Impact Of Government Policies On Women Empowerment Sociology Essay

Impact Of Government Policies On Women Empowerment Sociology Essay This paper presents the impact of government policies on women empowerment. This paper firstly defines women empowerment and then list out the government policies on women empowerment in the various Five year plans. Then on the basis of the data collected, I compared the degree of empowerment in the rural and urban women. The degree of empowerment was measured on four indices which were:- womens mobility and social interaction; womens labour patterns; womens access to and control over resources; and womens control over decision-making. Introduction The past three decades have witnessed a steadily increasing awareness of the need to empower women through measures to increase social, economic and political equity, and broader access to fundamental human rights, improvements in nutrition, basic health and education. The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles. The Constitution not only grants equality to women, but also empowers the State to adopt measures of positive discrimination in favor of women. Defining Womens Empowerment Empowerment is a continuous process for realizing the ideals of equality, human liberation and freedom for all. Womens Empowerment, thus, implies equality of opportunity and equity between the genders, ethnic groups, social classes and age groups, strengthening of life chances, collective participation in different spheres of lifecultural, social, political, economic, development process, decision making etc. Naila Kabeer defines womens empowerment as the process by which those who have been denied the ability to make strategic life choices acquire such ability. This ability to exercise choices incorporates three inter-related dimensions: resources which include access to and future claims to both material and social resources; agency which includes the process of decision-making, negotiation, deception and manipulation; and achievements that are the well-being outcomes. Smt Renuka Chowdhury(Minister of State for Women and Child Development ) says that, Empowerment to me means self esteem self reliance self confidence. Sometimes one thinks if this was there, if that was there, this could have been done. But you dont need any of that if a woman is aware of her rights, of herself, if her self esteem is high, then she is empowered Governments Policies on womens empowerment The need for Womens empowerment was felt in India long back. Mahatma Gandhi had announced at the Second Round Table Conference(1932) that his aim was to establish a political society in India in which there would be no distinction between people of high and low classes and in which women would enjoy the same rights as men and the teeming millions of India would be ensured dignity and justice- social, economic and political. The countrys concern in safeguarding the rights and privileges of women found its best expression in the Constitution of India, covering fundamental rights and the directive principles of state policy. Articles 14, 15, 15(3), 16, 39, 42, 51 (A) (e) contain various types of provisions for equal rights and opportunities for women and eliminate discrimination against women in different spheres of   life. From the Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-78) onwards there has been a marked shift in the approach to womens issues from welfare to development. In recent years, the empowerment of women has been recognized as the central issue in determining the status of women. The Eighth Plan (1992-97), with human development as its major focus, renewed the emphasis on development of women. It sought to ensure that benefits of development from different sectors do not by-pass women. It aimed at implementing special programmes to complement the general development programmes and ensure the flow of benefits to women from other development sectors to enable women to function as equal partners and participants in the development process. The Ninth Plan (1997-2002) made two significant changes in the conceptual strategy of planning for women. First, Empowerment of Women became one of nine primary objectives of the Ninth Plan. Second, the Plan attempted convergence of existing services available in both women-specific and women-related sectors. The Tenth plan continued with the major strategies of Empowering Women as agent of social change and development. It adopted a sector specific 3-fold strategy for empowering women viz. Social empowerment, Economic empowerment and Gender justice. Inclusive and integrated economic, social and political empowerment with gender justice is how the Eleventh Plan envisions empowerment of women. New laws such as the Employment Equity Act, the Labour Relations Act and the policy of affirmative action, mean that employers (in the public and private sector) must introduce programmes, which ensure the representation of women in all professions and job grades, at equal pay and guarantees maternity rights. Government is also working to ensure that gender issues are mainstreamed in all its programmes and structures, and has created a gender machinery to monitor and advise government. This consists of the Offices on the Status of Women in the Presidency, Premiers and Mayoral offices, the Commission for Gender Equality, gender desks in departments and gender committees in Parliament and Legislatures. Measuring the Impact of Government Policies on Womens Empowerment Given the complexity of defining womens empowerment, I identified the following four indices that could lead to womens empowerment Womens mobility and social interaction; Womens labour patterns; Womens access to and control over resources; and Womens control over decision-making. Thereafter, I conducted a survey among the Rural and Urban houses of Allahabad and Varanasi to find out the impact of government policies on womens empowerment. Results and Findings I compared the data of the two areas and the results are as follows-: Womens mobility and interaction. The survey found that urban women are more mobile and begun to have new interactions with a range of officials. In all, the survey found that: 50% of urban women surveyed had visited new places and traveled longer distances; In comparison to this only 5% of rural women surveyed had visited new places and traveled longer distances. 94% of urban women surveyed had experienced new interactions with staff of institutions such as banks, district and block development organizations and NGOs . In comparison to this only 2% of rural women surveyed had experienced new interactions with staff of institutions such as banks, district and block development organizations and NGOs. Womens labour patterns. The survey finds major difference in gender division of labour. 71% of the urban houses surveyed men helped the women and only in 3% of the rural houses surveyed men helped the women. The extent to which men helped was related to The health of the woman (men helped more if women were sick) The type of household (men helped more in a nuclear household) The gender and age of the children (men helped less if girl children were present to help). There was a comparatively greater difference reported in non-domestic productive tasks. 40% of urban women who had taken bank loans reported a marked change in gender roles, and only 6% of rural women reported a small change. However, the income-generating activities of the majority of women (both Urban and Rural) in male-headed households (for which loans had been taken) continued to be managed by men (presumably, the womens husbands). Therefore, the changes in womens labour patterns were mixed, and not as positive as along other dimensions. There was little indication that womens control over their labour had undergone a marked change, and the survey noted that many women(both Urban and Rural) may simply have gone from undertaking paid work outside the home to becoming unpaid family labourers (in male-managed enterprises). Womens access to and control over resources. The survey also looked into womens access to non-loan-related resources and benefits, and particularly to common resources. In all the survey found that 70% of urban women had accessed to non-loan-related resources and benefits. Only 10% of rural women had accessed to non-loan-related resources and benefits. It seems that a number of the women undertook activities that would give their communities better infrastructure or services, for instance in water supply, child-care facilities, health care services and improved roads. In this sense, they played a key role in promoting changes in collective access to resources. Womens control in intra-household decision-making. The survey found that 83% of urban women play a significant role in intra-household decision making. Whereas only 5% of rural women play a significant role in intra-household decision making. There seemed to be a slight improvement in womens involvement in household decision-making in male-headed households, on such issues as credit, the disposal of household assets, childrens education, and family health care. However, the traditional gender-based divisions persist in intra-household decision-making. Women basically decide on food preparation, and men make the financial decisions. CONCLUSION It was found that the government policies on women empowerment are far more affective in urban areas than in rural areas. This is the reason why urban women are more empowered than the rural women .However, the empowerment of Rural Women is crucial for the development of the Rural Bharat. The remedy for empowerment lies in a strong will power and a gender just reform in the whole system covering the major interrelated issues of Economic welfare, Social justice and Education. It requires every segment of society, women as well as men; government, laws, judiciary, political parties and media.

