Marriage

ABSTRACT TITLE:

A Study on the Need of Women Education for Socio-Economic Development of Rural Assam Birinchi Choudhury** Without the development the rural areas of Assam, we can never materialize our goal for being developed state by 2010 as declared by the present state govt. For the development of the rural Assam, including male, women education is a must. But women are neglected year after year. The attitude towards women hasnt changed yet. The literary rate shows this fact. According to the census, 2001, the literary rate in Assam is 64. 28 percent where 71. 93 percent for males and 56. 03 percent for female.

In 2000, the infant mortality rate is 66 per thousand for males and 83 per thousand for females. What does it mean? Presently, nearly 2. 13 lakhs children of age group 6-14 years have not seen the varanda of primary school. In 2003, 2. 39 lakhs of children have left the primary schools without completing the course. Of course it reduced to 44,222 in 2005(September). It is seen that all the children are living below the poverty line and their parents are illiterate. Therefore, including male, women should be educated for complete eradication of illiteracy and for being developed socially, economically, culturally and politically. Lecturers of B. B. K. College, Nagaon, Barpeta 1 Title:- A Study On The Need Of Women Education For Socio-Economic Development Of Rural Assam Birinchi Choudhury** Executive summary Objective of the study: The objectives of the study are 1. To investigate whether any relation between the women education and socio- economic development of rural Assam 2. To investigate whether any relation between the women education and influence of her in her family. 3. To investigate whether any relation between the women education and standard of living of the family. Research methodology: Sampling method: Random sampling method.

The population: Element: Wives and husbands Unit: Village Time: December. 2005 and January 2006. Sample size: 100 numbers of wives and 100 numbers of Husbands Limitation of the study: As the number of the sample is very small, therefore the findings may or may not be representation of the actual social position. Major findings: The findings of the study are 1. the socio economic development of the rural Assam mostly dependent on women education. 2. The educated women also try to motivate their children, irrespective of girls and boys, family members, society to be educated, self sufficient and conscious. 3.

The education of the children, the standard of living of the family is mostly dependent on whether the woman of the family is educated or not. 4. Besides, her involvement in the society, e. g. socially, culturally, economically is also dependent on her education. Our study also shows that the family in which the woman is uneducated has higher number of children and her familys standard of living is also low. Even an uneducated wife doesnt know whether there is any need of education for her girls child. Therefore, mass women education is a must.

Introduction:

Without the development the rural areas of Assam, we can never aterialize our goal for being developed state by 2010 as declared by the present state govt. For the development of the rural Assam, including male, women education is a must. But women are neglected year after year. The attitude towards women hasnt changed yet. The literary rate shows this fact. According to the census, 2001, the literary rate in Assam is 64. 28 percent where 71. 93 percent for males and 56. 03 percent for female. In 2000, the infant mortality rate is 66 per thousand for males and 83 per thousand for females. What does it mean? Presently, nearly 2. 13 lakhs children of age group 6-14 years have not seen the aranda of primary school. In 2003, 2. 39 lakhs of children have left the primary schools without completing the course. Of course it reduced to 44,222 in 2005(September). It is seen that all the children are living below the poverty line and their parents are illiterate. Therefore, including male, women should be educated for complete eradication of illiteracy and for being developed socially, economically, culturally and politically. A few tables are given below which show the comparative statement between male and female. Table 1: Students not gone to school Year Number of children who have not seen Primary Schools 003 13. 40 lakhs 2004 1. 6 lakhs 2005(Sept. ) 2. 13 lakhs *Source: The Amar Asom, 29th Nov. , 2005. Table 2: Comparative literary rate in Assam (percent) Year Over all Male Female 1961 32. 58 44. 28 18. 61 1971 33. 32 42. 96 22. 31 1991 53. 42 62. 38 43. 70 2001 68. 28 71. 93 56. 03 Table 3: Sex Ratio In Assam Year Sex Ratio 1901 919 1911 915 1921 896 1931 874 1941 875 1951 868 1961 869 1971 896 1991 925 2001 932 3 Objectives of the paper: The objectives of the study are.

To investigate whether any relation between the women education and socio- economic development of rural Assam 2. To investigate whether any relation between the women education and influence of her in her family.

To investigate whether any relation between the women education and standard of living of the family. Limitations of the study: – The study has the following limitations- The study is conducted on samples taken from a few villages that cannot be judged as perfect representation of entire population spread all over the state.

• Primary data collected through questionnaire has its own limitations as it lacks proper o-operation and support from the viewers.
• Response error cannot be over ruled.
• Time factor is also another limitation.

Methodology:- We have employed a random sampling method for the selection of the sample where a sample of 100 wives and 100 husbands of a few villages have been interviewed separately through two different questionnaires. Besides discussion and interactions with different people of our locality help us a lot in preparing this paper. Their views and ideas have been clearly reflected in our findings and suggestions. Analysis and findings: –  Analysis of the wives view point 1.

Only 15%of the population are educated and 85%are uneducated. Uneducated ( 85%) educated( 15%) educated uneduccated 4 Out of the total educated wives 90% are under matriculate, 08% are matriculate, 02% are H. S. passed Matriculate (8%) H. S. (2%) under matriculate(90%) below matriculate matriculate H. S.

