The presentation by this group is indeed insightful. Needless to say, there have been myriads of issues surrounding the well-being of women for a very long time. Attacks and counterattacks between women and men have been common for several centuries (Adams, 2000). Nonetheless, it is perhaps vital to approach the subject of women’s wellbeing in society with a lot of sobriety.
To begin with, it is critical to point out that women have been treated unfairly in various societies and cultures across the world. While this may be the case, I suppose the presenters of this piece of informative literature have not balanced the arguments in the paper. It is prudent to note that there have been a lot of dynamics in the way women are handled in the modern world. The case study of the American past revealed that women were not competitive in society since men were the center of focus in almost all spheres of life. In the Asian and African societies, the situation was even worse than the American scenario.
However, myriads of changes that have been witnessed in the socio-political and economic systems have tremendously face-lifted the status of women in these societies. Although gender balance has not been achieved fully even in America, we can sincerely be contented that the patriarchal nature of American society has gradually faded with time. Women are no longer meant to be mere helpmates for men. They are actively engaging themselves in socio-political and economic activities in the same way as men (Kolander, Ballard & Chandler, 2007).
When it comes to the issue of marriage, it is understood that the main role of women was to give birth to children. The key bond between married men and women was children. A woman was largely taken as a property of a man especially after the dowry had been paid to the woman’s parents. This is no longer the case in most civilizations although there are still cases of oppression in certain isolated cultures. Needles to say, it is meaningless to handle women ruthlessly just because of their gender. It is also fortunate that quite a several growing democracies are gradually adopting the option of affirmative action towards women so that they can equally be productive and competitive in society.
Another critical area of concern as noted by the group in the presentation is the overall health of women in society. From the given piece of writing, it is evident that women often face a lot of medical complications since their body systems are complex. The advances that have been made in medicine and healthcare practices are indeed instrumental to women in various ways. Although the group members in this presentation argue that women’s oppression in society has directly contributed to their poor health, it may not necessarily be the case (Leavitt, 1999).
As I have already mentioned, the complex woman’s anatomy attempts to explain why the female gender is highly likely to experience countless medical issues. Perhaps, socially unjust practices such as poverty, forced marriages, unwanted pregnancies, and physical abuse have contributed to the poor health of women in society. Nonetheless, it is worth appreciating that women face more health challenges than men and therefore they require additional focus in terms of healthcare provision.
References
Adams, M. (2000). Readings for diversity and social justice. New York: Routledge.
Kolander, C., Ballard, D. & Chandler, C. (2007). Contemporary Women’s Health: Issues for Today and the Future. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Incorporated.
Leavitt, W.J. (1999). Women and Health in America: Historical Readings. London: University of Wisconsin Press.