How has the Women’s Liberation Movement Affected Relationship between Men and Women? Since feudalism, women in over the world have been fighting for their liberty and independence. They do not want to be only mothers or housewives in the family but join society like men. Their fight is called “Women’s Liberation Movement” which has influenced greatly the relationship between men and women in the family and in the society. First of all, the Movement has brought more freedom to women than ever before. They are released from a lot of housework. Therefore, they can have time to do other things in society, instead of staying at home and taking care of the children all the day. In addition, women receive more equality and justice to compete with men in almost any fields. They have the right to get an equal education so that they can study any subjects they want to take at universities. In fact, women have expressed themselves on the fields that are considered to belong to men. These include science, technology as well as medicine and astronomy. As women are qualified, they are able to find good jobs and become successful. They even gain higher position in society than men. The alteration of women’s role in the family and the society leads to the change of men’s attitude to women. Men have shown more respect to women than they used to in the past. In their eyes, women are no longer passive and dependent people. This is the greatest change on the relationship between men and women. After all, Women’s Liberation Movement is really a wonderful revolution of human race. It has altered the relationship between men and women so that it created a new face of the world. This alteration has brought gender balance and social justice to women.
The Women’s Liberation Movement OUTLINE The Women’s Liberation Movement: Effect of Relationship between Men and Women I In the past, women were considered like animals, less than women, unable to think like men, born only to serve men This prejudice forced them to live a hard and suffering life; however, it made them to take actions to release themselves from oppression As a result, the women’s liberation movement was born in order to eliminate the old prejudice and discharge the tyranny as well as to gain the social equality and the rights to decide their own lives The women’s emancipation is the social struggle that has made a great change to the world II Since it began in the Enlightenment to the middle of 20 century and even till now, the movement has been through a lot of changing and difficulties to reach its aim It developed in three stages A The first stage: Time: happened in the late 18th century Educated women in Europe began to ask for the rights in education and work In this period, the concept of women’s liberation were mentioned in Utopian socialist movement many works were published to discuss women’s rights B The 2nd stage: Time: in the second half of 19th century The development of the organization of the working class affected women’s emancipation They demanded the franchise by demonstrating in the streets and painting ‘VOTE FOR WOMEN’ on walls… C the third stage Time: in the first half of 20th century Marxism analysis had a great effect on the Movement The Women’s Liberation Movement The industrial labour force created new jobs for women and they showed their ability in working III The Movement was different from country to country, however, the basic causes involved three events A the development of effective birth-control methods: women could have babies whenever they wanted so that they could have time to acquire an education and pursue a career B The development of mechanized labour-saving devices for the home C the world war II was the time when women have chance to go to work in factories as men were serving in the military IV Effect A Women of many countries gained the right to vote, first in New Zealand (1893), then Great Brittan (1918), from 1914 to 1939 women of 28 countries were voted B They gained equality, justice and freedom V Facts A In general, their role in the family, in the business and in the Government has changed They were able to compete with men in almost any field B The men’s attitude to women also changed They showed more respect to women and no longer considered women be passive and dependable C However, in many places, especially in Africa, women still haven’t obtained the equality and have still fought for their sakes VI Contrast A Changing in the family Before gaining the gender balance, women in Europe and America suffered cruel and brutal treatment from men They were housewives in the family and obeyed husbands The Women’s Liberation Movement After the success of women’s liberation movement, their role in the home is not restricted, they can even be the breadwinners They are as equal as men B Changing in the business Before: As women did not have the rights to be educated, they were illiterate Moreover, their duty was to serve husbands, so they were not allowed to seek jobs Therefore, they were totally depend on husbands and could not join the society After: As women could study deeply on subjects they like, they are qualified enough to get jobs in good conditions and have chances to become successful They can live on their own and even gain higher positions in society than men C Changing in the Government Before: Of course if they could not have any status in society, they could not also have any position in the Government On the contrary, they were received their contemptuousness After: women can be members of Parliament or obtain the highest position in many countries VII The importance of women’s liberation Movement A As women have the chance to take part in social work, the face of the world has changed It helps to make progress in many fields of life B Let the women what they want is to eliminate the social injustice and is to contribute a better life for the next generations Moreover, if women not have the right to work, the world will waste a potential source of labour force VIII Summary Women’s emancipation is one of