There is a widespread belief in Egypt that Gender Equality is an attack on Egyptian Culture and a foreign agenda imposed by the west rather than a basic human right. However, this has not silenced Egyptian Civil Society on the issue of women 's rights, with the Arab Spring helping many women find their political voices. The National Council for Women and other NGO’s in Egypt have worked tirelessly to defend the legal status of women and their place in society. The Arab Uprisings have made popular the belief that change is possible, and many established organizations have united with younger volunteer-led organizations in fighting for fundamental change. The most important recent development for Women 's Rights in Egypt is the new constitution which was approved in January 2014, with 98.1% of people voting in favour of it. This constitution is tailored to the freedom of its all its citizens as both equals and individuals rather than the previous prescribed identity forced upon citizens. Now is the time for women 's rights in Egypt. The second wave of the revolution on 20th June 2013 has created the opportunity for the Women of Egypt to make their voices heard and overcome the oppression of previous regimes in order to take their rightful place as equals in society. HR HAVE NOT IMPROVED FOR WOMEN However whilst there is an air of optimism in Egypt about the amelioration of Women’s Rights, there has so far been little tangible change since the Arab Uprisings. Egypt’s first
About 100 years ago women were about as equal as property. However, a few centuries before that Egyptian women were allowed the freedom women wouldn’t receive for many centuries. The Egyptian women were given property and some were as equal as the pharaoh. After World War II women were becoming more independent since some had to work jobs while the men were away fighting. Women realized they could be just as equal to men and started to
Since before time, women have always had less power compared to men. Men have always been the ones who have had the power to make decisions, the power to incorporate new ideas, and have a powerful role within society. Unfortunately, in some countries, women are not valued enough nor respected. There have been many cases within some cultures that women live a life of misery because they don’t have freedom. However, in some countries women have gained the right to have the same power and freedom of a male. Many of these freedoms have to do with having a political role within society or having a role that empowers them. One of these roles is to be in the front line during
norms of society, and this furthermore proves how much freedom women were given in ancient Greece regarding sexuality.
Out of fear, the majority of women have remained at home “hindering most aspects of their life, including employment and education” (Kelly 3). Without these two essential aspects, education and employment, women are to play a smaller role in the community. As a result, it causes many individuals to conclude the status of a man is unequal to that of a woman. In addition, many Middle Eastern countries limit how much females can actively participate in politics. Women who are too “active in public life […] are routinely threatened with violence”; therefore, explaining why less than 10% of Middle Eastern governments are composed of women (Country Watch). This underrepresentation in government bodies has led to laws that give men ultimate control over female relatives. Such laws gave males the right to control female’s interactions, job, and role in the household. Although, women’s rights in the Middle East is an ongoing problem, there has been lots of progress in the past few
Women’s rights have progressed throughout the years, many western countries, but in Sudan, women’s rights are still being overlooked. Sudanese women are still getting challenged with unequal rights when it comes to politics, jobs, education, marriage,
Throughout hundreds of years, women have experienced inequalities by society and by the law. Mostly, women were treated differently from men. The women in America during the late 1800’s were treated unequally to men because they couldn’t vote, they had no job opportunities, and they were controlled in marriage.
Not so long ago in our history, women had to struggle just to be able to attain jobs that once were only available to men, and the practice of law in particular was forbidden territory for women. Before the 1870s, women were seen as timid and "delicate creatures, and just like children and lunatics, lacked full legal rights" (Vago, 362). While women have made great strides in the working world and are now able to occupy positions formerly attainable only by men, there are still striking discrepancies in the pay received by the two genders. However, women lawyers are still reporting high levels of job satisfaction.
It wasn’t until the early 1960’s when second wave feminism got its start. It focused primarily on mass social change and fought some of the oppression women were and still are facing today. It brought freedom for women in regards to their reproductive rights and sexuality amongst other things. Prior to this cultural shift, the women’s role in society was set. The image of the nuclear household dominated the time, and women were not only expected but in a way forced to become housewives and child bearers. The female Beats came in like a storm, being more interested in sex, drugs, and drinking. Because of sexism, and its undeniable grasp on American society, the male Beats were seen as outcasts, but the female beats suffered even more. The Beats, both males and females, were rebels for themselves. I believe that when they were writing at that time it was more for their own freedom and individual experience then other fellow Americans. Of course, that ended up not being the case, and today, over 60 years later American youth still read their works and feel powerful, inspired, and enlightened. I could write a massive essay of the importance of the female Beat writers as a whole, but today I find it important to focus on one who is still writing, still performing, and still inspiring today; Anne Waldman.
