Political socialization and how women define politics and power Essay

There are various types of political socialization, and these have various effects on political participation. The traditional sex role socialization involves the integration of traditional roles performed by men and women into the political scene. This form of socialization has the effect of exclusion of women in political participation and dominance of politics by men. This effect has been in existence for a long time; like for instance, until 1975, exclusion of women from jury duty could be granted on ground of interference with domestic chores. According to Lawless and Fox (8-11), another type of political socialization involves the masculinized ethos, and this is the type of political socialization which relies on political institutions during campaigns. Since most of the institutions are dominated by men, then an ethos of masculinity is developed. This form of socialization is reinforced by the lack of legislature which advocates for inclusion of female participation in policy agendas. This form of socialization also serves to alienate women from positions of power and political participation. The gendered psyche is a form of socialization which ensures male domination of the political activities through infusing a culture which relegates women to the periphery in political participation. Women are made to feel valued, protected and secure, which makes it be viewed as normal for men to engage in politics but not reasonable for women to engage in it. This is a situation which is seen in the corporate scene. A large number of women normally downplay achievements in business, which makes them qualify for much lower salaries compared to men with similar or even lesser achievements. This form of socialization encourages political participation by men and discourages political participation by women. However, despite all these challenges, some women such as Latina women still manage to play very important roles in politics (Cohen & Jones 224-230). Part B How women define politics. Latina women in Boston Massachusetts play important roles in the political scene. They are involved in protest marches, community events, voter registration, election campaigns, workshops, community forums and social and political change. They play very crucial roles in the development of society and most of the women who were surveyed wanted to get involved in politics (Cohen & Jones 223-231). These women experience certain stages of development which encourage them to join politics. These stages involve the questioning of conditions where they live and searching for solutions from other people and themselves. However, some women recognize the need for change and grab the opportunity to do what they believe in. Socialism, independence and statehood are the main motivators in joining politics for some women. Other women are motivated by problems which they experienced such as poor housing, school dropout and AIDS in the community. There are also other women who believe that socialization in the family is a major determinant of joining politics. There are different perspectives of politics according to the Latina women, with some viewing it as involving giving support, and helping others in fulfilling their obligation. This is an aspect of politics which is derived from the family social setting. It can be traced to the fact that most Latinas from political supportive families, view sharing as the goal of working with other people. The Latina family traditions advocate for helping, giving or sharing and forms the basis of political activities. Women who are socialized according to this perspective aim at empowering the people in the community and sharing the resources which are available. Another perspective of politics according to the Latina women is escape from oppression. Since many Latina women have faced oppression at one point in their lives, either from the system, their husbands or fathers, they identify with this cause and believe that politics is a solution from oppression. These above perspectives capture how most Latina women define politics. Part C How women define power. According to Lawless and Fox (1-5), most women do not have the confidence to seek positions of power despite having excellent credentials and qualifications. A survey was performed and targeted four qualified career people who had high credentials, in a bid to find out their chances for running for a position of power. These people were Cheryl, Tricia, Randall and Kevin. Cheryl is an accomplished lawyer with excellent credentials while Tricia is a professor in Sociology in a large University. Randall is also a college professor while Kevin is a partner in a law firm. The survey revealed that unlike men who are ready to grab the positions of power, women did not even consider running for the same positions. Cheryl and Tricia would not consider running for a position of power, while Randall and Kevin said they would grab the opportunity immediately. This is a situation which is replicated in the political scene. Women are not ready to run for public office irrespective of the fact that they are highly qualified. Since there are no obvious obstacles in campaigning for office for the female gender, it is clear that the lack of interest in running for power plays a major role in the dominance of political scene by men. However, there are people who are of the opinion that when men run for office, the vacant seats which emerge are occupied by women, and this ensures that they still have power. This may be true, but the fact is that women are not interested in running for political and power positions. According to (Cruz 424), if women do not adopt a strategy of helping one another, they will not succeed in politics. Further research should be carried out on the topic to unmask the reasons behind this lack of interest. Works Cited. Cohen Cathy & Jones Kathy. (1997). Women transforming politics: An alternative reader. New York: New York University Press, p220-240. Cruz, Takash P. 1993. Breaking Barriers to Representation: Chicana/Latina Elected Officials in California. Journal of Urban Anthropology, p 420-430. Lawless, J. L. & Fox, R. L. (2005). It takes a candidate: Why women don’t run for office. New York: Cambridge Press, p1-13.

