn how to deal with their situation.
In this paper I will be telling you many different forms of domestic violence. I will include the physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, spiritual abuse, economic abuse, social abuse, and emotional abuse. I will also describe the "cycle of violence", teen dating violence, and why women stay with an abusive partner.
Cultural influences have formed who I am. “Every aspect of global communication is influenced by cultural differences”(Goman). Being both Mexican and American has affected my upbringing. “Culture is, basically, a set of shared values that a group of people holds. Such values affect how you think and act and, more importantly, the kind of criteria by which you judge others”(Goman). Since values of both cultures have been instilled in me, my family has certain expectations for me. In Mexican culture women marry young and are supposed to maintain the household and children. An education past high school is not necessary. In the U.S a woman is encouraged to have a career and be independent. My parents mix these two values together. I am expected to be able to maintain
After women were given the opportunity to get an education and treated as equals, society’s beliefs undertook a turning point in women’s roles in society. Yet, there still seems to be a question amongst women in search of self identity and expectations from parents. The short story, “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, deals with being a young female in a poor country. This can be seen because Kincaid’s complicated relationship with her own mother is illustrated with the mother-daughter dynamic in the story.
It is common knowledge that Ray Rice used his wife as a punching bag in the elevator of an Atlantic City casino. What is truely remarkable is that his fiancé became his wife after that vicious left hook to the face left her unconscious. Why do women stay with men who beat them unconscious? Domestic violence is a serious and complex plague of society that affects all, but women make up the largest number of victims in most case studies. In the United States alone, '1.5 million women are raped or physically assaulted by an intimate partner each year. More than 500,000 women victims require medical treatment, and 324,000 victims are pregnant at the time of assault' (Berlinger, 'Taking' 42). Numbers like these show how intense the situation of domestic violence truly is. 'Two women a week are killed by a current or former partner and domestic violence accounts for 22% of all recorded violent crimes' (Jamil 70). Domestic violence takes such a large number in percentages regarding violent crimes, yet often is dismissed by many with the idea that 'this won't happen to me'. Somehow, somewhere, domestic violence will touch everyone whether by someone they know or by televised publication. Though domestic violence affects men as well, the female subject is more often the victim. Domestic violence has a continuous cycle that has been influenced since birth and can be stopped with intervention but each victim's reason for staying will vary.
In order for a woman to be sustained, she must marry into slavery, dishonor herself through unsavory work, or be lucky enough to be properly educated and given proper reference. In The Natural Daughter and The Wrongs of Woman, it is the societal norm for the protection of woman through marriage. However, it is portrayed in both novels that marriage is an oppressive state for the woman and affords her little rights. is little better than slavery. I detest the thought of enforced subordination!”
Violence is common around the world. We see it everyday, but what happens when violence enters the home of a married couple or a simple relationship. What was once a happy couple in love suddenly takes a sudden turn into violent and aggressive behavior. A behavior which is addressed as Domestic Violence. There is much more to the matter, such as causes, preventing the violence, treatments and who it affects. All which play a very important role in the world of domestic violence.
For centuries, a great deal of ethnic groups have been disempowered and persecuted by others. However, one should realize that none are more intense than the oppression of women. In the novel, The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, women living in the Mango Street neighborhood suffer from their restricted freedom. Three such women, Rafaela, Mamacita, and Sally, provide great examples. All try to escape from their dreadful environment. Most of them fail, but at first, Sally seems to succeed in escaping from her father. However, she ends up meeting a husband as equally bad as her father. Ultimately, the men who live with Rafaela, Mamacita, and Sally act as insuperable obstacles that limit the freedom in their women’s lives.
Khan, Mehr. Domestic violence against women and girls. UNICEF: Innocenti Digest. No. 6. June 2000.
As professional athletes remind us on a weekly basis, domestic violence is a social problem which continues to plague the nation. Through stricter law enforcement, improved hospital reporting techniques, and nationwide education and counseling, this problem can be reduced. Domestic violence has many different names such as, family violence, battering, wife beating, and domestic abuse. All these terms refer to the same thing, abuse by marital, common law, or a dating partner in an intimate relationship. Domestic violence is not limited to physical beating. It is any behavior that is intended to overpower and control another human being through the use of humiliation, fear, and physical or verbal assault. Domestic violence is a very important issue in today’s society because it has such a profound negative affect on the abused, mentally and physically. Verbal abuse can be just as damaging as physical abuse. Verbal abuse is words that attack or injure an individual’s self-image, which eventually shatters one’s self-esteem. In this paper, I will discuss the many kinds of abuses against women, the reasons why women stay in these relationships, and possible solutions to diminish or reduce the problems of domestic violence.
Marriage is a union between two individuals that love, trust and respect one another. It is sharing your dreams and planning for a future. Unfortunately, marriage is not always what is portrayed in the movies. The 19th century brought awareness and change to laws pertaining to domestic violence. Today, domestic violence awareness continues to grow and laws pertaining to physical family violence are being amended. On the other hand, marital rape is a less noted topic that does not receive as much attention as domestic violence. There are several types of marital rape, all which are underreported. Martial rape remains an underreported crime that leaves the victim suffering from long-term emotional and psychological effects.