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More handpicked essays just for you.
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In her pilgrimage to fight for women’s rights, activist Margaret Sanger created a speech on a severely controversial topic not only during her time period, but during our present time period as well. While many firmly disagreed with her and still do, she did bring to light a major disparity between sexes and social classes. By vocalizing her qualms with the rights of women, mainly in the middle and lower classes, to decide for themselves if they wish to have children or not. By voicing her opinions in an extremely misogynistic era she made herself a totem in women’s history. Women do have a right to decide for themselves if they wish to have children or not.
Chrystal Meeker When becoming a mother, the first instinct is to protect and raise a healthy child at whatever cost. Habits are drop as well as large life changes. The last bite is given as well as altering one’s life style to insure the child has no needs. This could mean getting rid of negative, toxic people who could pose as a threat or even a sleeping pattern may need to be altered. However, the child comes first and the mothers wants are secondary.
Leta S. Hollingworth was an American psychologist who focused most of her research on giftedness, educational psychology, psychology of women, and the variability hypothesis. She conducted numerous studies to reject the variability hypothesis that deemed women for destined for mediocrity and did her dissertation on how women were not mentally incapacitated during menstruation (Held, 2010). Hollingworth wrote six articles on the social factors that contributed to the social status of women. (1) One being “Social Devices for Impelling Women to Bear and Rear Children,” this article focused on the eight social constructs that motivated and pressured women to have and raise children. Of the eight, seven were first proposed by E. A. Ross in his book
Such considerations fundamentally shape human life and family relationships. A women needs to be aware of the various psychological and social factors that contribute to the decision such as “that human parents, both male and female, tend to care passionately about their offspring, and that family relationships are among the deepest and strongest in our lives—and, significantly, among the longest lasting.” These key intrinsic goods- in this case factors such as human life, parenthood, and family relationships- are ultimately worthwhile are not to be taken without due
Between 1825 and 1850, republican motherhood was a term used to illustrate the idea of women’s roles being defined. It encompassed the vision that women should be expected to take time out of their lives and teach their families, specifically children, civil virtues. Expected to have high moral standards and be pure, good civilians, women were put on a pedestal for all to see; meaning, they were intended to act as virtuous girls who had no problems. Women stayed in a sphere, the cult of domesticity, and were not allowed to move from their place and cause trouble. Simultaneously, slaves and African American people were developing their own sphere.
Sethe embraces the dominant values of idealised maternity. Sethe’s fantasy is
When a woman chooses to keep her baby, it may not be her decision; it may be her moral duty to the society influenced by her family’s pressure and religious belief. However, if she considers the broad social factors that will shape and influence her views, and that will allow her to make individual choices such as whether to keep her baby or not, she is applying what C. Wright Mills’ called the Social Imagination. James Henslin (2013) stated that C. Wright Mills’s sociological imagination gives us the ability “to understand how our personal troubles (the problems we experience) are connected to the broader conditions of our society” (p. 2). It allows us to question the “norms” and gives us the ability to see things from different perspectives
After the American revolution many citizens experienced the growth of political power. However, women were excluded from several of these powers. While women were granted some rights after the revolution, there were no significant changes made concerning the status of women. It was at this time that Republican Motherhood became a core idea in America. It suggested that women should receive an education in virtue in order to instruct their sons on how to become upstanding citizens of Americaś republic.
The concept of motherhood and the role of women have existed since the beginning of time and throughout various points it has differ. There is no limit to what can be considered motherhood. To one person, motherhood might mean the act of raising children and taking care of their family, and to another; motherhood might be what defines them as a person. This is seen in Tillie Olsen’s short story “I Stand Here Ironing” and the “Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. In both stories, the main characters were dealing with the struggles of motherhood and being a wife.
Proponents of a women’s right to choose when to child bear include Margaret Sanger. Margaret Sanger, better known for her involvement in organizations that evolved into what is now know as Planned Parenthood Federation of America, argues in, “Free Motherhood,” that accessibility to birth control and the decision in child bearing allows women to foster a better generation, that allows for the advancement of society. She elaborates on her claims and paints an image of what she envisions a world with access to birth control would be like by writing, “…or she my, by controlling birth, lift motherhood to the plane of a voluntary, intelligent function, and remake the world” (Doc 118) Sanger reasons that by allowing women to decide when to child bear, it automatically creates a pool of mothers who are more willing to raise quality children, rather than rear kids by the dozens who do not promote societal values.
This novel, The Awakening, is about a woman named Edna Pontellier learns to think of herself as an independent human being. Also, Edna Pontellier refuses to obey against the social norms by leaving her husband Leónce Pontellier and having an affair with Robert Lebrun. Kate Chopin describes societal expectations and the battle of fitting the mold of motherhood in the Awakening by how Edna Pontellier and Adele Ratignolle contribute to their family in different ways. Edna Pontellier’s attitude toward motherhood is that she is not a perfect mother-women. Adele Ratignolle’s attitude toward motherhood is that she is a perfect mother-women.
34-36). If a mother does not have enough time to take care of her children, then then it is possible for the child to be neglected and not get the care or love they need. Another reasons why a woman wouldn’t want an abortion is “'I can't afford a baby now (e.g, unmarried, student, can't afford childcare or basic needs) (73% in 2004 and 69% in 1987)” (Knapp, 2007, pg. 34-36).
Giving birth to a child is one of the jubilant privilege gifted to a woman. The feeling of having a life grow within you, is beyond any comparison. The decision to become pregnant can be monotonous or planned. But, the emotional aspect of nurturing a life within you and then with you, is the actual feeling of motherhood.
During the same era those in the working class raised their own children because they could not afford to send their children off, the raised their children because they had to. Jump to the 20th century motherhood was heavily encouraged as “the creation of Mother’s Day, started in 1926”. (The History of Motherhood) This era also brought about “new contraceptive methods and medicalization of pregnancy…” resulting in women wanting to be viewed as more than “a reproductive organ.” (The History of Motherhood)
First, we should define feminism. Basically, feminism is a philosophy that advocates equal rights for women and men. The more feminists seek to overthrow any sign of male dominance in our society, to the point where they disapprove the biblical roles of husbands and wives, defending abortion, and so on. Modern feminism is a forged solution to the real issue of the inequality of women. Feminism assumes to itself the right to demand respect and equality in every aspect of life.