The Yellow Wall Paper essays

The Yellow Wall Paper essays The Yellow-Wallpaper as a Social Criticism Traditionally, men have held the power in society. Women have been treated as a second class of citizens with neither the legal rights nor the respect of their male counterparts. Culture has contributed to these gender roles by conditioning to these gender roles by conditioning women to accept their subordinate status while encouraging young men to lead and control. Feminist criticism contends that literature either supports societys patriarchal structure or provides social criticism in order to change this hierarchy. The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, depicts one womens struggle against the traditional female role into which society attempts to force her and the societal reaction to this act. From the beginning of this work, the woman is shown to have gone mad. We are given no insight into the past, and we do not know why she has been driven to the brink of insanity. The beautiful...English place that the woman sees in her m inds eye is the way men have traditionally wanted women to see their role in society. As the woman says, It is quite alone standing well back from the road...It makes me think of English places...for there are hedges and walls and gates that lock, and lots of separate little houses for the gardeners and people. There is a delicious garden! I never saw such a garden-large and shady, full of box-bordered paths, and lined with long grape-covered arbors with seats under them. This lovely English countryside picture that this woman paints to the reader is a shallow view at the real likeness of her prison. The reality of things is that this lovely place is her small living space, and in it she is to function as every other good housewife should. The description of her cell, versus the reality of it, is a very good example of the restriction women had in those days. They were free to see things as they wanted, but th...

Life in Black and White essays

Life in Black and White essays Life in Black and White, is a great book about the Southern society in the antebellum period focussing on the daily life in Loundoun County, Virginia, tracing the lives of all classes and cultures. For years, many historians have argued that most slave families in the American antebellum south were, despite many and certain circumstances upon them, traditional nuclear families. The author, Brenda E. Stevenson, challenged numerous reviews and ideas of the nature of slave families relations and ways of life. She examines the whole Southern society through the families of all races. In this process the book offers an unprecedented look at the daily lives of different communities such as the slaves, planters, free blacks, and yeoman farmers. Most importantly she gives us the opportunity to see the social and cultural forces which bond them together, even while driving them apart. Stevenson provides a perfect portrait of family and community life in the American South bringing in stories and quotes of planters, slaves, free blacks, and poor whites, in the mid-18th century to the Civil War. These stories give strong evidence on the hardships of life for both blacks and whites. For instance, in chapter 6, The Nature of Loudoun Slavery, owners would sell certain slaves for financial reasons, masters most readily sold slaves as punishment or a mean of control. An ex-slave explains what some masters would say to discipline or threaten to sell them down South. He come....down to the quarters. Pick out de famly dat got de most chillun an say, Fo God, nigger, Im goin to sell all dem chillun o yourn lessen you keep quiet. Dat threat was a worsen prospects of alickin. Evybody sho keep quiet arter dat ( Stevenson, 179). Slave life was emphasized of labor and discipline. The workload was merle physical punishment in itself, but all slaves were alwa ...

Neologisms in Films and Televison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Neologisms in Films and Televison - Essay Example Formerly the language of high culture, the French language has been unjustifiably and violently reduced to meaningless neologisms. In support of their rather emotive arguments, purists cite passages from a current bestseller among French teenagers. Written entirely in neologisms, the book is replete with sentences such as this one: "6 j t'aspRge d'O 2 kologne histoar 2 partaG le odeurs ke tu me fe subir?" (what if I were to spray you with cologne so I can make you suffer with the smells you make me suffer from). If this is what language has been reduced to, the purists contend, spoken and write language are in crisis. Neologists have largely dismissed the purists’ critique as the â€Å"hyper-ravings of ultra-conservatives.† Were it up to the purists, they claim, populations would be speaking in Biblical tongues and language’s failure to evolve, expressive of its unremitting stance against the very phenomenon of evolution, would have functioned as an obstacle towards scientific and technological progress. The development of language, often spurred by the neological imaginations, or â€Å"hallucinations† as purists would prefer to call it, has long functioned as the primary motivator of technological development and scientific invention. Neologists’ capacity to imagine and name concepts and phenomenon before their actual materialisation has immeasurably contributed to technological evolution. In defence of their seemingly unwarranted claim to contribution to scientific development and technological progress, neologists have presenting rather persuasive evidence. William Gibson, the author of Neuromancer, a science fiction novel written almost entirely in neologism, is a case in point. Gibson's envisioning of cyberspace and virtual reality, his invention of a myriad of concepts to describe them, preceded the popularisation of the internet and the invention of much of that which has accompanied it. While it is difficult to make a case for Gibson's having inspired the development of the internet, there is no doubt that he gave us the language of virtual reality and cyberspace before either were definitive components of civilisation and human life.6 As Fischer recalls, the publication of Neuomancer sent shock waves through the purist ranks. In unison, they accused its publishers of having betrayed the sanctity of language, of being party to Gibson's obvious disrespect for, an d ignorance of, the English language. The coinage of a few terms, only when needed and as long as their semantic roots were accurate, was acceptable but the invention of a virtual dictionary for phenomenon which did not exist, for lifestyles that bore nothing in common with that which was known, and for realities which were non-real, was untenable.7 Interestingly, those very neologisms which Gibson invented two decades ago and was stringently attacked for daring to do so, have been included in English language dictionaries by the purists themselves and are popularly regarded as legitimate English words. These neologisms, cyberspace, cyberpunk, hacking and wired, to name but a few of those contained in Neuromancer, have not only established their legitimate presence in the English language but have been translated into, and embraced by, countless other languages.8 Neologisms, irrespective of the purist perspective, are an evidential reality of any language. Neologisms do

