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Gender bias in everyday life
Womens rights in the united states
Womens rights in the united states
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Recommended: Gender bias in everyday life
Although The United States is known as the land of the free, equality for all, the Constitution masks the fact that this country is all but equal and free. Dating back since the beginning of its’ rise, the country's government system fails to seek equality for everyone. Even though not all members of society are treated unfairly, the majority of women are not provided the same opportunities as men.
A man walks into an interview for a new job. He walked into the room feeling confident and prepared for the new opportunity. This job is well paying and will allow him to start a new chapter in his life. A woman walks into an interview for the same job. She too, felt confident and prepared for the interview. Although she was highly qualified, she
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Although both of these people had the same qualifications for this job, in most cases, they will not be treated equally nor paid the same wage.
The fundamentals of laws that everyone needs to follow; The most important thing keeping the U.S under control is the U.S Constitution. By the law of the Constitution:
“No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” (US Const. amend. XIV, sec. 1).
Everyone by law needs to be treated equally. All U.S citizens should be protected by the law. In many cases around the country, people are stripped of their human rights.
In society’s eyes, women have to act like women and men act like men. These are stereotypes that everyone must follow or they are bound to be made fun of or discriminated. There are certain times in To Kill a Mockingbird that this came
Scout, the protagonist, is a young girl coming of age in a society trying to shove her into a dress and the role of a gilded daughter. For example, when Scout recalls a conversation with her Aunt Alexandra, a figurehead for society and one of the major female figures in her life, she begins to shine her own light on how to brighten her father’s life in a way that is true to herself. On page 108, Scout comes to terms with the fact that she is defying stereotypes, “I could not possibly be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants. Aunt Alexandra’s vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves, tea sets, and wearing the Add-A-Pearl necklace she gave me when I was born; furthermore, I should be a ray of sunshine in my father’s lonely life. I suggested that one could be a ray of sunshine in pants just as well, but Aunty said that one had to behave like a sunbeam, that I was born good but had grown progressively worse every year. She hurt my feelings and set my teeth permanently on edge,
While the women in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird come in a variety of personalities and backgrounds, all of their lives are led by one constricting factor; their gender. Scout's upbringing as a young woman greatly contrasts that of her brother Jem. Jem is educated as a young boy growing into a man while Scout’s journey is taken as a woman. The manacle of womanhood is but a concept if one does not consider the harsh faults and inhibiting limits of men or rather the struggle for “masculinity” that men are similarly constrained. Though she is repeatedly told to have ladylike manners and to dress in more feminine way, Scout mostly denies this norm but is still able to become a young
Discrimination and Prejudice in Killing A Mocking Bird Discrimination and prejudice were very common acts in the early and middle 1900's. Prejudice in this book is displayed by the acts of hate and misunderstanding because of someone's color. People of color were the majority that were treated unfairly. During this time in the southern states, black people had to use separate bathrooms, drinking fountains, sections in restaurants, churches, and even go to separate schools. Although much of the discrimination was directed towards blacks, there were plenty of accounts towards impoverished families by those that had money.
One way Harper Lee develops gender inequity through stereotypes is through Scout’s experiences with the women in Maycomb. Scout is laughed at for wearing pants under her dress. Scout prefers pants over dresses because she’s a tomboy and can be more active in “britches.” On Sunday, Scout dressed up, but still had pants under her dress. When Scout is at the gathering with the women, Miss Maudie says, “‘You’re mighty dressed up, Miss Jean Louise,’ she said. ‘Where are your britches today?’ ‘Under my dress.’ I hadn’t meant to be funny, but the ladies laughed. My cheeks grew hot as I realized my mistake” (Lee 307). Because Scout is laughed at for wearing pants and not for something she thought was funny, she feels singled out and degraded. The ladies of Maycomb laughed at her because she had done something “wrong” in their eyes. She wore pants
Few people are the same as they are on the street in their homes. Few people can treat others equally; no matter what colour their skin is. Atticus Finch is one of those precious few. Racism in the town of Maycomb is nothing but disguised by the polite smiles and ladies missionary meetings; although it is the strongest belief that each person of the town holds apart from some such as Atticus. Racism is an issue of great importance, yet to the eye of a visitor waltzing through, it's just a slight whisk of air.
