Women and Civil Society

 

          “A woman’s place is in the home” a sentence that highlights how some women are raised, especially in the Middle Eastern and North African countries. It emphasizes what is expected from them in their communities: mothers and caregivers. It is shameful that the modern world views women as having only a place in the kitchen and thus prevents them from fully developing their capacity and potential to become successful in their chosen field. Women have played a traditional role for so long, to the point, it became unexpected from them to do other things besides being housewives, and to step into jobs traditionally held by men.

 

       Feminist Illustration by Octavia Bromell

            As a result of the oppression that women have dealt with, the new generations were not satisfied by the way its females were treated, therefore, they have established groups and organizations, where they empower each other, gain knowledge and learn skills that will help them be effective members of their societies; which led to creating a new role of women. Giving examples of the women participation during the time of Wars, the expected role of them was to manage home and take care of children, but instead, women were encouraged to be a part of the war effort by joining voluntary organizations: “women from all classes served in many different capacities. Upper-class women were the primary founders and members of voluntary wartime organizations, particularly because they could afford to devote so much of their time and money to these efforts. Middle- and lower-class women also participated in these organizations and drives, although they were more likely to be serving as nurses with military or replacing men in their jobs on the home front as the men went off the war. For the first time in American history, women from every part of the class spectrum were serving in the war in some capacity” ¹, also “Eight million women volunteered as American Red Cross workers in a variety of capacities, from making surgical dressings, masks, and gowns, operating servicemen’s canteens to provide wholesome entertainment for soldiers and sailors volunteering as nurse’s aides in veteran’s hospitals, and providing recreational services to convalescing servicemen. The Red Cross also trained and provided nearly twenty-thousand nursed to the Army, Navy and US Health Service.” ² Furthermore, the movement of Feminism has a history in Turkey, women from civil society’s organization were fighting against some issues like “polygamy” and “repudiation” and for equality. “The history of the women’s movement is quite old since it goes back to Ottoman times. Indeed, more than a century ago, from 1870 onwards, our grandmothers started to question their subordinate status. They wrote books, published journals, formed associations, launched protestations, and engaged in heated debates with both the traditionalist and reformist men of the era. “³ However, the struggles that stop women from improving are some cultural values and the mindsets of some people that do not believe in change, which causes a generation gap, and they refuse to recognize the dignity of women as equal beings to men.

 

The new women's movement began in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a strong view of women and their fight against sexism, as well as for an equitable position in society. Women activists have chosen media to raise awareness and show the real picture of our society of how women are oppressed. Also, they have considered government as a tool to help people in need and serve marginalized groups. Some women activists went into politics, some went into research, and some were active in all three areas. ⁴

 

For instance, In the last 10 years, the rate of women’s representation in national parliaments globally has grown from 13.1 percent at the end of 1999 to 18.6 percent at the end of 2009. Some regions have seen particularly dramatic increases, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, where the number of women in parliaments has risen from 10.9 to 17.6 percent⁵. This political participation led to tangible benefits for democracy, such as increased responsiveness to citizen needs, increased corporation, and peace. Furthermore, women became more present in politics to represent the struggles and concerns of women and give them the chance to have a voice in making laws, and improve the qualities of understanding and tolerance. To illustrate, the access of women in lawmaking in countries like Timer-Leste, Croatia, Morocco, Rwanda, South Africa, caused an increase in the number of female lawmakers; which led to legislation related to anti-discrimination, domestic violence, family codes, inheritance, and child support and protection. ⁶

 

In addition to this, women have an interest in social issues considering that women have played a traditional role for so long. Therefore, the participation of women in both politics and civic organizations can be useful in regulating public policies, conducting gender equality, supporting the participation of women in politics, and developing more women leaders. Empowering women will lead to the growth of democratic institutions; which will make them care more about issues related to human rights, peacebuilding, physical wellbeing, security, the development of both men and women, and equality in communities at national and international levels. That is the case in Peace and Security (WPS) “They implement conflict resolutions, they struggle to make decision-making inclusive, they document, they respond, they organize, and they make a difference in the lives of those affected by conflict. “⁷

 

It is undeniable that civil society is assisted by social work, which acts as a force of transformation and a tool of development. Social work assists civil society in campaigning for different policy reforms, and It helps organize people for different debates about social issues and takes those topics to the public's attention.

 

Social workers are a valuable asset for anyone living in the United States, but they are especially valuable to women⁸. However, social work or nursing have historically been considered feminine occupations. For instance, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015, it has reported that 83 percent of employed social workers were female⁹; which shows that this field is dominated by females. And the reasons behind this are first of all, the perception of social work and mental health care in general as a “feminine” industry¹⁰. Secondly, men have been absent on the front lines of the service because “Among the few differences reported with some regularity is

A pattern that suggests that men, unless prompted, are less likely to incorporate social-relational themes in their accounts of emotion, and further, they appear to be less interested in introducing talk about emotion in social interaction”¹¹, and finally, it is obvious that social work needs compassion and expressing emotions to gain the trust of children or clients in general; thus, men who share their feelings are often seen as frail. As a result, many men are unable to express their feelings for fear of consequences and choose to say away from jobs that require expressing feelings. 

 

Subsequently, in addition to women’s struggle for equality, their efforts to put an end to sexism and oppression, their tries to engage in social and political action, and their attempts to end sexual harassment in the workplace. They also fight for human rights in general. The feminist perspective states that women grow up in an oppressed, patriarchal society, and feminists want to fix the social issue of patriarchy to be able to aid people in need. There is a value that is shared by feminists is that they seek to support those in need; regardless of their ethnicity, religion, race, or color… And also highlight social issues and find solutions to them. Some of these solutions are that women became the main providers of care for children, disabled and older people, and even men. As Jessica Valenti said in one of her articles that: “Feminists ideas can help men- be it the rejection of expectations that men be strong and stoic or ending the silence around male victims of sexual violence”¹²

 

           To conclude, the feminist movement has a huge role in making a change in the situation of women; America began to take seriously gender discrimination. Also, women are now able to access better education, healthcare, more equitable pay with men, and the right to begin the proceedings of divorce. Moreover, women activists focused attention on domestic workers’ rights¹³, and they earned women the right to vote¹³. But still, they have a lot to fight against; like domestic violence, rape, and forced marriage in some countries. As explained by Hillary Clinton: “Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights. Let us not forget that among those rights are the right to speak freely – and the right to be heard.” ¹⁴

 

¹: https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object-groups/women-in-wwi 

²: https://www.nps.gov/articles/women-in-world-war-i.htm

³: https://www.iemed.org/publicacions/quaderns/14/qm14_pdf/19.pdf

⁴: https://gender.no/gender-equality/the-role-of-civil-society

⁵: https://www.ndi.org/sites/default/files/Women_As_Change_Agents_Testimony_090610_0.pdf

⁶ : https://www.ndi.org/taxonomy/term/1128?page=6

⁷: https://mswcareers.com/social-work-gender-gap/

⁸ : https://onlineprograms.ollusa.edu/msw/resources/how-social-workers-help-women-in-poverty

⁹: https://www.peacewomen.org/civil-society

¹⁰ https://mswcareers.com/social-work-gender-gap/

¹¹ Gender and emotion: Social psychological perspectives (2000) Edited by Agneta H. FischerPage:24

¹² https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/25/opinion/feminists-misogyny-patriarchy.html

¹³ https://www.mic.com/articles/87809/23-ways-feminists-have-made-the-world-better-for-women

¹⁴ https://www.shethepeople.tv/news/human-rights-are-womens-rights-8-quotes-on-women-by-hillary-clinton/