Health and Wellness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Health and Wellness - Essay Example â€Å"The total cost of osteoporosis in the United States alone is estimated to be over $14 billion per year† (Christodoulou & Cooper 133), and is expected to increase with the growing proportion of elderly people. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to identify the symptoms of Osteoporosis, examine how the disease develops, review the latest research on the topic, investigate the costs to community, and express one’s beliefs on the subject. Bone mass is the chief determinant of bone strength. Loss of bone occurs silently and progressively, often without symptoms until the first fracture occurs (IOF, 2006). When bones have been weakened by osteoporosis, the symptoms of the disease present as â€Å"back pain which can be severe† (Manila Bulletin, 2009) in the case of a fractured or collapsed vertebra, gradual loss of height with increasingly stooped posture, and fractures of the vertebrae, wrists, hips, or other bones. In the case of women, bone loss in the spine begins shortly before menopause, and as early as the mid-30s in the femoral neck (Christodoulou & Cooper 133). The years following menopause bring about radical depletion in bone mineral density as a result of decreased estrogen levels (Lineback 43). In both men and women, bone density and strength depend greatly on the extent of mineral content, such as calcium and phosphorus (Manila Bulletin, 2009). The size and density of bone are mainly dependent on genetic factors, but lifestyle factors also play a significant part. Recommendations from latest research for building and maintaining bone matrix and reducing the risk of osteoporosis are as follows: 1. Nutritious Diet: A balanced nutritious diet which includes not only sufficient calcium and vitamin D, but also adequate protein as well as vitamins and minerals (Feinstein, 1996). A healthy body weight is essential, since being underweight with a body mass index less than 18.5 kg/ m2 is a strong risk factor for osteoporosis

Criminal Evidence Law - Evidential and Legal Burden Essay

Criminal Evidence Law - Evidential and Legal Burden - Essay Example In this case, the prosecution has a duty to link the facts surrounding the two parties’ visit to the deceased’s house and to his eventual murder. The facts should prove on the balance of probabilities that actions of the accused may have caused the death. A fact-finder working with the prosecution would be tasked to collect the facts and link them to the crime. A jury would then have the final say on whether or not the murder case should proceed. The evidential burden in this case, which the jury will be tasked to determine is as follows: a) the accused visited Denzil’s house over an unsettled debt; b) William allegedly remained outside, possibly to scare people away within his imitation of a gun while Altin went in; c) Altin immediately attacked the victim; d) the victim died of the injuries sustained in the attack. In this case, there is no gap in the facts, which could have been prompted by a fall, for instance, on his way to the hospital1. Apart from the evidential burden, Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), providing for the right to the fair trial requires the prosecution to prove beyond the balance of probabilities that the actions of the two parties accused of Denzil’s murder have a legal basis. In this case, the prosecutor must prove that the alleged actions of Altin had a substantial cause on the Denzil’s death, but does not necessarily need to be the only or largely the cause of the death. This implies the two could be charged with the murder of Denzil if the prosecution established that his injury by the accused substantially contributed to his death whether or not he had underlying health conditions. A judge would be tasked to determine whether the legal burden can sustain trial. Altin would find it hard to prove that he was acting in self-defence because he intentionally went to Denzil’s place. In addition, the immediacy of the attack lends credence to a pre-planned murder whose time had come.  

Should Disabled Veterans Get Preferential Treatment over Better Essay Example for Free

