gender roles

Different societies assign different gender roles to men and women. Gender roles have long been a source of contention and differ greatly throughout cultures. Gender roles have also altered over time. Gender roles are differentiated by biological, cultural, and social constructs, among other things (Fisher 401-414). This study examines many schools of thinking on women's roles in society.
Feminism has mostly focused on achieving gender equity and eliminating gender discrimination in society. Gender inequality has undoubtedly existed for millennia, with women bearing the brunt of it. The feminism approach aims at dispelling the notions brought about by patriarchal society of male superiority. The patriarchal society has led to the male domination of power and decision making. Feminist approach argues that women have equal capacity to reason, make decisions and provide good leadership as men(Eifion Davies 287-300). Women should, therefore, be subjected to equal opportunities to be promoted, as well as equal pay as their male counterparts.

In this approach, women assume even those roles that were traditionally regarded as masculine roles. Women can be doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists, welders, truck drivers, among others. Women can do the same roles as men. Careers for women are regarded as equally important as those for men. They play a prominent role in growth and development of the society. There is a notion in many patriarchal societies that women lack the capacity to lead and do some of these jobs has been dismissed by feminists. It is considered oppressive and discriminatory to the female gender.

The feminist approach has further advocated for more women in the political space. Politics have traditionally been male dominated and characterized with masculinity. However, there has been a developing trend of more and more women participating in politics and getting elected in public offices. Feminism approach advocates that both men and women play important roles in leadership and politics.

A famous quote states that“if you educate a woman, you educate the society." This quote amplifies the need to give equal opportunities to women. Education for women is equally important as education for men. When a woman is educated, the whole family will benefit because she can transmit the knowledge to the children and other members of the society. In most cases, the children are brought up by their mothers. Thus, mothers can teach and school their children when they are educated. An educated mother will have a greater understanding of the significance of education to her children. This results in a brighter generation and a developed society(Eifion Davies 287-300).

The matriarchal approach

Women playcritical and powerful roles in a matriarchal society. This is where women are considered as leaders. They havehigh social and political powers than men.Women dominated the male gender during the ancient times(Brown 230-237). A typical example is the matriarchal society in Egypt during the ancient times, before the 20th century. The religious leaders were females who served in the priesthoods. This period is the time when the moon was worshiped. The moon represented the women while the sun represented the males. Later on, the society changed to patriarchal when the sun was worshiped.

In the matriarchal society, women arebrought up to be leaders. Most of themjoin the working class and become prosperous in the community. Women take up high leadership positions in the society and occupy powerful governmental positions. The Queen’s positions and the counselors to the kings are the highest capacities held by females. The matriarchal society has provided social and political privilege to the women over men.

In matriarchal societies, women serve in several governmental positions. There is no discrimination of women like in some traditional cultures. Women are considered to be powerful. Women are highly educated in such societies. Women are viewed as caring and nurturing which makes them good leaders. They are caring about the well-being of all members of the society. The principles of women leaders are skewed towards collectivism. These principles mean that women leaders are more concerned about the well-being of the society in its entirety.

By virtue of women being mothers, they have the quality of being nurturing. This quality means they have the principles in them of developing and growing society. Women also tend to be more emotional as compared to men which means they are more likely to take care of the vulnerable members of the society. Women leadership is thus characterized by the values of being nurturing and promoting social welfare.

The patriarchal approach

In a patriarchal society, the role of women is relegated to domestic duties. They have no social or political powers. Their primary purpose is viewed as to give birth to children and take care of them. They also take care of other members of the society. Patriarchal societies havecultural and religious beliefs that it is natural for men to have power over the women. The female gender is not allowed to express themselves, and their views are neglected(Hughes and Seta 685-691).

In such a society, women are mostly housewives and their role is to take care of their families. They are majorly involved in house chores such as cooking, cleaning, babysitting, among others.The participation of men in such activities is usually limited or non-existent. Professional work is often viewed as unimportant to women. The workplace is not the primary area for women. The society emphasizes that the household is the primary area for women.

Women in such a society play little role in decision making. Women decisions are therefore taken as secondary and unimportant. In case of conflicting decisions between man and woman, the man’s decision takes priority. Women are excluded from leadership positions as they are seen as followers rather than leaders. Women in such society have little power and own little in term of resources. Patriarchal societies characterize leadership with masculine qualities. Aggressiveness is often viewed as a quality of good leadership. This quality is mostly found in men, and the few women in leadership are those perceived to be aggressive(Fisher 401-414).

In patriarchal societies, women education is not regarded to be very essential. Quality education is only important for a man, and not quite necessary for women.

Conclusion

The debate concerning the role of women continues. Various societies have adjusted to provide more space for women to expand their roles in the society. What features prominently in the battle of sexes is the continued struggle of women to take their rightful place in the society(Fisher 401-414). Some of the barbaric and backward cultures that viewed women as domestic properties are slowly being exterminated.























Work cited

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