The Impacts Of Globalization On Women

Critics of globalization, particularly nationalists, often perceive globalization as an extension of western cultural imperialism. They fear that this western domination will promote western cultures; imposing their goods, customs and language at the expense of other cultures. As a consequence, these non-western countries will lose their linguistic and cultural diversity and turn into western colonies. The questions that spring to mind from this are: Is globalization a destructive force as nationalists claim? And does it really cause a deathblow to local cultures? Two scholars challenge this perspective, claiming that those criticisms are unacceptable as it involves confusion between two separate trends, globalization and westernization. The

According to Giddens (1999), the world has been biased towards men since the early ages. However, globalization has handed the mic over to women, who are now in active pursuit of greater equality. This achievement, spurred on by globalization, has allowed women to become active participants in this modern era of globalization. For example, women being given the right to participate in global events and take a lead role after being suppressed by sexist governments for many years. Here in Qatar I can see how Giddens’ view is applicable as women were given leadership roles in education. For instance, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Misned who played a leading role in education and social developments in Qatar as a chairperson of the Qatar foundation that brought top American universities to the country. However, his view does not apply when it comes to nation states. Giddens asserts that nation-states are still powerful however they can’t be as effective as they once were. Their role has simply changed according to the contemporary demands. Vargas Llosa and Giddens perceive the weakening of nation-states in a positive light. Since nation-states attempt to restrict the slow infiltration of globalized tendencies by imposing so called national identity. Vargas Llosa (2001) disputes their approach when he writes, “Seeking to impose a

Both scholars agree that the weakening of nation-states, as mentioned earlier is for a better cause. Beyond boosting individual liberty, they reveal yet another advantage which is the revival of local cultures. Both Giddens and Vargas Llosa emphasize that the world is more culturally diverse than ever before. Llosa (2001) “thanks to the weakening of nation-states, we are seeing forgotten marginalized, and silenced local cultures remerging”(p.1). Vargas Llosa celebrates the fact that the nation-state era is over as the door is now open for cultures that had been suppressed by governments to prosper and develop freely. Giddens (1999) adds to that, “It creates new economic and cultural zone within and across nation” (p.5). In other words, he believes this doesn’t occur only in a regional base, but new cultures could remerge within the same nation. Vargas Llosa (2001) supplements this claim by providing a specific example on a country that is known for its rich cultural diversity. He illustrates how some Spanish cultures like Catalonia, Galicia and the Basque country flourished and developed freely after being suppressed by the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. Spain is a good illustration of a country that accepts the abundance of cultures, which is a sign of the democracy and openness achieved in the