Out of the total population 95% are housewives and only 05% are employed. Employed (5%) house wives (95%) house wife employed Out of the total employed population, 20% are in govt job, only 40% are in private job nd 40% are self-employed. Self employed (40%) private job(40%) govt. job(20%) govt. privvate job self employed 5

Our survey shows that in case of 97% families, husbands income is the only source of income for the family; in 01% families, wifes income is the only source of income for the family and in 02% families, and both husband and wives earn income. Only wifes income (1%) Only husbands income (97%) both husband and wifes income(2%) only husbands income only wives income both husbands and wives .

The study shows that 10% couple have 0-2 number children and 95% have 3 and above number of children. 0-2 child (10%) 3&above child(90%) 0-2no of child 3and above no child Out of the total child 60% are boys and 40% are girls Girls (40%) Boys(60%) boys girls 6

The study depicts that 95% wives never participated in the decision making process in their family. Wifes participation (5%) Non-participant (95%) participant non participant Those who have never participated in the decision making process, out of them 80% think hat it is their duty to obey the decision taken by their husbands. Wife has on right to go against husband (7%) Husband never do mistake (10%) Husband dislikes wifes participation (3% A B C D Wifes duty to obey the husband (80%) Those who have participated in the decision making process, out of them 60% think that they have better efficiency to run the family. Wives have the right to participate (40%) Wives have better efficiency (60%) A B. 7

Our survey shows that 80% population prefer education for both boys and girls but emphasis more on boys.

Education for both boys & girls (15%) Only for boys(5%) both boys & girls only for boys both boys & girls but more on boys Education for both boys & girls but emphasis on boys(80%)

60% population prefer because they think that education helps the girls for being self-sufficient. For overcoming exploitation (30%) For getting higher social status (7%) for being self sufficient for overcoming explitation for getting higher social status for motivating women to be educated For motivating females to be educated (3%) For being self-sufficient(60)

Those who do not want girls education, out of them 60% population think that girls should not be educated since girls cannot look after them after their marriage. Difficult to find a suitable groom for educated girl(30%) only because she is a girl(10%) only because she is a girl she wont looks after after her marriage difficult to find a suitable groom for educateds girl She wont looks after after her marriage(60%) 8 6. 90% population do not involve in the society. Wives who donot involve in the society(90%) wives who involve(10%) invlve in the society donot involve in the society

Those who want to involve in the society, out of them, 60% do so for organizing rural women to take part in the decision-making in various aspects of socio-economic life. getting popularity(10%) organizing rural women(60%) focusing herself &getting leadership(30%) 7. 60% population think that women education help in socio-economic development of the society. 20% do not think so and 20% have not given any comment. Women education helps in socio-economic development Cannot say(20%) yes(60%) yes no cannot say no(20%) for organizing rural women focussing herself & getting leadership eing popular Analysis of the husbands viewpoint:

The population survey shows that 70%population are educated and 30% are uneducated. Out of the total educated persons, 40% are below matriculated and only 1% is postgraduate. H. S. (20%) graduate(5%) post graduate(1%) others(4%) Matriculate (30%) matriculation(40%)

Agriculture is the main income source for 60% population and 5% are engaged in govt. jobs and 35% are in business. Business(35%) govt. job(5%) agriculture(60%) govt job agriculture busness

60% husbands have educated wives. Uneducated(20%) educated(80%) educatd neducated below mariculation matriculate H. S. graduate postgraduate others 10 Out of these 80% are below matriculate. Matriculate(10%) H. S. (5%) graduate(2%) others(3%) under matriculate(80%)

Only 2% husbands have employed wives. Out of these 50% are in govt. jobs 50% are self-employed. unemployed wives(98%) employed(2%) employed unemployed Out of these 50% are in govt. jobs 50% are self-employed. Self-employed(50%) govt. jobs(50%) under matriculate matriculate H. S. graduate others govt. jos self-employed 11

15% parents have 0-2 number of Childs and remaining 85 % parents have 3 or above Childs. 3 and above(85%) 0 2(15%) 90% populations want that their daughter should be educated. No of husbands want education for their girls(90%) donot want(10%) Out of the total population who want their girls Childs to be educated, 65% think that education help their daughter to be self-sufficient. For getting higher social status(10%) motivating women to be educated(5%) 0-2 3& above yes no for self sufficient for overcoming exploitation getting higher social status motivating women to be educated 12 For overcoming exploitation(20%) for self-sufficient(65%)

Those who do not want education for their girls child, out of them 60% think that their daughter will not look after them after her marriage. Difficult to find a suitable groom (35%) wont look after after her marriage(60%) Only because she is a girl (5%) 6. 95% population do not want their wives participation in the decision making process in the family. Donot want wifes participation(95%) want wifes participation(5%) Those who do not want wives participation in the decision-making process, out of them, 80% think that it is the duty for the wives to obey the decision taken by them.

