Mary Wollstonecraft and Gender Inequality in Our Modern World Essay

Ridgeway states that â€Å"In the United States as in many other societies, gender relationships are changing and inequalities between men and women are questioned in virtually every sphere – at work, in the home, and in public affairs.† In Mary Wollstonecraft’s â€Å"A Vindication of the Rights of Women,† she argues different issues about women’s role in society, and she called for equality between men and women. However, even now women still demand equal rights with men because gender inequality still exists throughout different countries in the world. Since â€Å"A Vindication of the Rights of Women,† many issues have changed for women in society in various fields such as education, employment, and politics, but some specific problems exist now. In the modern world, there are many gaps between men and women in different positions. Wollstonecraft’s piece still applies to women in the modern world because of social, economic, and political inequality. Wollstonecraft argues that women’s societies are neglected when she wrote hundreds of years ago. This is still true in the present day because in most societies men and women are allocated diverse duties, rights, and privileges. Women and men have different roles in society. Gender inequality is characterized by the social process individuals deal with. According to Wollstonecraft, â€Å"There must be more equality established in society or morality will never gain ground, and this virtuous equality will not rest firmly even when founded on a rock† (198). This means that society plays an important role in determining the position role of the women, and that role depends on religion, traditions, and customs. They are attached to values joined to human well-being and prosperity. Research shows that â€Å"Sex categorization unconsciously primes gender stereotypes. This allows the stereotypes to become cognitively available to affect our behavior and judgments† (Fisk ). Regardless, how much they truly do shape our conduct can vary from inconsequential to huge depending on the particular situation and our own specific goals and interests. For example, in general, men are accepted by society to be particularly more skilled than women in male work -settings such as engineering, sports, and positions of expertise, while women are advantaged in female- work settings such as childcare and communication. In other words, Wollstonecraft acknowledges society expects a different thing from men and women. Also, Wollstonecraft writes about the role of women in the economy is not as clear and concrete as it is for men. Wollstonecraft mentions that â€Å"Business of various kinds they might likewise pursue if they were educated in a more orderly manner, which might save many from common and legal prostitution† (205). In other words, people don’t know what women can accomplish because they have never been allowed to fully participate in the economy because of gender-defined jobs. In most of the world, women spend more hours working than men. In addition, they spend a lot of energy doing housework which is unpaid and along these lines not considered when economists analysts measure the amount of work done by men and women. Indeed, even women who have full-time occupations do the majority of housework in the household. In most countries, women possess an exceptionally small percentage of the basic leadership positions in the upper economic range. Although women work more hours than men, the wage gap between the genders remains generally static between women and men working full time according to the study in the article, â€Å"Women still make only about 80% of what men earn for full-time work† (Ridgeway). Also, corporations should assist in treating both women and men similarly because when women choose to have kids and stay home for maternity leaves they don’t make it up the chain of leadership. However, companies should significantly assist in executing approaches that incorporate women again into the workforce in senior positions after having children including more flexible advancement processes and activities as strategic scheduling. Furthermore, Wollstonecraft discusses that women’s politics has been intangible for many years and still exists in the modern world. According to the article, â€Å"Women are less likely to hold managerial or supervisory positions, and when they do, their positions carry less authority† (Ridgeway). Men have had the monopoly on political power for a long time which indicates gender inequality and led to its continuation. Even in democratic societies, gender segregation happens in governmental issues both concerning assumptions about political devotions that fall along gender lines, and dissimilar gender representation inside delegate vote based systems. Truly, this is considered obvious when women couldn’t even vote. Wollstonecraft writes that â€Å"They might also study political, and settle their benevolence on broadest basis, for the reading of history will scarcely be more useful than the perusal of romances† (205). The participation of women in politic al life