An ideal woman in the contemporary society is successful in her career, and family life. The ideal woman is able to work and take care of her family for instance, she can clean, cook meals, take care of children and her husband.
However, the reality on the ground is different because the modern career woman cannot do all the home tasks alone. She has to delegate duties such as taking care of the children to others. Moreover, the ideal woman is expected to embody the role of a well-rounded woman who can manage her career and family well. The society scrutinizes her dressing, weight and beauty.
Men and women are equal in God’s eye, but they are not equal in the eyes of the society. A woman is expected to be competitive in her career, but she is criticized for neglecting her family and delegating her roles to helpers. On the other hand, if she decides to remain at home and attend to her family she is criticized for being traditional. Furthermore, many companies pay women less for equal amount of work than men.
Therefore, we cannot say women and men are equal. Nonetheless, women have gained more rights such as voting and that is a positive achievement. Moreover, women are portrayed in subservient roles to men in advertisements in the media. Thus, the relationship between men and women is asymmetrical. Therefore, women and men are not equal.
Women and men should be paid equally at the workplace especially if they have the same qualifications. Pay should be determined on merit and not on gender to bring about equality between men and women.
Today’s women have more freedoms and choices hence they are leading fulfilling lives. They have an opportunity to pursue their careers and have families. Fortunately, with the support of their spouses or family members women can run their careers. On the contrary, there are some women who are not living fulfilling lives as they try to live up to the expectations of an ideal woman hence experiencing stress or even depression.
Women face various challenges in the workplace, education and in relationships today. They are paid less than their male counterparts in spite of the advances they have made in the workplace. Women are prone to more stress as they try to balance work and family than men.
Furthermore, the issue of glass ceiling is still a major problem and many women are not able to rise to the top management levels in companies as they encounter many obstacles. Besides, women face challenges in school because many are locked out of male dominated courses. Some women are denied access to education especially in societies that prefer males.
The lucky women progress, but they may not reach their goals because of obstacles on their way. Women encounter sexual harassment in educational institutions. For some their education is disrupted and those who become pregnant risk losing the opportunity to continue their education after giving birth. Apart from the challenges in education, women face difficulties in their relationships. Some are not very lucky and face violence in their relationships.
The men in their lives may abuse them physically, emotionally and verbally. The abuse may leave the women seriously hurt. The other challenge women face in relationships is balancing between work and their relationship. The men may feel neglected and put pressure on the women to give them attention and that may be hard for the women as they have school or careers in addition.
Women have a choice of empowering themselves to compete with men. They should not shy away from careers perceived as male only. They should also advance their careers as the society allows them. The society has relaxed its strict restrictions on women and with the freedoms earned women can use them to advance their causes for the betterment of the society.
The women movement is still there, but it is not strong as it was in the earlier years. Feminism has attained a negative connotation and women are seen as fighting men. Feminism today looks like a woman who is able to juggle her career and family without having to subscribe to the traditional form of feminism.
I am a feminist; I want to see women get paid equal to men. I want women to be free and enjoy being women without having to work so hard to fit into the ideal image of a modern woman. Women should have equal opportunities as men.
Finally, society cannot be equal, free and productive as long as women are not free to participate. It is important to give men and women an equal opportunity to participate in developing the society.
Both men and women should be given support to function and thrive in the society without neglecting either gender. It is imperative to remember that men and women have different roles to fulfill in society and none can do without the other. Thus, they must be allowed to coexist equally in the society.