womans role in society in the past and a new look at the role of women in the modern day

3CHAPTER 1: Preconceptions about the role of women in the past...3CHAPTER 2: Women’s role throughout history...4CHAPTER 3: Influential women in each field...4CHAPTER 4: Why must women in

DIPLOMATIC ACADEMY OF VIETNAM

ENGLISH FACULTY

- -

MIDTERM ESSAY

Woman's role in society in the past and

a new look at the role of women in the modern-day

Hanoi, March 19, 2022

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION 3

CHAPTER 1: Preconceptions about the role of women in the past 3

CHAPTER 2: Women’s role throughout history 4

CHAPTER 3: Influential women in each field 4

CHAPTER 4: Why must women include self-love and self-care in their dictionaries? 7

1, Being Over-Busy Taking Care of Other 8

2, Being Unwilling 8

3, Feeling ‘It’s Okay to Ignore Myself’ 8

CHAPTER 5: Support for feminism is not against men 9

CHAPTER 6: The nature of men and women are different, equality is impossible 11

CONCLUSION 12

REFERENCES 13

About 20 years ago, people had only one notion about a woman; that is, they were born to control the household chores and manage the children But in today’s world, women empowerment has taken place which has opened new doors for women to thrive and shine since they are equally important in society as men are Demographically, half the population of the country constitutes women, and they deserve equal importance and rights

in society They are the backbone of a progressing nation.E From keeping the home safe and clean to portraying excellent outcomes in the workplace, a woman can do it all Actually, it's very good for women to know how to cook and take care of their personal lives and loved ones But that does not mean that we assume that responsibility belongs to women and their capabilities also must not be underestimated based on their gender, they should be

given equal opportunities to display their talents As Njideka Harry, President and Chief Executive Officer, Youth for Technology Foundation, has said, “If Nigerian women had the same opportunities as men, they could

drive GDP up by 13.9$ billion”

CHAPTER 1: Preconceptions about the role of women in the past

If legal and political equality is clear and measurable, social equality is ambiguous and complex The current feminist movement is not a protest against unjust laws or sexist institutions, but it is against unconscious human prejudices,

as well as norms and influences cultural influences that have taken root for centuries to the detriment of women Women are still treated unfairly in many respects It's just that if it used to happen a lot, today most of it is no longer noticeable and even happens unconsciously

Things get complicated because you're not dealing with social institutions anymore, but with human perception and brains You have to challenge belief systems and irrational assumptions and force people to forget what they've

"known" for decades This is not easy

And the hardest part is that there isn't a single metric in the social realm to determine what's equal and what's not If I fire three employees and two of them are women, will that be equal? Or is it sexism? You can't conclude unless you

know why I fired them And you can't know why I fired them unless you can get inside my brain and understand the beliefs and motivations behind it

CHAPTER 2: Women’s role throughout history

About half of our population is women, so, democratically speaking, they deserve all the rights and importance in society, which can help them to perform their roles

Men always considered women the less intelligent of the sexes for centuries This horrible misperception caused an immense loss of their own dignity Fifty

or seventy years ago a woman was nothing more than a housewife, a caretaker and at their husband's beck and call Women had no personal opinion, no voice,

no freedom They were oppressed by people's social beliefs A woman's respectable place was always behind a man's masculine frame In the past, a woman’s inferiority was not voluntary but instilled by older women, and/or force

But modern women are no longer ignorant and shy like women in the recent past They are now considered courageous and very confident in completing the tasks assigned to them She has complete freedom to decide her affairs The man

no longer enjoys the right to impose his authority on the woman She has practically become a member of the family earning money because today men and women have to operate the economic switches together Today women have played important roles in politics, economy, household, society and nation-building The shy woman of the past has been replaced by a smart, fashion-forward young girl Women are jostling shoulders with men and competing with them in engineering, sciences, space research, medicine, and business This marked change in their status reflects the fact that their emancipation is almost complete

CHAPTER 3: Influential women in each field

Over the last 100 years, the role and rights of women have changed beyond all recognition But, one thing that has stayed constant is the sheer number of awe-inspiring women that exist all over the world in every field

