Comparing Women: Nepal, Ethiopia and the US
-Puspak Sapkota
The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, "It's a girl." [1] The girls in the western societies are at least lucky to see the world… the ones in the east, not so much! For ages now, the world has seen women fighting for equality and freedom, many have achieved what they deserve while some still don’t have any idea what equality is. This is how the world stands today: the idea of feminism and equal rights for women varies a lot between societies. In the US, women have equal rights as of men, have freedom and the opportunity whereas in many eastern societies like Ethiopia and Nepal, women are simply children producing machines and the idea of equality is blurred amongst the shadows of male dominance. This paper details the status of women in three different countries Nepal, Ethiopia and the US and presents a sharp comparison between the lives of women among these three nations.
The basic form of separation of humans… gender and along with that come the concepts of masculinity and feminity. Femininity is one of the elements of society’s symbolic culture, the complex of social ideas, prescriptions and beliefs as to what a woman is, and what physical, biological characteristics are ascribed to her. [2]. Even though the term ‘feminity’ gives women the respect and equality she deserves, the reality is something else. Even though, women are able to enjoy higher degree of freedom and rights in most of the western countries, their social uprisings are always shadowed by male dominance and only the term ‘feminity’ instills! Women are always treated as second class citizens in most of the societies in the world and the situation is worse than imaginable in many eastern societies.
Every single individual is influenced by his/her family, the culture and society… and in all societies the aspects of masculinity seem to dwell over the feminist ideologies. Since the ‘man’ tends to utilize the maximum power, it can easily be generalized that more than 80% of the world’s countries are male dominated. The domination is not because ‘men’ are born as men, but the power of male domination is an inherited form and has long history. A man might seem physically stronger than a woman but the level of intellect is same in both genders. However, we can easily see differences between the status of men and women in practically all the countries in the world. No one has ever seen a woman enjoying true leadership… not even until today, likes of Queen Elizabeth, Benazir Bhutto being the exception. Even in the US, a country that boasts women equality, no woman to date has become the president. And this is the reality; women have never found themselves in a better position than men in the social hierarchy.
The whole concept of women rights saw a rigid structure in the mid nineteenth century in the US. The US women were pioneers in introducing to the world that women too have the same distinction that men have and they should, therefore, have equal rights. They have been a role models to women across the world as they were able to show that they could as well fight for their rights. Having first granted the right to vote in the late nineteenth century till today’s date, US women have grown significantly socially. Today, they boast equal participation in almost every field, have out past men in many areas of achievements and shown the world that women are more than mothers and wives… they are the foundation and pillars of the societies. The rights that US women enjoy can in no way be compared to any of the things the women in the eastern society get. However, there are still many areas where gender biasness is felt even in the US societies.
Women work harder than men in the US, handle both household works and career jobs and yet get paid lower than men in many places. “Household-labor time and market-labor time are organized in part through the social structure of unequal gender relations. Generally, women do more household work than men, women's market work is undervalued, and the greatest rewards for market work accrue to men.” [3] It can be said that the career model of employment is biased in favor of men who have fewer household responsibilities. And this is just one of the many examples where women enjoy fewer privileges than the men.
The situation is far worst in the other two countries. Women are always considered child producing machines in Nepalese and Ethiopian societies. Even though the societies have progressed, the moral concept regarding male power is still the same. If women raise voices for their rights; the society is very likely to label them and are often referred to as blind copy cats of western feminists [4]. It is said that it does not suit a woman to take decision or fight against anything. But if a man does the same thing everyone is going to appreciate that for sure. This is not only the case in Nepal and Ethiopia, but most of the countries in the world. In many traditional societies of Nepal, feasts are held when a son is born and when a daughter is born, only moments of silence can be felt. This can easily clarify how bad the situation is. Women are always considered someone else’s property in both the societies.
Nepal and Ethiopia both have always been male dominated societies. Every single man in the society enjoys maximum power at home, at government office… as a political leader or as a medical professional. Very few women are found to be leading models. The society is totally dominated by males and women are simply believed to me machines used for house hold purposes. The society too is shaped in such a way in these countries that women are never given the chance to think that they exist… let alone the concept of equal rights. Societies in these nations have the concept that every man should provide for his wife and wife should take care of the house. This clearly provokes male dependence amongst women and gives man the power. Women in these countries never get the chance to think of they can do something better with their lives.
Women in the US are knowledgeable enough to know that equality is important. However, there are many instances where women feel that they are being let down by their own circle. “I see my body as an instrument, rather than an ornament.” [5]. This is what was said by one of the intellectual women in the US. The society is shaped in such a way that women are never given an opportunity to explore themselves and if this is what is happening in the US, one can easily imagine how women in countries like women and Ethiopia live. Even though, more women are getting education in these countries compared to that in the past; a lot is still to be done to make the condition of women better in these countries.
Many organizations including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and many international organizations have worked in the grass root level of the under- developed regions of Ethiopia and Nepal to uplift women in these regions. Women are getting financial assistance to do productive businesses and agriculture and are being trained so that they can live independently. However, none of these majors seem to be effective in uplifting women. The only way women can climb the ladder of success and make their way up in the social hierarchy is through change… change in the morale of the society that treats women differently than men. Only then, women in the east would be able to enjoy the freedom US women have achieved.
Even though there is a huge gap between how society views women and how women view themselves in all the 3 nations, all the member of each society can work effectively to uplift the situation of women. Most of the women in the east would only dream about the lives the women in the west live, the freedom they enjoy and the equality they are blessed with. But the situation can be changed and more and more women in the east can know their true values and enjoy equal rights!
Citations
[1] "Alarming Female - Where’s Shirley Chisholm When We Need Her?" Alarming Female - Not Keeping My Opinions to Myself. Web. 14 Dec. 2011. <http://www.alarmingfemale.com/2007/03/01/wheres-shirley-chisholm-when-we-need-her/>.
[2] "The Elements of Culture | Flat World Knowledge." Welcome | Flat World Knowledge. Web. 14 Dec. 2011. <http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/pub/1.0/sociology-understanding-and-ch/251013>.
[3] Negrey, Cynthia. "Working Time as Gendered Time." IDEAS: Economics and Finance Research. Web. 14 Dec. 2011. <http://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/femeco/v6y2000i1p59-76.html>.
[4] Arndt, Susan, and Isabel Cole. Dynamics of African Feminism: Defining and Classifying African-feminist Literatures. Trenton: Africa World, 2002. Print
[5] "Alanis Morissette- Reader's Digest." Web. 14 Dec. 2011. http://thinkexist.com/quotation/.
The final paper can also be found here
