Wilson Xie
087779B12
T7
Women-The New Men
The role of women has been one of domesticated figures until recent years. With globalisation, the feministic movement has been gaining audiences far and beyond, reaching. Women are no longer satisfied with the stereotypical image of a diligent housewife, waiting on both husband and children, preparing meals and setting the household spick and span. The rise of the “career women” has had major impacts on socio-political dynamics in our societies.
In the past, the sole-bread winner of the household was undisputedly the masculine figure. Yet the rise of the career women has caused much tension between the man and wife. While it was a norm for men in the past to bring home the bread and butter, the women were likewise responsible for household affairs. However, modern career women are less likely to solely concentrate on domestic affairs, let alone resign from their career to stay home twenty-four seven. This uneven separation of responsibilities, have caused the women to take up the burden of both domestic affairs and career responsibilities. The man on the other hand, has to shoulder some familial obligations which they find are a distraction and nuisance to their work-life. The reconciliation of a duo identity for both men and women has yet to be fulfilled. Both man and wife live a life of heavy burdens, and both reject their role of duo-identity.
The rise of matriarchal power has caused many men to quiver in their pants. While men traditionally brought home the big money, many women are now playing catch-up. The number of high income earning women has since the 1990’s increased by a greater marginal difference as compared to males. This is no doubt due to better education opportunities for women and a less phallocentric society. Men now have difficulty finding potential spouses as the wage difference come into play, whereas in the past, such a problem was non-existence as women did not earn an income.
Furthermore, globalization has enabled the use of advanced technology to proliferate and many industrializing countries. In China and India for example, assembly lines for automobiles are highly mechanized. While man were needed to haul heavy components of the vehicles to and fro the factories, the delicate push of a button to kick-start the conveyor belt into action is all it takes now. Common sense tells us that this does not need strong arms and backs, the nimble finger of a woman will suffice.
The roles are women can never be reversed. Since Jane Austen penned her famed Victorian novels on the plight of women, they have never ceased to try to achieve status quo with man. Women cannot unlearn what they have acquired over the last 200 hundred years or so. Thus the modern women and men must now try to accommodate each others new role in the social, political and economic aspect.