In the field of science, Katherine Johnson is a name that cannot be ignored Born in 1918, graduated from university at 18, She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 for a lifetime of work as a pioneering physicist, mathematician and space scientist Katherine Johnson helped pave the way for women of colour in STEM fields with her mathematical work, which helped NASA’s first crewed spaceflight to land on the moon in 1969 Originally, Katherine worked for NACA (the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) and was segregated from white mathematicians, before working with an all-male team at NASA in 1958, when NASA took over NACA The next person is Malala Yousafzai - an influential woman in education Her story of resilience and fighting for what is right is nothing short of incredible Growing up in Pakistan, Yousafzai became an advocate for women’s rights and education at a young age However, due to the Taliban rule of Pakistan, freedoms for women were severely limited, with access to education virtually nonexistent Incredibly, Yousafzai survived after being shot in the head

by a Taliban soldier at close range After recovering, she went on to become an advocate of human rights and educational access for women In 2014, at the age

of seventeen, Malala Yousafzai became the youngest person to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her amazing work in bringing attention to these issues In

2020, she graduated from Oxford University and continues to fight to ensure that every girl receives 12 years of free, safe, and quality education with her organization the Malala Fund

Politics is an area where women are often underappreciated, but some women still shine with their own talents I would like to honour Madame Binh -Nguyễn Thị Bình, a Vietnamese communist leader and politician who negotiated

at the Paris Peace Conference on behalf of the Viet Cong, or National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam She was appointed Minister of Education of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam from 1982 to 1986, which made her the first female minister ever in the history of Viet Nam Nguyễn Thị Bình was a member of the Central Committee of Vietnam's Communist Party, from 1987 to

1992, was Vice Head of the Central External Relations Department of Party The National Assembly elected her twice to the position of Vice President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam for the terms 1992–1997 and 1997–2002 Her

excellent work helped pave the way for future generations, Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân (born 12 April 1954 in Bến Tre Province) is a Vietnamese politician who served as the first female Chairperson of the National Assembly of Vietnam from 31 March 2016 to 30 March 2021 She was a member of the 12th Politburo

of the Communist Party of Vietnam, in which she ranked second, after General Secretary of the Communist Party Nguyễn Phú Trọng She previously served as Deputy Chairperson of the National Assembly of Vietnam

During the last century, women in sports have been making an impact and serving as inspirations to those who wish to accomplish the same According to

a 2018 Nielsen report on the rise of women's sports, 84% of general sports fans now have an interest in women's sports A notable name in world sports is Yuna Kim - a Korean figure skater She is the 2010 Olympic champion and 2014 silver medalist in ladies' singles, the 2009 & 2013 World champion, the 2009 Four Continents champion, a three-time (2006–2007, 2007–2008, 2009–2010) Grand Prix Final champion, the 2006 World Junior champion, the 2005 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and a six-time (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2014) South Korean national champion Kim was the highest-paid athlete in the XXI Olympic Winter Games according to Forbes The business magazine has also listed her in their 30 under 30 and Philanthropy lists She was included in Time magazine's annual Time 100 of World's Most Influential People in 2010 Kim was the first to top Forbes Korea Power Celebrity and was ranked in the Top 10 from 2009 to 2015 and in 2018

Throughout the decades, despite plenty of obstacles standing in their way, women have been at the forefront of the entertainment industry From acting and directing in iconic films to performing legendary songs and selling millions of albums, women in the industry have earned incredible success while breaking barriers, fighting for pay equity and inspiring future generations of entertainers Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, model and singer Famous for playing comedic "blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s and was emblematic of the era's sexual revolution She was a top-billed actress for a decade, and her films grossed $200 million (equivalent to $2 billion in 2020) by the time of her death

in 1962 Long after her death, Monroe remains a major icon of pop culture In

1999, the American Film Institute ranked her sixth on their list of the greatest female screen legends from the Golden Age of Hollywood

All of these women have accomplished amazing things in their fields, making them some of the most notable women of all time I believe that in the future, women will develop even more in their careers They will express themselves and devote their talents to society instead of limiting themselves to boring housework

CHAPTER 4: Why must women include self-love and self-care in their dictionaries?

These days, most women just concentrate on their family (their husband and their children) Hence, they don't have enough time for themselves

Women, as we all know, are made by God to be life-givers, nurturers, and caregivers They are generally very compassionate, loving and empathetic by nature Because of being so loving and caring they often miss taking care of themselves and feel guilty for sparing even a few minutes for themselves Why

do we women have this attitude towards ourselves? Why Don’t we realize that if

we don’t take care of ourselves, how will we take care of others? In my opinion, every woman must include self-love and self-care in her dictionary There are some quotes that I always adore:

“If you can learn to love yourself and all the flaws, you can love other people so much better And that makes you so happy.”