Importance of Social Class in Charles Dickenss Great Expectations :: Free Great Expectations Essays

Importance of Social Class in Charles Dickens's Great Expectations       Social class played a major role in the society depicted in Charles Dickens's Great Expectations. Social class determined the manner in which a person was treated and their access to education. Yet, social class did not define the character of the individual.    Many characters were treated differently because of their social class in Great Expectations. Seeing the contrast between how the poor and the rich were treated will give a clearer understanding of how much social class mattered. In chapter 27 when Joe comes to see Pip, he treats Joe in a different manner than before because Joe was now in a lower social class. His feelings about Joe's arrival were "Not with pleasure... I had the sharpest sensitiveness as to his being seen by Drummle." (p. 203). He was afraid that Drummle will look down on him because of Joe's lower class. Not only does Pip treat Joe differently, Joe also treats Pip differently because of their difference in social class. He begins to call Pip "sir" which bothered him because "sir" was the title given to people of higher class. Pip felt that they were still good friends and that they should treat each other as equals. Joe soon leaves and explains his early parting, "Pip, dear old chap, life is made of eve r so many partings welded together, as I may say, and one man's a blacksmith, and one's a whitesmith, and one's a goldsmith, and one's a coppersmith. Diwisions among such must come...." (p. 209). He creates this metaphor than he is a common blacksmith and Pip is a goldsmith. This difference in social class had brought upon their separation. Other characters that were also judged by their social class were Magwitch and Compeyson. They were both on trial for the same crime but Compeyson got off easier than Magwitch because of his higher social class. Magwitch describes Compeyson's defense speech, ."..here you has afore you, side by side, two persons as your eyes can separate wide; one, the younger, well brought up... one; the elder, ill brought up... which is the worst one?" (p. 325). The decision of the trial was solely based upon social class appearance.