She has no income(10%) she hasnot sufficient knowledge(10%) duty to obey the husband(80%) won’t looks after after her marriage only because she is a girl difficult to find a suitable groom for educated girls yes no duty to obey the husband she has no income she hasn’t sufficient knowledge 13 Those who support their wives participation, out of them 60% think that wives may have efficiency to run the family. She has right(40%) she may has better efficiency(60%) better efficiency she has right 7. 70% population support mass education and only 30% do not want education for women. onot want mass education(30%) want mass education(70%)

Conclusion:

– After interviewing with the wives and husbands, it is seen observed that the educated respondent feel that women education is a must for socio-economic development of rural Assam. The educated populations have the tendency to provide education for both boys and girls equally. They have less number of child and they, with males, prefer womens participation in the decision making process in the family as well as in the society. Of course, some uneducated people unable to understand the need of for socio-economic development.

Most of the uneducated women do not want to provide education for their girls child. There fore, we should change the mindset of the parents as well as the society. No doubt mass women education will be helpful in this respect. Suggestions: – The following suggestions can be put forwarded as per the primary study.

1. We have to change the mindset of the parents as well the society for reducing gender classification. We should change the mindset of the society so that the society recognizes the complementary role of the women.
2. Provision of quotas in the govt. jobs as well as private job may encourage the parents o provide education for their girls Childs.
3. Female students should be given scholar-ship in the college level. Tuition fees for women should be completely abolished. If it is not possible, it should be at least ? th. 14
4. Reservation in politics may be helpful for women empowerment. Women empowerment encourages women to provide opportunities to do for the welfare of the women.
5. We should create the consciousness of the parents; especially the women, we should create consciousness about the need of women education. For this, social awareness camp regarding women education in the village level should be organized.
6. The govt. should take a mission for women education. For this, some local educated women who have grip in the society should be appointed for this mission.

Camp, seminar, road-play, open meeting and discussion, advertisement through different media such as radio, T. V. , cinema for women education may be helpful in this regard.

Bibliography:

1. – 1. Datt, Ruddar; Sundadharam,K. P. M. (2004),
2. Indian economy S. Chand, New Delhi. 2. Baruah, D. K. ;Baruah Indira(2005),
3. H. S. Economics 3. The Amar Asom, 29th Nov. , 2005,
4. Guwahati. 4. The Dainik Batori, 14th January 2006,Guwahati. * Lecturers of B. B. K. College, Nagaon, Barpeta

The deserving employees are also eligible to participate in the Company’s 1991 Officers Stock Purchase and Loan Plan. The benefit of this plan is that the employees are offered to purchase a specified number of shares of the common stock. According to the company’s employment agreement, “ The shares shall be granted at the closing sale price of common stock of the Company on the New York Stock Exchange” (p. 3, 2008) Apart from the above, mentioned benefits, there are regular benefits in the form of specific benefit plans meant for different units of the company, travel and entertainment expenses and automobile allowance.

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Recognition of employees’ performance Promoting their professional advancement Growth in their knowledge levels Salary and other benefits in accordance to the industry norms Employee involvement on important issues Prioritization of employee well being Considering them the company’s most valuable assets Fair play during recruitments Employee friendly terms and conditions Equality to all More specifically, according to the DEF, 14 A SEC Filing filed by UDTR: “• The board of directors has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to all of our directors, officers and employees;…

• We have a hotline available to all employees, and our Audit Committee has procedures in place for the anonymous submission of any employee complaint, including those relating to accounting, internal controls, or auditing matters. ”(2005, p. 4) Thus listening to employees’ complainants, taking necessary actions based on their complaints, giving credits to them for their performance and keeping equal set of principles for everyone are the strategies that UDRT adopts for employee retention. Performance Management at URDT

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What problem does global free trade cause? Explain “common good. ” – the 3 essential elements for common good.

What is social justice?

7 themes of Catholic Social teaching. What each theme teaches?

Explain globalization.

How much of the total world income do countries like Canada receive?

How much of the total world income do the poorest people in developing countries receive?

How has globalization become a nightmare for poor countries? Explain how globalization could lead to justice.

Who is Craig Eagleburger.

What issues does he care about?

Who has he helped? How has he helped them?

“Inside Your Threads”. What are the issues raised?

How are these situations unjust?

What could be done to bring justice to these situations?

Who is Ryan Hershel?

What issue does he care about?

Who has he helped?

How has he helped?

Why are relationships important?

Define intimacy. Briefly explain the 5 levels of intimacy?

Describe the stages Of the family life cycle. What Stage is your family in?

What are the types of families?

Describe the moral decision making model. What are values?

Describe standards for judging values.

Define or explain sex, sexuality, sexual orientation, heterosexual orientation, nonsexual orientation, abstinence, celibacy, chastity.

What are SST Is – list ‘bacteria caused’ SST Is – treatment – list ‘virus caused’ Stir – treatment 2 reasons why the Catholic Church calls for abstinence from sexual intercourse outside marriage What is Natural Family Planning (NAP)?

What does it mean to be Catholic in today’s society?