– Kristin Chenoweth, American actress and singer

“It’s all about confidence and how you feel about yourself There’s no such thing as a perfect woman I like imperfections – that’s what makes you unique.”

– Hayley Hasselhoff, American actress and model

“We just need to be kinder to ourselves If we treated ourselves the way we treated our best friend, can you imagine how much better off we would be?”

– Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, actress and model

Let’s find out some reasons why women underestimate the importance of self-love and self-care in their lives

1, Being Over-Busy Taking Care of Others

Women, whether they are homemakers or working moms, have to work their asses off all day long Usually, they are the first ones to get up early in the morning They start preparing breakfast and packing bags for their kids They have to help their hubby and kids in getting ready to leave for office and school

In case they are working, they too leave the home with them If they stay at home, they have to arrange the home, cook food, clean the house, do laundry, and then go to pick up the kids from school and get busy with them once again till it’s the time for hubby to get back home They don’t get time to relax and pamper themselves even if they plan a small nap while kids are awake, it’s next

to impossible! Believe me, I can vouch for it! But, I feel, it’s time that all women realize it’s not a sin to take some rest in between their busy schedules and to shower some love on themselves the way they do it on others!

2, Being Unwilling

Because of overworking themselves, women get so tired that even when they

do get some free time, they don’t like to take a relaxing shower, take care of their skin, hair and nails; rather they just start planning for dinner, grocery shopping and stuff like that This further makes them feel exhausted I suggest you all take some time for yourselves in your busy day and take complete rest in that time by either taking a power nap, or a shower, booking a beauty service for yourself like a much-needed pedicure-manicure, facial, hair spa, or body massage It will help you in rejuvenating and feeling refreshed and relaxed Occasionally you can also go for a shopping spree or movie date all alone or with your besties

3, Feeling ‘It’s Okay to Ignore Myself’

I have seen many women who argue, who will take care of my kids and hubby if I start taking rest? Or If I spend so much money on myself how will I

be able to maintain the budget of my family? Or it’s selfishness to take a rest and order food from outside for my family! I feel, there’s no need to be so harsh on

yourself It’s absolutely fine if you do any of these things It’s okay to love yourself, take care of yourself and pamper yourself You are a human being first and then a wife and a mom You have full right to chill and relax at times Don’t

be your own harshest critic Don’t judge yourself all the time

My advice to all you wonderful women out there is to indulge yourselves in Self Love and Self Care and see its magical effect on your own mental health as well as on your relationships When you are happy yourself, you can make others happy When you are at peace you can easily handle the stress of everyday life So, to be a good wife, mommy, or working professional first be a good person to yourself Treat yourself well to be treated well by others and include self and self-care in your dictionary

All in all, I would say that by looking at the current norms, women deserve to

be loved and respected and their role shouldn't be limited

CHAPTER 5: Support for feminism is not against men

This is the most common and also most mistaken view of the feminist movement Many people think that feminism is a zero-sum game (a zero-sum game, meaning that one side benefits, the other must lose)

On the contrary, the essence of feminism is gender equality, the purpose is to blur the gap in opportunities and society's view of both sexes This movement is for everyone and is not against any particular gender It only fights against gender stereotypes to liberate both men and women (from here, to unify the terminology in the thesis, I would like to call it the Gender Equality Movement)

A 2018 report by the World Economic Forum ranked Iceland #1 in terms of gender equality, then obviously this is a women's paradise, so how much are the men there being oppressed and suffering? The answer is no because of the fact that Icelandic men have the highest life expectancy in the whole of Europe At the same time, Iceland is always a country with high rankings in the list of the happiest countries in the world (ranked in 2019, Iceland ranked 4th)

It's not surprising, because it's obvious that the more powerful men are given, the heavier the responsibilities they have to shoulder If there is anything that is oppressing men, it is toxic masculinity, society's expectations of status, career, strength, and not only about gender equality

The WHO statistics show that the average life expectancy of men is lower than that of women, even though they are considered "strong men", who are

"strong physically and mentally" The WHO report points out three reasons leading to this sad situation, which are:

 Working environment (men are often exposed to more hazardous physical and chemical agents than women)

 Men often accept to face dangers (the stereotype that “already a man, he must have a spirit of aggression and risk”)

 They are often uncomfortable with medical advice and treatment (they often don't go to the doctor when they have health problems, tend to be less or less willing to disclose their symptoms)

Especially when it comes to mental health problems, men do not want to seek treatment, share or express their feelings for fear of being perceived as weak They have no choice but to "self-medicate" with alcohol, beer and stimulants