“One is not born a woman but becomes one” – Simone de Beauvoir What do you understand by this statement, keeping the situations faced by women in past, in mind? Do you agree? Do you think that this ...
Improved access to education can help women to come out of the vicious cycle of poverty, gender discrimination. eg- according to IMF- India's GDP can grow by 27% if women participation is there in work force. Effect of Education Better employment opportunities - it will provide women financial integRead more
Improved access to education can help women to come out of the vicious cycle of poverty, gender discrimination. eg- according to IMF- India’s GDP can grow by 27% if women participation is there in work force.
Effect of Education
- Better employment opportunities – it will provide women financial integrity, as they will engage in market focused activities
- Education of women will led to women development and women led development.
- Women with higher education are less likely to marry at early age and higher education promotes less pregnancies leading to control of population.
- Education of women is an important tool of women empowerment.
- Education of women can help in increased representation of women in political sphere, and help in improvement of government poverty alleviation program.
- Educated women can also become an important contributor to technological capabilities, research and development in the nation.
- Education of women is one of the most effective investment for increasing human capital, productivity, better family health and nutrition leading to economic development
However education of women alone cannot transform an economy it must be coupled with better government policies, finances, nutrition, safety in order for her to come out of patriarchal vicious cycle and foster “Beti bachao, beti padhao, beti ko atmanirbhar banao”
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Simon De Beauvoir was a French philosopher and feminist. Beauvoir mentions this quote in her Magnum Opus book 'The 'Second Sex' published in 1949. The work discusses the myriad of women-centric issues, inspiring equality and liberation of women from the shackles of economic dependency. Beauvoir tracRead more
Simon De Beauvoir was a French philosopher and feminist. Beauvoir mentions this quote in her Magnum Opus book ‘The ‘Second Sex’ published in 1949. The work discusses the myriad of women-centric issues, inspiring equality and liberation of women from the shackles of economic dependency.
See lessBeauvoir traces the status of women from beginning till modern times through the methods of historical materialism and research. This refers to the influence of social and economic conditions on shaping the history and fortunes of women. The statement stands as the most historic argument for challenging the patriarchal code. By claiming “One is not born a woman; one becomes a woman, she argues that a woman is not born; she is gradually shaped by social and cultural factors. Her upbringing in certain parameters leads her to the process of ‘becoming’ a woman. Women acquire their roles from men and other members of society; biology has no role in this. Hence, womanhood is something that is attained by a woman rather than something innate.
Beauvior’s stance also contributes to gender studies in questioning the construction of gender identity. The main issue lies in the social and physiological conditioning of women, which psychologically forces her to subscribe to her assigned ‘role’ as a woman.
Physiological and social conditioning, both classical and operant, leads to changes in behavioural alterations in one’s identity. A woman is conditioned by her physiology, by virtue of her ability to bear children and by society. This is determined by conglomeration of external and internal agents, such as her father and teacher, in her milieu. She is also conditioned by societal expectations, rules, and treatment by institutions in both favorable and unfavorable ways. The expectations of society, regulations, and the favorable and negative treatment she receives from institutional or structural entities all condition her. This obligation leads to internalization of patriarchy by women further enhancing female subjugation. In present times, where women have united in raising their voice against all kinds of patriarchal-structural violences, it stands as a relevant argument to decipher the process of women’s identity formation, who are now dismantling the traditional norms and standards.