Pride and prejudice compare and contrast novel and film 2005 Essay

Jane Austen penned masterfully the novel Pride and Prejudice. For many countries for many years and with or without the movie adaptation, this novel has achieved superstar status, considered by many as one of the best work of fiction that they had and one of the most read. Proof of the very good story line behind the novel is the fact that movie and television production outfits does not seem to tire in making movie adaptation of the novel year after year. Because of this, it has become important to criticize the resulting characteristics that will surface once comparison between the movie, particularly the 2005 version, and the novel is made. This paper will discuss several significant characteristics noticeable in the comparison of the 1813 Jane Austen novel with the 2005 film adaption of Pride and Prejudice, and these are (1) inconsistencies with the characters, (2) compressed scenes, (3) changes in the scene and (4) the introduction of new scenes. Inconsistencies with the Characters One of the noticeable characteristics that the 2005 film version of the novel has in comparison with the original novel story is the changes that happen to the characters and the personalities of these characters. Some differences are minimal, like the changes in the physical attributes of the characters. A very good example of this is the case of the character of Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins, it seems, was described in the original novel as a person with who is tall. However, in the movie, this characteristic is not noticeable in the portrayal of Mr. Collins, as the Mr. Collins in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie cannot be characterized as tall since he seem to have the height common with the other male characters in the movie. There were also some noticeable differences in the way the character Elizabeth was portrayed in the movie compared to the way Elizabeth was constructed by Austen throughout the novel. In watching the movie, the audience may have the impression that Elizabeth has a very negative temperament, that she is highly strung or even boorish. But in the book, Elizabeth has the personality that qualifies her as someone who is more on the positive temperament, sprightly and even playful. Proof of this is unexpected, unrealistic and somewhat inconsistent characteristic of Elizabeth was a part in the movie wherein Elizabeth yelled at her mother in defiance, pointing to Elizabeth’s more negative behavior. This is somewhat contrary to the original Pride and Prejudice story because in the novel, the author did not make Elizabeth yell directly to her mother. While Austen made it obvious that Elizabeth has the characteristic to defy her mother, she did not do so directly and verbally. Another important point to raise here is that in consideration to the lifestyle and culture of the people during the time, daughters yelling at their mothers is something that is not common or usual compared to today, making it more unrealistic and not faithful to the original story and faithful to the culture in the real life during that time. Stephen Holden even went to the extent of claiming that Elizabeth’s 2005 portrayal is â€Å"not exactly the creature described in the 1813 novel (Holden 1). † Compressed Scenes The novel features a story that is considered lengthy if everything in it will be featured in the film. This is the same predicament that most movie adaptation of a novel encounters, and the movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is no exception. The director is forced to cut, shorten and compress the different parts of the story in the effort to make it faithful to the novel and still ideal for the movie market. Because of this, significant missing parts in the movie that was featured in the novel are some situations and circumstances which are deleted, cut or shortened. Take for example, the part wherein Elizabeth was visiting Pemberley, Hunsford Parsonage as well as Rosings Park – this, as well as other parts of the novels where heavily compressed. The story focusing on how Lydia eventually eloped in the novel was also something that was compressed. Changes in the Scene Some scenes that were described by the author in the original â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† novel was not translated similarly in the film version. For example, when Darcy proposed to Lizzy for the first time, the author placed this particular scenario somewhere inside the house of Mr. Collins. But the 2005 movie version of the novel made it different, because in the movie, the proposal was made by Darcy to Lizzy while they were both standing under the rain. There were also significant and noticeable changes even with the second proposal, since the circumstances that led to the second proposal were different in the book compared to the scenes shown in the movie. According to the novel, the proposal happened after Lizzy did something for Mrs. Bennet that sent Lizzy in a particular place that night, but the circumstances presented in the movie puts Lizzy in bed but unable to get sleep, so she went out for a short walk and in the process meeting Mr. Darcy who was also taking a walk thinking about something serious that involved Lizzie as well as Lady Catherine de Bourgh (Ernst 44). Introduction of New Scenes In comparing the movie and the novel, another noticeable characteristic is the presence of scenes, situations and circumstances which are integral in the movie but is nonetheless not found in the novel. For example, there was a scene wherein both Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth were seen by the audience walking one night with nothing but their night clothes on. This kind of situation is something that is not presented in the book, and an educated guess might point to the fact that there maybe some reasonable factors why such was not the case in the novel – because it is not realistic. And the reason why this is not realistic is because the temperature may not be very convenient for someone to walk around on their night clothes on at night, and because this is not the action of someone who is of Mr. Darcy or Elizabeth’s stature, not to mention that walking around in nightclothes is something that is not usual, common or even normal during the time and age presented in Pride and Prejudice. Still related to the discussion on how the movie presented some scenes which are not only consistent with the novel but is also not consistent with the practice of the people during that time/era is the scene wherein Lady Catherine paid the Bennets a visit late in the night, and the Bennets greeted their visitor wearing their night clothes only. This is not in the novel, and this goes against common cultural practice among homes. People during that time make sure that they are fully dressed before presenting themselves to visitors. And visitors don’t actually visit other people unannounced and in very inconvenient times of the day or night. Because of these inconsistencies, the audience cannot help but feel that the creation of the 2005 movie version did not only put in scenes and details that are not consistent with the novel, it was also reflective of the lack of sensitivity with regards to the time, era and period that the novel that the story represents. Besides the inability of the production to consider being faithful to the culture at the time, some audience may also feel that the production of the movie did not seriously studied the aspects and details that support and put together the story as it is (like culture, practices etc). Conclusion The 2005 movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice can be viewed in different contrasting perspectives. On one side, it can be considered as a very successful movie considering that it is an adaptation from a very popular novel and that many other adaptations made in film were created before it. On the other side, people can simply focus on the flaws and failures of the movie adaptation and call the movie not a worthy enough to be considered a film adaptation. In the end, it’s all about perspective. While there are indeed problems, there are also merits that the movie earned for it to be considered as good enough. â€Å"Like any other film adaptation, Austen’s Pride and Prejudice has positive and negative conditions for a translation onto screen (Ernst 35). † The truth is that for all of the differences that the 2005 movie had when compared to the novel it was based on, this is not surprising since the predecessor of this movie adaptation – which was already numerous since there is the 1940, 1980 and 1995 version – also has several flaws themselves, particularly when it comes to bearing differences from the original novel. There were also other little changes that were seen in the 2005 film. According to the website IMBD, a website that focuses on providing information about movies, there was even a difference in the ending in the US film (Pride and Prejudice 6). For all of these things, the only consolation there is can be found in the effort to be faithful to the novel by the movie, and for what it failed to accomplish. The audience should understand that there is indeed no perfect movie adaptation, since both movie and novel, however similar in story, are still different entities by themselves (Lupack 277). Works Cited Ernst, Reni. The Presentation of Speech and Thought in Jane Austen’s Price and Prejudice and in Joe Wrigth’s Film Adaptation. GRIN Verlag, 2008. Holden, Stephen. â€Å"Marrying Off Those Bennet Sisters Again, but This Time Elizabeth Is a Looker. † New York Times. 11 November 2005. 22 February 2009 . Lupack, Barbara Tepa. Nineteenth Century Women at the Movies: Adapting Classic Women’s Fiction to Film. University of Wisconsin Press, 1999. â€Å"Pride and Prejudice. † IMBD. com. 2009. 22 February 2009 .