the wonderful achievements of the human race and has made a great change to the whole world However, that fight is still continuing as not all women in the world obtain the equality and justice The Women’s Liberation Movement ABSTRACT How has the Women’s Liberation Movement Affected Relationship between Men and Women? Since feudalism, women in over the world have been fighting for their liberty and independence They not want to be only mothers or housewives in the family but join society like men Their fight is called “Women’s Liberation Movement” which has influenced greatly the relationship between men and women in the family and in the society First of all, the Movement has brought more freedom to women than ever before They are released from a lot of housework Therefore, they can have time to other things in society, instead of staying at home and taking care of the children all the day In addition, women receive more equality and justice to compete with men in almost any fields They have the right to get an equal education so that they can study any subjects they want to take at universities In fact, women have expressed themselves on the fields that are considered to belong to men These include science, technology as well as medicine and astronomy As women are qualified, they are able to find good jobs and become successful They even gain higher position in society than men The alteration of women’s role in the family and the society leads to the change of men’s attitude to women Men have shown more respect to women than they used to in the past In their eyes, women are no longer passive and dependent people This is the greatest change on the relationship between men and women After all, Women’s Liberation Movement is really a wonderful revolution of human race It has altered the relationship between men and women so that it created a new face of the world This alteration has brought gender balance and social justice to women The Women’s Liberation Movement The Women’s Liberation Movement: Effect of Relationship between Men and Women Research Paper, Section The Women’s Liberation Movement Over the past 300 years, in feudalism, women were considered “like animals, less than men, unable to think like men, born only to serve men” (Betty Friedan, 1963) This prejudice forced women to live a miserably hard and suffering life; however, it made them take actions to release themselves from oppression As a result, the Women’s Liberation Movement was born in order to eliminate the old prejudices and discharge the tyranny as well as to gain social equality and rights to decide their own lives The Women’s Emancipation is the social struggle that has made a great change to the world, especially in the relationship between men and women The Development of the Women’s Liberation Movement Since it began in the Enlightenment to the middle of the twentieth century and till now, the Movement has been through a lot of changes and difficulties to reach its aims It developed in three stages (or waves) The first stage happened in the late eighteenth century when educated women in Europe began to ask for their rights in education and work In fact, their fight was unprompted and only made a small wave, but it was the origin of the Movement and really obtained something That is many works written by women were published to discuss women’s rights For example, “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” by Mary Wollstonecraft was famous book which showed a progressive outlook about women In this period, the concept of Women’s Liberation was also mentioned in Utopian socialist movement (www.marxists.org) In the second half of the nineteenth century, due to the Marxist movement, the organization of the working class was also mature This development helped Women’s Emancipation to grow up At that time, women began to demand the franchise by demonstrating in the streets and painting “Vote For Women” on walls, on banner They even broke shop-windows and went on strike Their struggle was stronger than the previous one but it was not effective enough Women got fierce opposition of men, and many were sent into prison (Headway) It was in 1910s and 1920s that the Movement reached its high tide and this started a new stage Marxism analysis had a great influence on the growth of the Movement Besides, the industrial labour force created new jobs for women and they showed their ability in working as good as men During the time, the Movement became stronger and more drastic because they had more experiences and they fought in organized methods The Women’s Liberation Movement For instance, in the United State, women joined NOW (National Organization for Women) so that it became a strong force (Jo Freeman, 1971) The Causes of the Movement The Movement was different from country to country, from culture to culture; however, there were three events which had great influence on it First of all, the development of effective birth-control methods helped women to postpone having babies as they wanted and the trend of having smaller family really set free for women Thus, they could have time to acquire an education and pursue a career Second, the development of mechanized labour-saving devices for the home such as washingmachines, vacuum cleaners, and dishwashers…released mothers from a lot of housework Therefore, they could save time for their interests The third event was the Second World War when women had chance to go to work in factories as men were serving in the military During this period of time, they really affirmed their power and their status, and society had to admit that (Ielts Preparation and Practice) The Achievements of The Women’s Liberation Movement During the fight against prejudices and oppression, Women’s Liberation Movement has received a lot of objections from consecutive people, even many women were not aware of their slavish status In fact, they accepted such a life The Movement also did not get the attention of the Government; instead, the women received their contemptuousness Nevertheless, their belief in