Movies we watched this semester Power of One Stolen Summer Dan in Real Life Junk Ryan’s Well It Take a Child Inside Your Threads pay it Forward Explain how each movie connects to a theme or topic discussed in class this semester.

There are many parts of the brain that effect the way we live and act every single day. There is the frontal lobe which controls planning, organizing, coordinating and controls movements, reasoning and the overall thinking process. I have used my frontal lobe today when I decided to write this essay, and how I was going to set it up. There is the temporal lobe which controls hearing. I used this today when I listened to my Ipod in the halls.

There is the cerebellum which controls balance, movement, and coordination. I used this today when I tried to dance during lunch (key word tried….. ). There is also the occipital lobe which controls vision. I used this today when I read a book during English. The possibly most important part of the brain is the medulla, which controls vital functions. I used this today when I had to go from the first floor to the third floor, and I had to catch my breath.

When people say “your eyes don’t see, your nose doesn’t smell, your tongue doesn’t taste, your ears don’t hear, and your skin doesn’t touch; your brain does it all” they are saying although we associate all of those senses with their respective body part really we cant see, touch, taste and so on without our brain first processing it and telling our bodies what is going on. 2) The psychoanalytical perspective says someone may get a divorce because their parents had gotten a divorce, so that’s what the have seen is normal.

This perspective says that many behaviors are based on childhood experiences. If someone grew up with divorced parents, they would see that that is an acceptable way to live their life and not see a problem with it. Also, the psychoanalytical perspective looks at the impulses and desires of a person, someone might get a divorce because their ID tells them they want to have multiple partners, and not want to be in a committed relationship. The behavioristic perspective is based on rewards and punishments.

Based on this theory someone may get a divorce because they might be punished by staying in of the relationship. Their parents may not be a fan of their spouse, and may threaten to cut them off communications and write them out of the will if they stay in the relationship. The person may find this a deal they cant turn down, so they would divorce their partner in order to stay in the good graces of their family. The biological perspective looks at the brain as the reason people make decisions.

They would say that there is a chemical imbalance in the brain, therefore the person cannot stay happily in their marriage. They could also say that the person has depression, due to an imbalance of serotonin, and could not be happy with their spouse, so they would need to get treated, or continue perusing the divorce. The cognitive perspective believes that divorce would be based on the individuals unique thinking process. The person may have unclear thoughts on their spouse, and cannot figure out what they want in their marriage.

The cognitive perspective would not blame any external forces, they would simply say their brain told them to, so they did. They might also say their brain does not make good judgment, and at the time of the marriage there was a lapse in judgment. The humanistic perspective would say the person needed personal growth, and was tied down in the marriage. The person would see themselves happier without being with their spouse. They would say that the person simply wanted to get a divorce, so they did, and wouldn’t add much more to it than that.

The sociocultural perspective would say that the divorce rate in America is 51%, so the person sees it culturally acceptable to get a divorce. They would say they have seen so many of their peers getting divorced, it seems normal. So they might not work to work out their problems, they just get a divorce because that’s what over half of America is doing. Eclecticism is an approach that uses more than one theory to explain how or why something happens. This idea would be beneficial to describing human behavior because there are many contributing factors in peoples decision making.

They might do something for multiple reasons, using divorce as an example, a person might have grown up in a divorced home, but they also might have a cheating spouse, and a chemical imbalance in the brain. Their reason for divorce can’t simply be explained by the psychoanalytic, behavioristic, or biological perspective. But when you use all of the perspectives together you can get a clear understanding of why they got a divorce. Human behavior cannot be explained with only one perspective because there are many contributing factors to the decisions people make.

Mary Wollstonecraft has been seen to be the founder of feminism, with radical ideas in terms of education, marriage and female emancipation. However it is necessary to consider what shaped those ideas, which lead to the emergence of feminism. It is necessary to consider what circumstances events and ideas circulating at the time influenced the politic thoughts of Mary Wollstonecraft. In order to understand what formed the basis of Mary’s thoughts we will need to identify their thoughts in the context of a number of factors.

Mary’s ideas could be regarded as liberal feminism. Her ideas focused mainly around the individual woman and her rights. Her proposals were mainly for women’s equality with men. Mary believed women should be treated like men and placed a lot of focus around women’s education as being inferior to men’s when in fact women were as intellectual as men and therefore should have a more equal education. Her reasoning for this was based around the idea that women need to be well educated to be successful mothers.

Mary also emphasized in her writing the need for sexual freedom and argued how marriage could be dangerous to women as it leads to further oppression. Equality was needed in domestic relationships. However all though initially her focus was on equality for women it eventually shifted to equality of humanity. It needs to be contemplated that there are a number of influences in the ideas outlined above these include Mary’s own personal experiences, social change and other events occurring at that time.

Many people suggest that Mary’s political views are ‘grounded in experience’; her personal life explains much about her proposals for women’s equality, education, marriage and humanity. 1 Mary had a very varied background, she moved house six times in total with each time representing a downward social and economic mobility. This gave her insight into in to regional, class and gender divisions of eighteenth century Britain, enabling Mary to perceive class inequalities in society, and campaign for equality of every class rather than just women.

