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Add to FavoritesThere was an age when society favored men. That time has been replaced with a new politically correct era where women must be shown preference, or else be considered victims of sexism or inequality. Equality is all well and good, but somehow along the way, the equal rights with men that women strove for in decades past has been replaced with the philosophy that women are to be held on a pedestal and viewed as the smarter, dominant sex.
The television shows of the 50's portrayed the all-knowing father. The woman was "in her place" cooking and cleaning, sewing and knitting socks for the children. The man came home after a long day of work to be greeted by the wife with a homemade dinner, a kiss on the cheek, and the phrase that every child dreaded, "Your son needs a talking-to." The father was the disciplinarian, the bread-winner and the smart one who thought of ingenious solutions to everyday problems. In that era, Father knew best.
Since the 80's, television shows have featured the all-knowing mother, beautiful, sophisticated and well-bred, living opposite a dope of a man. Viewers are left to wonder how such a doofus ended up marrying such an attractive, intelligent woman, and they wonder how she could put up with such a loser. Whereas before, Lucy Ricardo was the one who ended up in horrible jams and Ricky Ricardo was the fixer of the chaotic problems she created, now Jill Taylor spent her days cleaning up after the chaos left behind by Tim Taylor. The modern woman portrayed on television is strong, smart and beautiful. The modern man portrayed on television is fat, dopey, and lacking in any common sense. No matter what he does, he is always wrong and his wife is always right. In many cases, the woman is the one making most of the money, disciplining the children, making her idiotic husband feel more like an idiot and saving the world. While in some cases, that may be the way it is, the idea of equality has been lost in translation. Equal rights for women has turned into a battle to make men look stupid and oafish, and women smart and cool. Where are the shows that display equality? The early days of television and modern television have not found a happy medium. It's as if showing equality in a family setting is taboo. Two parents who know what they're doing? Two parents who are smart and put-together? I suppose it might make for boring television, but, frankly, the equality preaching alongside the portrayal of stupid men is getting rather obnoxious.
While there are women still struggling to gain rights in the workplace that men have had access to for years, there are men unable to get jobs in the fields that they want because women have first priority. Remember the taboo associated with male nurses? So what if a man wants to be a nurse? Women can be doctors, so why can't men be accepted as nurses? Then, there is the assumption that male teachers are homosexual or they only want to be teachers so they can molest children. Male flight attendants are also given a hard time. They must be gay, people assume. There are female pilots, so why can't there be male flight attendants? There is absolutely nothing wrong with a man wanting to be a teacher or a nurse or a flight attendant. But, there is something wrong with women thinking that the world owes them because of the oppression that their mothers and grandmothers had to face. Likewise, there is something wrong with society's view of men as being incapable when posed opposite a woman.
It seems that society has overcompensated yet again. If women truly desire equality, then they should display equality instead of this "women are better than men at everything" philosophy.
So, no, society does not favor men. Society favors women. Why? There is a certain fear involved in favoring a man over a woman. Women are quick to slap on a law suit over something they think is not fair and call it sexual discrimination, while men have no choice but to deal with the fact that they are quickly becoming the weaker sex in the eyes of today's society.
Learn more about this author, Michelle Hozey.
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Yes
Does society favor men? It is difficult to provide a simple answer to this question, because it's a complicated issue.
To begin with, it depends on what we mean by society. If society encompasses the entire world population then men are undoubtedly favored over women. In many counties of Asia, South America and Africa women still have very few rights. Below are just a few examples.
Hindu widows in India live a life of abject poverty for the remainder of their lives when their husbands die, even when the female in question is still a very young child. Seen as societal outcasts, they lead wretched lives in the dharmashalas and choultries of Vrindavan, totally dependent on the owners of these establishments. The widows, who cannot afford their own accommodation, often spend their final days on the streets or in shelters provided by the State government.
In Nigeria, men don't appreciate the financial contributions of their spouses. They don't regard the woman's occupation or household chores as particularly challenging. Overall, Nigerian men constantly undervalue their wives. Additionally, even wealthier Nigerian women don't have certain rights. In general, men don't have any legal liability for their offspring, and they often discard women, expecting them to carry the economic obligation of the family. To add insult to injury, aggression against women in the family in Nigeria is rife and complex. Violence can be corporeal, emotional or economic. Husbands, lovers and fathers are accountable for most of the abuse. Furthermore, sometimes employers of female domestic workers are also complicit
Islamic women are generally at the mercy of men. First of all a woman cannot marry without the permission of her protector - if she marries, her husband becomes her new guardian. A woman who requests a divorce typically needs the approval of her husband, while men have the right of independent divorce. A divorce only becomes real when the man informs his wife that he is divorcing her.
While they ruled Afghanistan, the Taliban implemented the most rigid analysis of Sharia law ever known in the Muslim world, and became infamous globally for their behavior towards women. Women were compelled to dress in the burqa in public. They were not permitted to work or seek an education after the age of eight, and until then were only allowed to learn the Qur'an. Women who wished to learn had no alternative but to attend subversive schools, where both they and their teachers risked the death sentence if discovered. They were refused treatment by male doctors unless a male chaperon came with them, which led to untreated illnesses. They were subjected to public flogging in the street, and public execution for contravening the Taliban's laws.
Conversely, women in Western society generally have many more rights than those in other parts of the world, but this certainly hasn't always been the case. Until August 26, 1920 women in the USA did not even have the right to vote. That was less than one hundred years ago. It was not until the advent of feminism in the 1960's that the place of women in western European and North American society began to change. Before the women's liberation movement society was undeniably Patriarchal. In a 1955 edition of Good House Keeping Monthly there was an article entitles "The Good Wifes Guide." This article advised women to do things such as "Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax," or "Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him."
Finally, although western society has come along way when it comes to treating both sexes equally, we still have a lot of progress to make. There are still men out there who suppress and abuse women. Until society fully understands that females are, in essence equal to males, and treats them accordingly, then the fools who argue that men are now the oppressed ones are, to be forthright, talking out of their rear ends.
Resources: http://www.hinduonne t.com/fline/fl2316/s tories/2006082500130 5100.htm,
http://web. amnesty.org/wire/Apr il2005/Nigeria, http://en.wikipedia. org, http://www.freerepub lic.com/focus/f-news /1091777/posts, http://www.kidspoint .org/columns2.asp?co lumn_id=1397&column_ type=homework.
Learn more about this author, Rosa Radikalis.
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