success would not be worn out Step by step, they received the support of more and more people, especially some members of the Government even wanted to vote for them (Headway) Gradually, women of many countries gained the right to vote New Zealand was the first country that the Parliament passed the law for Women’ Suffrage in1893, from 1914 to 1939 women of 28 countries were voted, Great Brittan (1918) But it was not until 1971 that women in Switzerland got the vote In addition, the Movement innovated the point of view of the society More and more women took part in the Movement because they acknowledged the importance of it and how it affected their life directly No sooner, it became widespread from country to country as women all over the world entered into alliance with each other Therefore, the victory of one country was the motivation of others The Women’s Liberation Movement Another success of the Movement was that women gained much more equality, justice and freedom than they used to have in the past Their position is not only at home, but also in society and in the Government The men’s attitude to women also changed They showed more respect to women and no longer thought about women as passive and dependent people In fact, females were able to compete with males in almost any field Now it is common that men are house-husbands and women play a more significant role in the family However, in many places, especially in Africa and some countries in Asia, women still haven’t obtained the equality That is men’s jobs are more appreciated and their salary is higher than women’s At some companies, they would rather recruit men instead of women as according to them, women are less intelligent than men and they are too sentimental to make decision on important things Therefore, women’s fight for their sakes still continues till the modern life How has The Movement Changed the Role of Women? After the success of the Women’s Liberation Movement, the role of women has actually changed in many aspects of life, in comparison with their role before that The great alteration began in the family, which was the basic change influencing the changes of the society and the Government Before gaining the gender balance, women in the world suffered a cruel and brutal treatment from men They were just housewives in the family and must obey their husbands When Women’s Liberation Movement gained certain successes, their role in the home was no longer restricted They can live on their own and can be the breadwinners of the family That change led to a real revolution in the business Before, because their duty was to serve husbands and they did not have the rights to be educated, so they were illiterate and were not allowed to seek jobs Consequently, they were totally dependent on husbands and could not join the society However, when they were set free from home, they could study deeply on subjects they like They are qualified enough to get jobs in good conditions and have option to become successful In the book”Sexual Politics”, Kate Millett also wrote” In a society where status is dependent upon the economic, social, and educational circumstances of class, it is possible for certain females to appear to The Women’s Liberation Movement stand higher than some males” As a result, there was also a difference between their role in the Government before gaining gender equality and after that The role of women is like a vicious circle: when they were regarded as nothing in the family, they were not even considered human members in society As they could not have any status in society, they could not also have any position in the Government Everything has changed due to the Liberation Movement As soon as women were released from the role of housekeepers, they would show their ability in competition with men, not only in science, technology but also in politics, the area that used to be assumed belonging to men They can gain the pinnacle of fame as female politicians In human history, there are a lot of women becoming members of Parliament or obtaining the highest position of a country As we know that the President of Indonesia and Philippines are women All of this proves that the power of women is not limited and what men can is what women can The Importance of Women’s Liberation Movement As women have opportunities to take part in social work, the face of the world has changed It helps to make progress in many fields of life Freeing women and letting them what they want is to discharge the social injustice and is to contribute a better life for the next generations As women play an important part in upbringing their children, so when their roles change, they feel unfastened They can their best and their role will have a good effect on the children Moreover, if women not have the right to work, the world will waste a potential source of labour force because they make up a half of population Their talent as well as their contribution is as equal as men Women’s Emancipation is one of the wonderful achievements of the human race and has made a great change to the whole world However, that fight is still continuing as not all women in the world obtain the equality and justice The Women’s Liberation Movement 10 Reference http://www.marxists.org/glossary/events/w/o.htm.moifem.ca/ Freeman, J (1971) The Women’s Liberation Movement: Its Origin, Structures and Ideals Friedan, B (1963) The Feminine Mystique, chapter 5: The Sexual Solipsism of Sigmund Freud Retrieved from http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/us/friedan.htm John & Soars, L Headway (Student’s book, Pre-intermediate), page 74 &75 Millet, K (1969) Sexual Politics, Chapter 2: Theory of Sexual Politics Oshima, A., & Hogue, A., Writing Academic English, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, page 100&101 Reed, E 1964 A Study of Feminine Mystique Retrieved from http://www.marxists.org/archive/reed-evelyn/1964/friedan-review.htm Sahanaya, W., Lindeck, J., & Stewart, R Ielts Preparation and Practice (Reading and Writing Academic Module), page26 &27