Should women be given special rights in modern societies because they Essay

Should women be given special rights in modern societies because they have historically been the victims of injustice - Essay Example The feminist movement, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, was the culmination of virtual centuries of women struggling for equality with men in public as well as private life. This was first realized in Europe and America before the effects of feminism began to affect other nations in other continents. The feminist movement has proven to have a profound effect on western societies, and is now beginning to impact eastern cultures as well; however, it is still necessary because all the objectives that were phrased from the outset have not been realized. Just 60 years ago, the existences of women in virtually all societies around the world were limited in that they were subject to the whims of their men in all respects. In the home, women were to obey the rules of their husbands or fathers. Working was also discouraged for women. From birth, women in developed as well as developing nations were conditioned to aim to become the best wives and mothers that they could be. The role of motherhood was overly praised and women were sometimes forced to become wives and mothers against their will in developed nations like the United States. Once they married, wives were expected to bear children, look after them without requiring or expecting any assistance from their husbands, and also meet the multiple needs of their husbands. According to Van der Tuin (2011) women in America would spend more than 55 hours on a weekly basis in looking after their families. This meant that they had no extra time to pursue any additional pursuits. In additio n, they remained subject to their husbands under religious as well as state laws that asserted that husbands were the ‘masters’ or ‘heads’ of the home (Walter 2010). The aim of the feminist movement was to address all these unfair realities. It also aimed to deal with the reality of women’s lack of access to higher or management jobs in organizations