Prior to the feminist movement of the 1960s, women had to follow strict gender roles. Scout is a prime example of a female child struggling to fit these roles placed upon her by not only males in society, but women too. The moment Aunt Alexandra enters Maycomb, she places it upon herself to mould young Scout and Jem into their societal roles. Scout especially suffers a great deal of criticism and pressure from her Aunt to be the stereotypical girl;
Women are still expected to follow rules that society has set for them. Advertisements with unrealistic beauty standards are shown millions of times everyday. Women are still expected to stay at home and cook and clean while men go to work. Scout is a very brave girl who is not afraid to break the rules society has set for her. In every chapter, Scout shows the reader that she is not afraid to be herself.
Women have been treated unequally since the beginning of time. Just recently have things began to change for the better for women and the future of our society. The increase in women’s equality rights will take time, but some day women and men will be treated equally. This cannot happen until each of us is able to look at a person and just see another individual, not a male or a female, white or black, rich or poor… a person as just a person.
Sometimes no matter how innocent we are, no one believes us. The issues of race, justice, and equality presented in To Kill A Mockingbird more than 50 years ago, prove to be prevalent even in today's day and age. Despite our countless advancements and progress in numerous fields, we, as a society, are still fixated on and adhere to the primitive and outdated ideas that plague humanity from moving forward. The unjust boundaries and barriers of appearance and status we put up for ourselves, will only lead to our own downfall. Though Tom Robinson's tragic story was fictitious and set in the past, the principle and the premise of it was not, as we see in the story of African American teenager, (unnamed) . Time is the only factor that separates the tragic fate of these two people, who suffered the same prejudiced and discriminatory treatment, despite being completely guiltless.
The fight for equality is a continuous theme in the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ in the 1930s, a period of racism and intolerance. Throughout the novel Scout will constantly be taught the importance of treating everyone equally. Atticus shows a different moral background than this community. He judges no one by his or her socioeconomic status race. When Walter Cunningham embarrassingly refuses to take his teachers quarter, Scout kindly helps to explain his situation; “The Cunningham’s never took anything they can’t pay back….”. This event helps to foreshadow the theme fight for equality when Scout decides to defend someone less fortunate than her, instead of treating him differently or letting him be treated differently. Atticus Flinch will
In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the obvious lack of the female gender is surely evident. The main character in this novel, Scout Finch becomes influenced in the wrong way as a result of the lack of female rolls in her life. Although she hangs out with males most of the time, the times she hangs out with mother-like figures opens up her eyes for only a short bit of time and makes her realize that being a girl isn’t half as bad as she has been influenced to think.by the men in her life. She is impacted by Atticus’s views on how women should be treated, Jem’s teasing towards Scout for being a girl, and she is influenced by certain women in her life when she accompanies them that being a lady isn’t all that bad. If Scout were to have more women figures around her, she would have known better during all the times she was being downgraded for being a girl.
Gender discusses the different roles, identities, and expectations that our society associates with males and females, which is an aspect of life that plays a significant role in shaping identity. In in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout Finch struggles with many issues involving gender roles. The aspect of gender has influenced both Scout’s and my identity because it impacted the outcome of our lives. In the novel, Scout displays tomboy characteristics and struggles with the concept of being a stereotypical girl. This can be seen when her aunt Alexandra repeatedly tells Scout that she should be wearing dresses and to start acting more feminine. Scout expresses this saying “I could not possibly be a lady if I wore breeches;
but other types of discrimination exist in the novel. Many people ridicule others for many things
Women have always had certain social standards and high expectations on how they carry themselves that they are expected to meet. In multiple circumstances Scout doesn’t understand why being called a girl by Jem is a bad thing, but it must be. ¨I was not so sure, but Jem told me I was being a girl,
When Scout (in a tire) rolled in front of Boo Radley’s house and did not bring the tire out with her Jem got mad at her and scowled “‘I swear, Scout, sometimes you act so much like a girl it’s mortifyin’’” (Lee 50). Jem’s tone implies that he views girls as being scared. Hence, he thinks her getting too scared to get the tire, in front of the house of the most feared man to children in Maycomb, is her acting like a girl and he condones her for it. Also at the tea party, Miss. Maudie asks Scout, “‘Where are your britches today?’ ‘Under my dress.’ I hadn’t meant to be funny, but the ladies laughed” (Lee 307). By the ladies laughing at Scout, the author reveals how Scout finding comfort in her tomboy ways is frowned and laughed upon by society. Afterwards Miss. Stephanie, a town gossip at the tea party, proceeds to tell Scout “‘you won’t get very far until you start wearing dresses more often’” (Lee 308). The purpose of Miss. Stephanie telling Scout this is to demonstrate to Scout that in Maycomb without acting ladylike she will not get anywhere in their society because if was a tomboy all her life she would be considered