In addition to this it could also be argued that another way in which her personal experience shaped her views on class inequalities was working for the kingsborough’s, which allowed her to observe the lives of an affluent aristocratic family compared to the lower classes. This shaped her political thought in terms of her “resentment of the power and emptiness of privileged lives”2 and the injustice faced by the working classes.

However It could be argued that Mary Wollstonecraft ideas were centred round achieving equality for middleclass women as much of her work is focused on how disadvantaged so called ladies of leisure are in having mere existences rather than equality faced by working class men and women. Mary still regarded women’s domestic role as acceptable she believed women should still have the role of caring for children, family and other domestic duties; “mothers should stay at home and care for their children”. 3 It could be argued that this was because of the role she had to play in regards to her position in the family.

For example, Mary had to leave her job as a lady’s companion in 1781 to go back home to nurse her mother, which was considered as a female’s role in her family. It is evident that her ideas of equal education were actually to enable women to become better mothers (she still saw women in a domesticated role), which could have stemmed from experience in her family of having such roles. Conversely it could be considered that her ideas for women still looking after children could be due to the values of society at the present time.

A great deal of Mary’s political thought was based around the education of girls. In her book entitled “Thoughts on the education of daughters” she reflects concern on adequacy of female education. She believed that women were constrained in their education compared with boys and it should therefore be more rational. It could be said that these ideas about the inadequacy of girl’s education were based around her experiences of education. Mary attended a local day school for girls. Her school discouraged ‘to high notions’ and attended to housewifery and morals to make girls such as Mary marriageable.

It could be assumed Mary was an intelligent girl and she found her education “short and inadequate”3 this may have influenced her view about how inadequate women’s education was and pushed her to campaign for reforming women’s education. Mary gained knowledge in male dominated areas such as arithmetic, which showed to her that women could be just as capable as having the same knowledge as men. However it could be contended that rather than personal experience influencing her ideas on education her class ideology directed her ideas on reforming education.

This could be shown in Mary’s belief of selected education where the mechanically minded children should be placed in separate schools to those of superior abilities5, which was a typical attitude of the middle/upper classes. In her book ‘A vindication of the rights of women’ Mary highlights her views on the subordination of women in society. Mary argues against the social forces that keep women ignorant and the superficiality they are encouraged to engage in6this enables men to remain dominant over women as women become physically and economically dependant on men.

Mary believed that women needed freedom as they were being dominated by male patriarchy and in this sense were open to abuse by males. It seems apparent that the above ideas and assertions on male abuse and dominance of women stemmed from her own life experiences and those of her female relations as she witnessed male abuse to family around her; As a young girl Mary used to be subjected to witnessing her fathers drunken violence against her mother. By viewing her mothers abuse and helplessness Mary came to realise the lack of protection available to women.

Her past experiences of her and her family may have also influenced her views on relations with males including marriage. In a letter to George Blood in 1789 Mary describes marriage as “legal prostitution”6. Mary had witnessed cruelty of men to her mother, sister and friend fanny in their marriages. She believed that her sister condition of ill health was due to the mistreatment of her husband; she took steps to help Eliza arrange legal separation. “On three different occasions Mary did see the lives of women ruined by cruel dissipated, husbands” (Bouten 1922:131).

Witnessing the abuse faced by three people close to her in their marriages may have guided her ideas on marriage which she regarded as slavery and influenced her decision not to marry through most of her life. Alternatively it could be said that her ideas arose from the laws of society at the time, as there was little recourse from the victims of abuse. The laws also gave rights to the husband and took them away from women at the same time in the procedure of marriage. The norms of society may have therefore informed Mary’s political thought as it made obvious inequalities in marriage and the dominance of women.

There were some aspects of feminism that Wollstonecraft didn’t consider such as legal property rights of women and voting rights. This may be due to her not experiencing these issues in her life, which further confirms her ideas were based around her personal experiences. However it has to be considered that her personal experience was not the only factor contributing to her political thought. In the 18th Century Mary was subjected to experiencing and participating in a series of social revolutions both in Britain and in France.

One was enlightenment, which put reason as the focus of human identity and as the main justification of rights. 7 This may have influenced Mary’s political ideas as she based her argument for equal rights on the fact that both men and women had the same human identity, which echoes the ideas of enlightenment. Britain was also experiencing rapid change with the industrial revolution. These rapid periods of change may have influenced Mary to challenge the existing social order regarding the position of women as traditional institutions and conceptions were being outgrown; “The time was ripe for an intellectual questioning of society”8.

Although Wollstonecraft’s feminist thought went against the traditional ideas of sexual opinion reflected in 18th century Britain, it could be argued that her political ideas actually reflected the spirit of innovation around at the time; “the century prior to the rights of women had seen a steady flow of writings by enlightened literati of both sexes arguing for higher valuation of woman’s characters and an enhancement of female intellect and status”.

In which case it could be said that Mary’s political thought was informed by changes in society. It also has to be considered that the late eighteenth century there was an expansion in literature as a profession for women. 9 This may have encouraged the thoughts of Mary’s, which may have developed due to her writing. It is possible that the French Revolution that begun in 1789 with its struggle for social justice also influenced her political ideas especially in terms of her ideas on the rights of humanity.

