Title: (Women and the Society)?

Thesis Statement: The Participation of women in Politics, Legal Profession, and Environment has

affected the perception of people on their societal roles.

Topic 1: The Participation of women in Politics

Topic 2: The Participation of women in Legal Profession

Topic 3: The Participation of women in the Environment

Topic 4: The perception of People on the societal role of women

Now that the great barricade has long fallen, what is it now for women?

The twenty first century has been a meaningful era for women. Women are taking up important

positions in the political, social and economic field. They have been able to divert from traditional role as

house wives and excel areas such as media, IT, armed forces or civil service.

The bright side for modern women

The truth is that there is a vital movement of women of color in America. Despite continual

resistance to women of color defining specific issues and organizing around them, it is safe to say in

1982 that there was a movement to these women. It has been struggle every step of the way and it can

be said that women are still in the beginning stages of developing a workable politics and practice. Yet

the feminism of women of color, particularly of Afro-American women, has wrought many changes

during these years, has had both obvious and unrecognized impact upon the development of other

political groupings and upon their lives and hopes of countless woman. (4)

On the opposite pole

However, many writers still believe that although many things have improved for women but

they are still far from being equal with men. This is the center piece of Nikki van der Gaag in her book

entitled Feminism and Men. According to her, although more women are working, they are often still

worse paid than men, in part-time jobs or in the huge informal employment sector with little protection

and few rights. In many places, the increase in women working is simply driven by the necessity of

having two wages to make ends meet.

And at the top of industry and government, the faces remain stubbornly male. In fact, there is some evidence that the numbers of women are actually decreasing. It is true that progress in terms of gender equality is uneven, but the proponents of the argument that women are taking over the world at work need only look at statistics on employment, equal pay and political representation of men and women to see just how wrong they are.

An International Labour Organisation (ILO) study of 83 countries found that women earn 10%-30% less than men. Even in the US in 2010, women working full-time still earned only 77% of the male wage. In sub-Saharan Africa and east Asia and the Pacific, young women aged 15-24 who are working earn only

82% and 84% respectively of the amount young men earn in an hour. According to the ILO, if present trends continue, it will be another 75 years before the principle of equal pay for work of equal value is achieved.

(http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/sep/29/women-better-off-far-from-equal-

men , September 29, 2014)

In the article issued by the Time Magazine, it featured an interview with Enlightened Sexism

author Susan Douglas about the plight of women today. According to her, on one side the society saw

high-powered women who have made it to the top. On the other side, there is The Bachelor and The

Real World and Jersey Shore and The Swan and makeover shows, in which women are cast as obsessed

with men, obsessed with relationships and their bodies, jumping into catfights over men they barely

know and focused on hotness and shopping. It was pointed out that media has a big role on how the

society perceive women now. The media continue to suggest that full equality for women is a done deal.

It makes it look like feminist politics is no longer necessary, which is not true. Surely, women have come

a long way but there a lot more to be done.

( The New Sexism, By Laura Fitzpatrick, Mar. 16, 2010

http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1972425,00.html )

http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1930277_1930145,00.html