By Nour Alawieh
3/10/2022
professor; Ghada Awada 

Human Rights 
Women's Rights 

 Introduction:

 

           One can locate a society’s weakness from the reasons behind its intensive complications. Several movements have been created against one of the contemporary issues which are titled Women’s Rights. The western communities have witnessed, constantly, the three waves of the feminist movement in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. This movement has opposed the society’s standards that used to underestimate women and declare their regular rights. In fact, the American author, Ursula K. Le Guin, has wisely shown how women were perceived in the era she was living; that will be one of the addressed topics in this report. Adding to that, governments have prohibited women from participating effectively in political decisions. Besides, women are taken for granted especially when it comes to a social position or employment. Shedding light on these major aspects is essential for the current as well as the coming generations to comprehend the reality of women’s rights and overcome the obstacles resulting from societies’ stereotypes and restrictions.

 

                                                       

Stereotypes' Effect On Women’s Existence:

 

            As a start off, stereotypical gender roles have shaped the woman as an ineffective creature. Le Guin, in her relevant work “Introducing Myself,
” has aimed to present to the new generation how her society’s standards have favored men to the extent that she, as a woman, had to act like a man. This is in order to be accepted by her society; she was male with a female appearance. In fact, getting rid of her femininity has a lot of drawbacks to her personality and psyche. Guin has made it clear to readers, throughout her work, how privileging men over women has wiped out the existence of women despite the huge gap between males and females that have been witnessed since that time. In addition, she assures us that in her times there actually were only men. This means that women did not have their own lives in the first place in order to have their rights in the second place. That’s why she has addressed her readers, women in precise, with the advice of not wasting time trying to please the community or its imposed standards.

 

 

Political Participation of Women:

            One of women’s rights is to participate in all sects and fields of society. This right has been forbidden in the majority of countries and societies. However, women’s participation in politics is demanded in order to prove gender equality and democracy. This helps women engage in public decisions, which in return would lessen the risk of disregarding their opinions and views. Moreover, the participation of women in parliament decisions grasps the needed attention to women’s rights and other related issues.

 

 

Women’s Rights in Employment:

 

         Many women remain unable to reach their goals due to the gender wage that has created an immersive gap between the earnings of men and women. Women have been underrepresented and prohibited from working in certain occupations. Back in the early 20^th century, the majority of women in the U.S.A. only a few women, who were young and unmarried, have worked outside the home. This reflects the fact that marriage is one of the cultural norms that may force women to stay home for housekeeping. Later, women played a major role in labor achieving great benefits on the economical level. This does not mean that the limitations and barriers to women’s progress have disappeared over time; they continue but in a reshaped way such as claiming that women cannot fit in certain fields. Women have their unique abilities and skills, so their right to fulfill a certain job must not be prevented.

Survey Conducted :

           Participants were all women between the ages of 18-and 65, with different cultural backgrounds, and different marital statuses.

           

         The results illustrate that majority of the women who participated in this experiment associate women's rights with humans rights. It also leads one to infer that women feel unequal in a society that favors men.

Conclusion:

 

         To sum up, many movements, works, sociologists, and even presidents have assured the necessity of women having their rights. Although women are somehow underestimated and underrepresented, they are still functional and effective in their societies. Also, studies show that women, if given their rights, can improve all life occupations with their high qualifications and wisdom. This topic would never be over the hill but modern unless the whole perception of stereotypes is ended.