Prior to the French revolution Mary concentrated on the rights and freedom of women, but later on changed her focus towards the rights of humanity as a whole including men, This lead to her considering the rights of women in terms of the rights of men. “Her vindication was that of men but in relation to men, the human race, and the entire human experience” 10. Therefore it could be argued that the revolution influenced the change of Mary’s political ideals from concentrating on women to human kind.

On the other hand it could be argued that the French Revolution did not influence Mary’s ideas, which were primarily based on equality for women, as the new constitution of France did nothing to remove the inequalities between men and women. Many supporters of social justice in the French revolution were the most active opponents of women’s rights. 11 Religion is another possible factor outside Wollstonecraft’s personal experience that may have influenced her political thought. Wollstonecraft believed that education would make women more virtuous.

This could be regarded as one of the reasons for her views on education of girls. Mary believed education would give women the chance to prove in the reality of good and evil and she put her faith in to the goodness of god. 12 Alternatively there is also reason to suggest that Mary Wollstonecraft wasn’t religious as she rejected many religious doctrines such as pacifism of Christ. An alternative argument regarding the reasons behind Wollstonecraft’s feminist thought is put forward by Freudian Psychiatrists.

They argue the basis of her political thought was due to her hatred of men. “Hers was hatred of creatures that seemed capable of doing everything while women seemed to her capable to her of doing nothing”13 They therefore argue her feminist thoughts arose out of her illness of being neurotic and compulsive. 7 However it could be argued that Freudian analysis is subjective and therefore has no objective basis for explaining reasoning for Wollstonecraft’s political ideas.

Overall it is clear Mary had many painful experiences and experiences of social changes in her life, which helped shape her political views. Therefore it can be attained that personal factors influenced political thought, although it also has to be taken into account that her political thought was also influenced by outside factors such as social change and institutions such as religion. This coincides with concept of the “personal is political” where the experience of our personal lives are defined by broader political settings.

To feminism personal experience such as that encountered by Mary can be seen as a valid way of knowing the social world and deriving political thought. However it could be argued that the experiences of Mary didn’t provide a sufficient claim of truth, as it doesn’t necessarily mean that Mary has political insight. Therefore it could be said that this isn’t the most objective way to gain an insight into the political sphere of society.

Tanya Givans Mrs. Lamptey English-099 02-09-2010 Couples Should Cohabit before Marriage In the beginning of a relationship, there is a lot of excitement, giddiness, infatuation, lust and romance. As the relationship grows stronger, there are important decisions that need to be made. One in particular is the living arrangements of the couple. There are couples that decide to live together before marriage to see if their partnership will work. Some people are appalled by the fact that a couple would move in together and live as a married couple, because they believe it to be ungodly and that ex and children should only be a result of marriage. However, there are people who do not believe in religion, nor do they care if you live together before marriage or not . Couples should live together before marriage because they will learn more about themselves and each other before taking such a big step. Couples living together prior to marriage will find out if they are financially compatible. Once a couple makes the transition of moving in together, they will see how easy or hard it will be to manage their money. The fact of having one household instead f two will make it easy also all utility, water, grocery, and rent will be split in half. Living together before marriage will help a couple find out if maybe one is too frivolous with their money, and if the situation could be controlled before taking the next step into marriage. For example, maybe the boyfriend will get his paycheck go out to the bar spend and all of his money then come home broke. As a result, the girl is stuck paying the bills for the month. The financial burden of taken care of oneself is hard, but if a partner is irresponsible with their money, it can get expensive.

Couples that live together before marriage also will learn more about themselves. After a couple has moved in together, they will have all of these expectations of each other. For example, my husband and I lived together before we were married, during this time we gave up our single lives. There was no partying at the clubs, hanging out with friends, or any nightlife what so ever. So being in this relationship meant that we would be totally devoted to each other. Giving up your single life to join with your partner means losing freedom, and a sense of ones self.

Living together before marriage can help one to realize what a relationship is about, and if giving up their single life is what they are willing to sacrifice to share a lifetime with their partner. Marriage should last forever, so living together in advance can help a person realize if this is the life they want. Couples will learn more about their partner when living together before marriage. Hopefully, before a couple moves in together they will know if one another has any manners, bad habits or if one likes to fight. For example, when walking into the kitchen nd your boyfriend is moving the dishes out of the sink before he urinates in it. This would be disgusting and behavior like that is not acceptable. Or, after using the restroom he does not wash his hands. The lack of hand washing could actually be harmful especially if he prepares the family’s dinners. There are also more serious issues like when your partner is angry, will he or she get physically abusive. If a couple, has an irreparable problem in the relationship while living together then they can simply move out. Living together teaches a couple about their partners, and tolerance of each ther. In conclusion, some people may say that their religious practices do not allow them to live together before marriage, but I say couples should live together before marriage because they will learn more about themselves, their partners, and it is more convenient financially. Toleration of bad habits and the loss of one’s individualism will come with the territory of living together or being married. So if there are problems in the relationship now that cannot be fixed then it is safe to assume their will be problems if the couple foolishly decides to marry. .