Throughout time war has been predominantly fought by men, because the idea was that women should stay home and tend to the house and the children. Few women have made a name for themselves in history, fighting in war alongside men. The most notable woman in history that broke all the gender rules of ancient time was Joan of Arc. Joan fought for Charles VII, to take back France from the English. In the end she was captured by the English and burned at the stake. Joan is the most notable women in ancient history to fight in war. Fast forward to the year 2015 in the United States of America, a new fight has been started to open the door for women to fight alongside their male counter-parts in the field of combat. Questions have been raised on
The recognition of equality has come a long way in the last hundred years. From suffrage being granted to Women, to people of different races being able to attend the same unsegregated schools. Yet, equal treatment and opportunities for all is still not assured in our society. A blatant example of this is the controversy around allowing women to serve in combat roles. Many detractors try to make the case of females being mentally and physically unsuited for the harsh trials of combat, therefore wanting to bar them from those roles. These critics fail to recognize the actions already accomplished by our nations women that show their ability to serve and face danger the same as men do, and not to mention the multiple historical examples of women fighting in combat roles successfully. In addition, while every woman may not be capable of doing it, just as every man may not be capable, if they are able to pass the training and standards set by the military, there is no reason why they shouldn’t be allowed to serve in combat.
Women have been the main characters in different stories; however, in some of the works women have been included in they are not shown as they are in reality, and the characteristics that make women strong, beautiful, and intelligent. In the following works, Ourika by Claire de Duras, How We Survived Communism & Even Laughed by Slavenka Drakulic, and Things Fell Apart by Chinua Achebe, the reader can see that the characters in these stories who are women are seen as minority, people judged by society, people who do not deserve the same rights as men, and they are seen as minority compared to anyone else. Women have fought for the rights ever since, women have shown how powerful and fearless they can be. In today’s society even though is
In Africa a majority of women still lack the ability to exercise their rights. This is relevant for both economic, social, and cultural rights, as well as civil and political rights. The issue with the combination of the two is that when a woman’s ESC rights are infringed upon, it directly, negatively impacts their ability to exercise their civil rights. The inability to utilize civil political rights makes it difficult for women to take place in policy change and political decision making (Ssenyonjo 42). In order for women to have a seat at the table when it comes to long term change, it is necessary that they have the necessary economic, social, and cultural rights. Despite treaties that attempt to grant these rights, very little concrete progress has actually been made. Many blame this lack of change on culture, which is defined by Manisuli Ssenyonjo as “inherited ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge, which constitute the shares bases of social action” (50). Culture is also seen as the interpretation of colonial rule by a long standing patriarchal society and leadership, that has been in place for centuries (Tamale 51). However, despite those who see culture as an obstacle to introducing human rights to a community, it is imperative that the culture of the nation in question must be considered, not only when implementing the new law, but when they are being written by international groups as well. Otherwise there is no hope of the human rights actually being inserted
As a young female growing up in the United States of America, I have not quite understood why certain gender roles still exist in my home. My family instills traditional values, including the role of women and men in the house, and in society. In school we have learned about the role that men played in the history of almost everything, from Ancient Rome to the Spanish Civil War. Yet, very few of these lessons have focused on, or even spoke about, the role of women during these times. That is because women generally, international speaking have not always been granted the same rights as men. Over time, some rights have been granted to women, such as the right to vote or even to get an education, yet the voices of women in career fields dominated by men are continuously being ignored. Therefore, I question: to what extent have the rights of women in the United States of America evolved? Have the rights of women in the United States come to a “maximum” evolution? If not, then how much further do we have to go to ensure that men and women are truly equal in the United States of America? These are the questions that this essay will attempt to answer, as it explores the rights given to women in the United States, the role they play in the steps taken to receiving these rights and the importance of these steps, and how much further society needs to evolve in order to ensure that men and women in the United States are afforded the same rights and are all equal.
To begin the conversation about the future for women, we must be sure to include religion, government, and social and cultural factors in the discussion. Under the political sphere, nation-states will need to continue to urge women to become active in the political scene which may result in cultural conversations of being more accepting of women in the public sphere. By involving women in the political leadership, it will have influence on the future of women and quality of ongoing democratization within the region (Moghadam 2014). In countries like Tunisia where women were present in four high commissions in place to run the country as of 2011, trends will follow
However, Omaima Abou-Bakr, the co-founder of Women and Memory Forum, a campaign group based in Cairo, noted that centuries-old traditions made the city a tough place for women because of rife discrimination. She attributed it to Egypt still being a conservative nation which makes it difficult to initiative any radical progressive moves when it comes to women and women’s legislation.