Women’s social status is steadily increasing within last fifty year; however, in the past, women had a much lower social position. There might be a chance in the future that women would share the same social status as men do due to the existence of capitalism, and the solutions that bring by “girl effect. ” Women now are able to work and women’s gender roles have changed significantly by being financial independent. However, the unequal treatment between men and women still exists: women who work in the same position as the men might not earn the same salaries as the men do.
In “From the Frying Pan into the Fire,” Hochschild introduces capitalism is the economic system requires people to work and earn profit, and the religion system that changes people’s thought and behaviors. Due to capitalism, women are jumping in the working field, and there exists a continuing competition between the home and the workplace. While in “The Girl Effect,” Kristof and WuDunn introduces the examples of women around the world are facing unequal treatment. However, this issue can be solved by the “girl effect”, which provides women the same opportunities to receive reeducation, job opportunities, freedom of marriage and childbearing.
The idea of emancipation women also promotes the gender equality by describing women are the economic catalyst. Women will accomplish much more if they have the chance. However, women are facing unequal treatment in all aspects, such as abortion, vaccine, food, killing and prostitution. Women’s social status has changed, but there is still a long way to go. Capitalism will restructure the traditional notions of how people think about women by promoting gender equality; as a result, capitalism will become an important factor to emancipate women.
Capitalism helps women to increase social status; as a result, females are not only responsible for work at home, but also for maintaining a career. Due to capitalism, both men and women have to work to support the family. Hochschild’s begins her article with Instant Quaker Oats cereal advertisement. “We see a mother pressing her son to eat more efficiently at home. This efficiency seeking in transferred from men to women, from the workplace to the home, and from adult to children” (184). In this advertisement, the mother makes the breakfast for her son within ninety seconds.
This provides the mother more time to work and make money. By taking care the work and the family at the same time, women are gaining their social position. Financial independent makes women do not have to rely on men and they can make decisions that follow their wishes. The advertisement indicates that women are jumping from the frying pan of patriarchy into the fire of capitalism by taking care of their growing children and working at the same time. Women’s social statuses have changed significantly by having an efficiency lifestyle.
Before, women’s roles are giving birth to children or taking care of families, but now working and making money to support families. In Kristof and WuDunn’s essay, she introduces “women aren’t the problem but the solution. The plight of girls in no more a tragedy than an opportunity” (209). Women need to receive more respect from society, and they can accomplish much more if women have any opportunities. Women’s social values are larger than people’s normal imagination; however, in the past, women were not allowed to receive an education or make money. Women do not share the same opportunities as the men do, which is a loss of the world.
Women’s function are not only giving birth to children or taking care of family, but also living for themselves, and accomplishing their goals. The idea of capitalism is influencing women’s social status by increasing the value of women as workers. There is no doubt that women now have more rights than before, but women still do not share the same social position as the men. Without capitalism, the change of women’s gender roles would not be possible. However, women are still facing discrimination. Patriarchy still exists in certain parts of society today, which is why women are still receiving unequal treatment.
Traditionally, people recognize women as staying at home and taking care of household chores. This is the “job” that women are genetically responsible, however, this “job” do not have any salaries; as a result, women cannot become financial independent. Some people treat women unequally because the patriarchy way of thinking still exists. In Kristof and WuDunn’s essay, she lists the example of patriarchy by “Sheryl’s grandfather gave up on her and returned her to Shunshui, where he married a younger woman as a second wife and took her to America” (209).
This is an example of patriarchy by allowing man could marry twice, and abandoning the first wife because she could not give birth to a boy. This is a real story that happened in southern China, and this type of patriarchy does not only exist in china, but also exist everywhere in the world. Patriarchy limits people’s mind and changes people’s behaviors by ignoring women’s contributions to the family. The family cannot become a comfortable place without the efforts that bring by women. Due to capitalism, both men and women have to work and earn profit.
As a result, no one has time to cook, and family members have to eat fast food, which is unhealthy for people. People should not simply ignore women’s effort; instead, people should treasure these efforts. While in Hochschild’s article, she introduces the nowadays society has “some commentators blame women’s movement into paid work for the strains experienced at home-including the high divorce rate” (188). Women are switching between work and family at the same time. Women are tired to accomplish multiple tasks; however, the situation is getting worse if the balance between family and work is disrupted.
People will blame women for not completing their responsibilities at home. However, under the pressure of capitalism, women have to work and earn profits in order to provide better lives for families. Women could not simply choose what they want to accomplish because they care about work and family; however, the balance between the home and the family will be easily interrupted in modern society. There is also an old way of thinking that can be described as if men take care of kids or do the laundry, and it shows a sense of weakness.
So some men do not want to do the household chores, which is a sign of a patriarchy lifestyle. This thought should be eliminated because capitalism would emancipate women, and everyone would be treated equally. Capitalism makes emancipate women become possible, and people now respect and understand women even more. Capitalism contributes to spread the value of gender equality, and women are trying to find the balance between the work and the home. The reality is that women’s social statuses have increased in recent years, but there is still a long way to go in order to emancipate women.
In Kristof and WuDunn’s article, they describe the idea of emancipating women as “recruit you to join an incipient movement to emancipate women and fight global poverty by unlocking women’s power as economic catalysts” (231). People should promote gender equality, and there are many ways to accomplish such tasks. The “girl effect” is the solution for emancipating women, and it combines “the basic formula was to ease repression, educate girls as well as boys, give the girls the freedom to move to the cities and take factory jobs, and then benefit from a demographic dividend as they delayed marriage and reduced childbearing” (210).
The deeper meaning for emancipating women is promoting women’s gender equality. There is an increasing number of women are working and accomplishing financial independent. Women now do not have to rely on men, and they can make decisions for themselves. Young girls are the next generation of women, and they should also be treated equally. For example, young girls should receive the same education as boys do. Most of time, girls have a higher GPA than boys, which also shows the essentialness for women to receive the same opportunities as the men do.
Also, all family members should help women by taking responsibilities for household chores, and it is not fair for women to take care of both family and career at the same time. By sharing the household chores with women, it is the most efficient way to emancipating women. Women now are not asking for having a higher social position, and women are only asking for the equal social status as men. It is possible to emancipate women; it just needs to change the way for people’s thinking and acting.
In Hochschild’s article, she introduces ways to emancipate women. She suggests, “male sharing of care at home, family friendly workplace policies, and social honor associated with care-that make the difference”(188). Children respect their mothers more than before because of capitalism, and they know that their mothers are working hard to make their family better. The fathers also respect their wives and are willing to help. For example, both men and women contribute to families.
Men walk the dogs, take care of children, do the dishes, do the laundry… tc. Many of these jobs were accomplished by women, but now, many men and children are also willing to help. Capitalism makes every member of the family devote himself or herself as much as they can, which is a modern way to emancipate women. Capitalism helps promoting gender equality and has changed women’s gender roles significantly. As a result, emancipate women will become possible due to the existance capitalism. The “girl effect” provides women opportunities to be equal as the men do.
And women now have higher social statuses; however, women are still treated unequally due to the existence of patriarchy. Capitalism makes people believe the principle of efficiency is the key factors for happy lives, which leads both men and women work to support families. Women are gaining financial independent and they do not need to rely on men. People today respect women even more by taking care of their families and working at the same time. Overall, women’s gender role has changed significantly within the last fifty years, and this effort cannot live without capitalism.