When a person thinks of a Muslim woman immediately the image that forms in your mind is one of veils, tent like garb and the word ‘oppression’ and ‘suppression’ comes to mind. This image of being suppressed and oppressed, being without any rights or social standing is a Western stereotypical view of Muslim women. To understand and appreciate the true essence of Islam it is important to carefully investigate the roles of both Muslim women and men in Islam and the religious authority for these. It is most important to consider what a Muslim woman’s rights and obligations are, and how they are lived out in daily life.

Alongside this it is relevant to find out how a Muslim woman may be influenced by her family’s culture and the traditions and cultures of other peoples in this society. In a multicultural society such as Britain there are many people of different religious backgrounds. Britain today can be seen as a multicultural society or even a secular society, which is not governed by religious laws and certainly not by Shari’ah. Muslims living in Britain today come into day-to-day contact with many ideas, beliefs and practices which are not part of Islam.

Analysing how Muslim women can stay true to their Islamic faith in such a society is an integral part of this essay. In Islam family life from many famous scholars is referred to as being the ‘corner-stone of society’ as it brings new generations into the world, therefore the parents have very important duties to play. They also have vital duties and obligations towards one-another. The duties of a husband and the wife towards each other are clearly stated in Islam (Qur’an 4:34). This makes the fulfillment of the purpose of marriage easy and removes confusion.

The husband’s duties include providing food; clothing; accommodation as well as general welfare needs for his wife; she does not have to provide any of these herself from her own property or her earnings, unless she wishes and is able to help her husband. The husband also provides household help for his wife, or helps her himself, as well as giving help to her in training the children. He also must try to satisfy the sexual needs of his wife and treats her with kindness and honour as Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said :

“The best of you is the one who is best to his family, and I am best to my family” Hadith : Al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah) The wife, for her part is required to obey her husband as leader of the family so long as he does not try to make her disobey Allah. She must look after the home and children, bringing them up as good and righteous people – Allah will ask her about this duty (Hadith Al-Bukhari and Muslim). In her husband’s absence she must ensure that no one not approved by her husband is allowed into the home, and also try to satisfy her husband’s sexual needs. You can see that the duties of the husband are the rights of the wife, whilst the duties of the wife are the rights of the husband.

Allah says: “… the rights of the wives (with regards to their husbands) are equal to the rights of the husband with regard to them”. (Qur’an 2:228) The Qur’an states: “They (women) are your garments. And you (men) are their garments”. The words from the Holy Qur’an state precisely how men and women relate to one another – like a body and its garments. Without garments the body is meaningless and vice versa, this symbolizes the complimentary roles a husband and wife play and that they must got together, apart they would have little reason to exist.

People in multi-cultural society may have noticed how a large number of Muslim women dress differently from one another, some from head to toe, others in more westernized but unrevealing clothing. This is mainly due to cultural impacts, for e. g. covering a woman’s body does not necessarily require her to wear a ‘jilbab’ (long dark coat-like dress), Islamically she is required to dress modestly in public. Places like Afghanistan’s cultural impacts mean women are forced in the way they are dressed, as they have no choice. “Say to believing men… nd believing women, that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty.. “(24:30-31) Living in a multicultural society poses many difficulties for Muslim parents or Muslim’s in general.

This is because within the sphere of their homes the environment is Islamic and very sheltered. However outside the home Muslim’s come into contact with different ideas which can act as obstacles for them. This is because Britain allows what most Islamic societies would not allow for women for example involvement in pornography, modesty of dress, Muslim women do not walk around scantily dressed for example in a bikini.

Abortion is not allowed except in exceptional circumstances in Islam whereas it is a common place in Britain. Also divorce is considered one of the worst acts in Islam but like abortion it is a commonplace as well as free mixing between the sexes. This shows that such things are taking place in Britain and that they oppose Islamic teachings. For a Muslim living in a multicultural society some of the issues that arise are usually the differences between secular law versus religious law (shari’ah). The fact that Muslim values are different to secular values and a Muslim lifestyle following such values makes more demands.

These issues can cause problems for Muslims, especially the 2nd or third generation who seem to be becoming more and more secular. These youth can be seen to have adopted secular values in their pursuit of status, placing great value in cars, money and other material possessions more than religious values or practice. These remind parents of their native countries, so they arrange marriages for their children to people inn the native countries. What the parents don’t realise is these ‘native countries’ have become more secular too and that people there have become more westernized.

The benefits for Muslims in a multicultural society like Britain is the access to education, there is a greater chance of Muslims obtaining education in this country compared to their ‘slim to none’ chances back in their native countries. There is an opportunity to be involved in public life occupation wise. As the government in Britain is not ruled by a specific religion, people are allowed to practice their religion openly, whereas in Turkey a woman is not permitted to wear a headscarf to college, school, or university. Also in communist countries people did not have the right to proclaim what they believed in.