is one of the most important elements of the democratic process in a country. Therefore, the weakness of democratic mechanisms and forces in society contributes to the marginalization of women’s political participation. Public and private communities should strengthen their capacities to contribute to the development of their female population. It should be noted that traditional societies are more likely to recognize women’s political rights. This is important because women with access to political power might have an opportunity to change her situation thus disrupting the narrative that men are the traditionally powerful ones in society. Obviously, when Wollstonecraft wrote the â€Å"Vindication of the Rights of Women,† she opened the doors for women’s rights. Wollstonecraft piece is still applicable to women in the modern world because of social, economic, and political systems. Although women have equal rights in some fields, some issues of equality regarding society’s rights and duties are still with us today because it depends on society how people think about and respects women. Works Cited Fisk, Susan, â€Å"How Does Gender Inequality Persist?.† Gender.stanford.edu, Monday,2 May. 2011, http://gender.stanford.edu/news/2011/how-does-gender-inequality-persist. Ridgeway, Cecilia. L, â€Å"HOW GENDER INEQUALITY PERSISTS IN THE MODERN WORLD.† Scholarsstrategynetwork.org, June. 2013, http://www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/brief/how-gender-inequality-persists-modern-world. Jacobus, Lee, editor. A World of Ideas. Bedford /St. Martin’s, 2017. Mary, Wollstonecraft. â€Å"Of the Pernicious Effects Which Arise from the Unnatural Distinctions Established in Society†. Bedford /St. Martin’s, 2017, pp. 198-205. NSCC Grading Rubric for Composition I and II Note: All essays are marked for errors and include comments. This rubric shows the breakdown of your score. Any essay that does not meet the requirements of the assignment may not be graded and may receive a zero. Any essay that contains an abundance of major grammatical errors or numerous repetitive errors that negatively affect the meaning and readability may lose extra points. A. Content Topic Fits assignment, narrowed appropriately, focused, original, shows independent thought, creative Thesis Statement Clear, strong, focused, logical, and insightful Rhetorical Technique Adheres to assigned rhetorical technique or blends rhetorical techniques effectively to enhance the strength of content Support Evidence, details, examples, and explanations are sufficient, thorough, accurate, logical, well-developed, and effectively support claims, ideas, and the topic Critical Thinking Appropriate level of analysis, evaluation, inference, or deduction of issues related to the topic Comments Possible Score Your Score 25 B. Organization Thesis Placement Thesis statement is logically placed for the specific essay Introduction Catches reader’s attention, accurately introduces scope of paper, interesting Conclusion Leaves reader with a sense of completion reemphasizes point and/or motivates reader, the appropriate ending for essay Paragraphs Each paragraph is well developed and relates to the thesis has a strong topic sentence and presents solid supporting information Sequencing Careful development of related ideas in coherent, sequential paragraphs with smooth and logical transitions that create a smooth flow of the essay Comments Possible Score Your Score 25 C. Editing Grammar Essay is free from major errors, such as fragments, comma splices, run-ons, and agreement errors, and minor errors, such as punctuation and capitalization Style Tone is mature, consistent, and suitable, a voice is appropriate for academic writing, and awareness of audience is evident Language Sentences are forceful, clear, and logical, a variety of sentence structures are present, and diction is precise and expressive using college-level vocabulary Presentation Correct MLA style formatting, including MLA style heading, double-spacing, correct margins, and font style and size, with a strong title and indented paragraphs Comments Possible Score Your Score 25 D. Documentation Sources Appropriate amount of research is used from credible and quality sources instead of sources such as encyclopedias, SparkNotes, eNotes, BookRags, Wikipedia, answers.com, or the like; sources support rather than overwhelm the writer’s ideas Borrowed Information Quotations use quotation marks or are put in block format if needed and are written exactly as the author intended, paraphrases and summaries are written well and do not change the meaning of the original, information is integrated smoothly into text and thoroughly discussed, and quantity and quality of information is appropriate In-text Citations Formatted correctly with a signal phrase and a citation that matches the first element of the works cited the entry Works Cited Page Starts a new page, entries are double-spaced and indented correctly, information is incorrect order and complete, and no extra sources are listed that are not cited in the essay Comments Possible Score Your Score 25 Total Score Possible Score Your Score 100