Women and Today's Society
Throughout history, men have traditionally been regarded as superior to women in both power and status. A common view in most societies was that daughters should obey their fathers and wives should obey their husbands, and this view still holds true in most Eastern countries. Recently, however, feminists in Western societies have fought against the societal structures that have allowed men to be dominant over women. Much has been accomplished; women, for example, are now attending colleges and graduate schools in record numbers. Between the years of 1987 and 1997, there was a 68 percent increase in the number of women entering graduate schools, whereas there was only a 22 percent increase in the number of men (NCES). In addition, the number of women in the workforce has increased significantly. Sixty-three million women were actively a part of the work force in 1997, an increase of 342 percent from similar data presented from 1950 (AFL-CIO). Women also have much greater control and knowledge of their bodies than ever before; for example, there is a wide availability of birth control and of abortions. But
However, there is still much room for improvement in the fight for equality between the sexes. It is apparent in films, television, and advertising that women are viewed as sex objects, significantly more so than men. Many women have achieved great things without fitting into the image that is presented through the media as beautiful. Even the women who are "successful," those who have high-income or high-status jobs, are viewed differently than they would be if they were men. In order to change these views, there should be deep improvements made to society's view of all people of different genders, races, and backgrounds. It is now acceptable for a woman to pursue whatever profession she chooses, yet she is still not treated equally in comparison to her male counterparts because of this objectification. Not only must a woman be intelligent and outgoing to become successful, but she must also be beautiful. Perhaps more than ever, women are encouraged, even pressured, to focus on their looks. Today's society is telling people that caring about others is not as important as affluence, as having a big house and a new car. Instead of encouraging physical beauty, more attention should be paid to inner beauty, character, and accomplishments. Therefore, many women are forced to take the traditional male roles, making it difficult for those people who want to be caretakers, either for their own families or for others who need caring for. This is very discouraging to those men and women who want to be the nurses, stay-at-home parents, or workers in elementary schools, those who want to fill such caretaker positions. Sports Star is wearing to a party, as it always does with females in the public eye. This does not usually hold true for males; typically the media does not mention what Mr.
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