Many Muslims in Great Britain are often asked whether they are British or Muslim first. There is a difference of opinion to this answer between the older and younger generations. The younger people tend to say they are British and Muslim whereas the older generation hesitate and reply they are Muslim first. What we should ask ourselves is how come it is only the Muslims this question is posed to? Why not the Christians or the Jews? These kinds of questions are asked for example during the Gulf War or since the incident on September 11th.

The Muslims are expected to be on the defensive, as if there is going to be a conflict with being a Muslim and British at the same time. This is the way of thinking for the majority of Non-Muslim British people; it shows their lack of understanding of Islam and their deeply rooted misconceptions concerning the religion. This is also a result of lack of integration between people. The Muslim women that wear veils, head scarves and long flowing clothing are often seen as ‘oppressed’ or ‘suppressed’ by the majority of Non-Muslims in British society.

They see these women as being ‘dominated’ by men. In reality the majority of these women wearing veils or such articles of clothing do so voluntarily, the main aim is protection and not oppression. “Prophet, enjoin in your wives, your daughters and the wives of true believers to draw their veils close around them. That is more proper, so that they may be recognized (as virtuous women) and not molested. Allah is Forgiving and Merciful”. (33:59) It is mistaken to believe that Islam encourages the oppression of women. On the contrary, Islam elevates women in an all-round manner.

Islam regards women and men as equals; they both have the same religious duties and get equal rewards. Allah says: “I will not allow the good deeds of any of you, male or female, to be lost. You (male and female) come from one-another… ” (Qur’an 3:195; 4:124) Islam stopped the female infanticide (81:8; 6:151) and promises the reward of paradise to parents who look after their daughters. Muslim women like men are encouraged to acquire education from the cradle to the grave. A Muslim woman retains her legal identity after marriage and can keep her family name.

She may seek and obtain divorce if she needs it. She is free to move around in society (with her husbands consent), provided she is modestly dressed and straightforward to avoid molestation by evil men. (Qur’an 33:22-59) As a mother, the greatest respect is paid to her on account of her sacrifices on behalf of her children. (Qur’an 31:13; 46:15) “Paradise lies at the feet of the mothers”. In Great Britain Islam is a minority religion; it is not the way of life for the majority in this multicultural society. Britain is arguably not religious; therefore it can be seen as a secular society.

Its laws do not reflect any particular religions beliefs, however in the past Christianity played a major role in the appointed laws. The society is still influenced by religious values, there are laws protecting what most religions consider sacred or valuable, an example of this is the value religions hold for life. There are laws introduced for the sole purpose of preventing death or injury like how a driver and passengers in a car must wear seat belts. The laws in Britain also evolve around individual religions, for example the law in Britain for people riding a motorcycle is that it is compulsory to wear a crash helmet.

In the 1980’s the Sikh community complained that it was impossible to do so if they were wearing turbans, the government then made a clause in the law for Sikhs who wore turbans, that when riding a motorbike it wasn’t compulsory for them to wear a crash helmet. There are also many problems for Muslims who live in small individual communities that do not integrate with one another. This division often causes misunderstandings between them which results in conflict mostly between the youth of the communities. An incident of this occurred not very long ago in Oldham, between the Pakistani community and the white community.

Oldham is one of the most segregated cities in Britain. The white and Pakistani communities have many riots, this is mainly due to lack of integration. To correct this situation faith leaders of the communities should hold regular meetings to discuss and promote interfaith relationships. This encourages less hostile attitudes between the people like in Leister. The majority of Asians came from Africa where they were used to British people, when they came to Britain they could relate to the people more easily than the Asians from Oldham. Another major barrier between people is language and dress.

If people cannot communicate with one another it is impossible for interfaith relationships. It is also quite common for people from different racial backgrounds to stereotype Muslims by the way the women dress. As they find it foreign they cannot form a relationship with them, this results in people perceiving Muslims with hostility. In conclusion to this essay I believe there should be more interfaith relationships and language barriers should be broken down, this way people from different cultural and racial backgrounds can relate to one-another and not stereotype or generalize.

There should be more integration especially in schools, also there shouldn’t be segregated communities, people from different nationalities should live together. There already is an increase in women choosing there marriage partners, and women having children later on in life so they can actively partake in more career based roles. Due to the education in this country it is estimated that after a couple of generations language barriers would be broken down, that more Westernized dress would be adapted to in a way that seems Islamic and women would take up more prominent roles in the Islamic and in wider communities.

This could be an advantage as well as a disadvantage, there could be spokeswomen who is highly educated in the fields of politics and other high profile careers, this way they could be interviewed by the media and as a result the general Non-Muslim public would be more aware of Islamic teachings and see it in a more acceptable and not so negative light. This is the possible future for Muslim women in this multicultural society.

However, my personal opinion as a Muslim living in British society would be that it is important to remember that though these women may become more prominent in secular society as Islam’s “leading women”, they would be placed under a negative light from fellow Muslims. These women in partaking such active roles would be leaving their idealistic obligatory role as according to Islam, also to get to this ‘possible future’ would mean many rules would have to be broken, twisted or forgotten completely. According to Islam a woman’s true worth would be greatly acknowledged if her duty at home first is complete.