Free Essay: Feminism & Women Rights
The role and participation of women at places of work has been a discussion topic on different platforms. Activists’ groups such as those of women have always struggled to get equal opportunities for representation with men at the workplace. Additionally, women have put relentless efforts as they attempt to venture into different careers especially those considered masculine. Nevertheless, women have always faced many problems at the workplace regardless of their efforts to achieve equal representation. This essay will therefore focus on Feminism & Women Rights.
In the essay entitled: Why Women Still Can’t Have it All, Ann-Marie Slaughter exposes women’s fate as they attempt to achieve high employment positions in the current job market. Her argument is based on the fact that women cannot realize their objectives of performing better at the workplace because they are given feminine duties in their pursuit due to the existing job structures.
Her argument is that women, more so those in government employment are unable to balance their domestic and work duties due to the job structures that they find challenging. She exposes the other aspect of participation by women at the workplace which has not been focused on by policymakers and scholars. She argues that women are blinded by being allowed to occupy top positions at the expense of families more so in the contemporary world.
Ann argues that there are fewer women in prestigious positions as compared to men. This can be attributed to different factors. Women’s existence at the workplace is challenged by the demand for prestigious positions. For instance, these positions take a lot of time which leaves women without time for attending to their families. As such, the nature that these jobs have is favorable for men than for women. There will always be a less population of women that are capable and willing to take up such jobs regardless of the provided equal representation chances. Therefore, the focus of equal representation ought to be on a level field for both women and men by ensuring that the presented jobs are favorable to women.
There is a false argument that women have contributed to some problems that affect them in the workplace. Anne-Marie notes that younger women perceive older women at the workplace as role models rather than using them while making decisions on career choices. Actually, most young women dream of climbing the employment ladder to occupy those prestigious government positions as well as in the other larger corporations.
Nevertheless, younger women should be ready to sacrifice in life so that they can realize their career objectives in the contemporary world. Among the most challenging choices that they have to make is choosing whether to continue pursuing their careers or to attend to their family’s needs. As such equal representation among women and men at the workplaces ought not to be considered in terms of their numbers only. Job structures and women’s needs should be examined as well.
My view is that women are obsessed with taking up job positions in any field of employment and equal representation in higher positions. Women have achieved their objectives of job opportunities and equal representation in some cases. Nevertheless, their achievements have come with different challenges and problems that affect them even to date.
The government and organizations have provided equal chances to women but there is no framework that will enable women to realize their career goals. When women are given the same competition platform as men, this does not justify the commitment of the employer to ensure equality. It is the responsibility of the employer to consider women’s nature, roles, and biological characteristics while assigning jobs. Nevertheless, women ought to act as ambassadors who will fight for their workplace rights. According to Anne-Marie, although there are many challenges that affect women, they have a chance to champion their workplace rights.
How gender equality is perceived by people is brought out by Anne-Marie’s article. Gender equality is more than getting the numbers. It is also about determining performance. Clearly, there are many challenges that women face at the workplace and this affects their performance. Consequently, this makes it hard for women to keep their families while working. In addition, most women are shy when it comes to expressing their inability to balance family responsibilities and work.
Their fear is the feedback that would come from the other women who are trying to take up prestigious job positions. Nevertheless, gender equality entails expressing individual desires as well as fighting for recognition of the rights of a person. Groups of women should fight to have their diverse needs recognized at their workplace.
The ideas of Anne-Marie will impact how I approach and understand gender equality in the future. Actually, it is apparent that people all over the world are yet to achieve what is considered gender equality. Women groups, individuals, and activists ought to quit focusing attention on having more women at the workplace. Instead, they should focus on improving the performance and roles of women in the workplace.
An important factor will be identifying factors that hinder women’s performance in some jobs. It will enhance the development of strategies for handling gender inequality. As such, with the currents activism and the status quo, women stand a chance to “have it all” at the workplace. This will be possible if the employers take into consideration different institutional factors when recruiting and hiring.