Should Disabled Veterans Get Preferential Treatment over Better Essay Affirmative Action efforts were started in 1964 to end the long history of overlooking qualified people of color and women from higher education. Affirmative Action sets standards for a business or office of admissions, so that a white man does not have the upper hand over an equally or greater educated minority’s, female or disabled veteran. The initial way the government tried to justify Affirmative Action was to develop a human resource approach: first identifying the problem, which is racism, sexism and handicapped stereo typing then establishing the solution. The intent of the Disabled Veterans Affirmative Action Program (DVAAP) is to help cut down on discrimination in the work place, despite the fact that some believe that (DVAAP) is a form of reverse discrimination. In contrast, the first goal of (DVAAP) was to help disabled veterans across the nation receive the entitlements they deserve when they apply for employment in the Federal Government. I believe that Charles J.  Muhl was trying to say that the Affirmative Action techniques have the advantage of not only persuading employers not to discriminate when hiring or accepting, but to expand employment and educational opportunities for groups that might be just as deserving but less fortunate. Therefore the (DVAAP) is legitimate because it does reduce discrimination in the work place and related areas such as various jobs on Government Installations and Federal Offices. In the end, it should in no way be abolished. A California Superior Court had upheld the states use of 3 affirmative action programs but struck down 2 of them owned by minorities, woman and disabled veterans. The program that the Superior Court upheld was intended to remedy discrimination and according to proposition 209 there was no discrimination towards minorities or disabled veterans. Those two programs mentioned nothing about minorities or disadvantaged veterans only disadvantaged businesses. I feel that the Superior Court rejected the states laws because it seemed like they felt it was reverse discrimination and unconstitutional. Affirmative action is becoming highly controversial. Right now Proposition 209, in California, which bans all programs involving race and sex preferences run by the state, has passed but it will not be put into total action due to some questions of constitutionality. But one must ask themselves â€Å"Is the DVAAP a new form of Affirmative Action? † The DVAAP has employed about 93,000 disabled veterans during 2005. Without programs like this, there would have been about 93,000 unemployed veterans’ just collecting disability and unemployment, resulting in more tax money being spent on disabled veterans. With this system they are able to make a valued contribution to society and not become a financial burden on the rest of the economy. Mark Rosenbaum of the Southern California Branch of the American Civil Liberties Union declared an argument. Proposition 209 should be declared unconstitutional because it singles out women and minorities at a time when discrimination still exists, Now let just think for a minute, How many of these Disabled Veterans are women or minorities? Also take into consideration if you add some sort of combat wound to that Veteran, what would you have without the help of the (DVAAP)? I will tell you. People would look at those brave Veterans that put there lives on the line and call them a â€Å"BUM† These people are not bums, they are fallen heroes that need help. Discrimination does still exist in our not so perfect world, and so far various forms of Affirmative Action is our only solution; so why is California trying so hard to put an end to it? Abolishing Affirmative Action is not the answer. President Clinton spoke out in his speech for National Archives: Let me be clear: Affirmative Action has been good for the United States we should have a simple slogan: Mend it, but dont bend it. The problem with the Affirmative Action debate could be that those arguing for it do a poor job defending their position. Due to the fact that Affirmative Action has been in place for more than a generation, critics have lost sight of how the job market and higher education looks without Affirmative Actions stabilizing effects. They could possibly make a stronger stance if they pointed out that there are thousands of injured veterans (woman and minorities) in the current ongoing war trying to readjust back to civilian life. They are also highly qualified for many forms of employment. (Section 4214(a)(1) of the title 38, United States Code) Many critics that were not hired for jobs that they felt that they deserved seem to think that Affirmative Action is a cleverly disguised form of racism and ineffective, but taking a look at what happens when there is no Affirmative Action, such as in court case’s around the United States reverse discrimination suit. Some courts are ruling to ban the race card, gender card and disabled veterans card when applying for government jobs. I would like to point out The whole reason that there are handicapped preferences is that the handicapped do not meet the standards applied to others, if they were require that they meet the standards then they would not have gotten in. I have a handy capped person that works with me and when I asked him how did he get his job, he told me I clearly got in through an Affirmative Action program, and I dont apologize for it Im proud of it. † It got me in, but it didnt get me out, didnt take the bar exam for me, didnt pass the two hundred and eighty five or so pieces of legislation Ive authored. He is a perfect example of Affirmative Action, a handicapped minority getting the chance to prove himself. Affirmative Action did not get him where he is today it just simply got his foot in the door. Affirmative Action gave him a chance he would not have gotten if Affirmative Action did not exist. Although sad, but true we do not live in a perfect, color-blind country. I believe It is simply wrong to play politics with the issue of Affirmative Action and divide our country at a time when, if we really want to change things, we have to be united. I have had experience with Affirmative Action, nearly twenty years of it now, and I know it works. In conclusion, Affirmative Action, just as it started, is trying to create unity within the real world, which is not perfect and there is lots of handicapped stereo typing. So why are we still asking the question of why we are using various forms of Affirmative Action? Proven that it abolishing Affirmative Action would be a negative effect to the work place, why should we go back to the days of handicapped stereo typing, why not move forward still some until we can create unity. We should seek not just equality as a right and a theory, but equality as a result. Maybe the world hasnt exactly found equality as a result, but with the Disabled Veterans Affirmative Action Program, the world is a lot closer to equality than without it.