Insanity In Hamlet Essay - 975 Words

Questioning the Sanity of Hamlet In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet’s sanity is questionable throughout the play. Insanity is defined as the â€Å"unsoundness of mind or lack of the ability to understand† (Merriam-Webster). In the play, Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, is murdered by Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, in secrecy. To make matter’s worse, Claudius then continues on to get married in an inscetuous relationship with Hamlet’s mother, the queen. Emotions are heightened when Hamlet then see’s a ghost that claim’s to be King Hamlet. The Ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius is the murderer and that Hamlet must seek revenge for his father’s death. In order to protect himself of being accused for treason, Hamlet decides he will act insane as an†¦show more content†¦Hamlet displays intelligence in the pursuit of avenging his father’s death. Hamlet again displays critical thinking when he does not blindly kill but first proves to himself that Claudius is, in fact, guilty. To do this, Hamlet requests a player to perform a play that Hamlet had edited to mimic King Hamlet’s murder. If Claudius â€Å"do blench, I know my course† (Shakespeare, II.ii.626-627), the course being murdering Claudius. By having a reaction to the play, Claudius is inadvertently admitting to Hamlet that he is guilty of murder. Some think that this is not enough evidence to commit treason, however, later in the play the readers learn that Claudius admits to murder in the secrecy of the church; â€Å"my offense is rank, it smells to the heavens; It hath the primal eldest curse upon ‘t, A brother’s murder† (Shakespeare, III.iii.40-42). By admitting his guilt it is know Hamlet is not insane, rather is justified in his pursuit of revenge. It is near impossible for Hamlet to prove Claudius guilty, and the play is the best way he can. It is irrefutable that the play is better than nothing, and this is a clear exhibit of critical thinking a quality insane people cannot posses. During the second appearance of the ghost, Hamlet is the only one who can see it. Many argue this is a sign the ghost is false, and Hamlet is crazy because he can see it. While having a conversation with his mother, Queen Gertrude, Hamlet sees the ghost and converses withShow MoreRelatedInsanity In Hamlet Essay1038 Words   |  5 PagesShakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, the protagonist, Prince Hamlet, is an inconsolable young man who struggles with the death of his father, King Hamlet. Hamlet is confronted by the ghost of his father in the first act and discovers the truth of his father’s death. The Prince is horrified at the disclosure that his Uncle, King Claudius has murdered his father. He also finds himself outraged by his mother’s hasty remarriage; however, the Ghost forbids him to cause her any harm. Hamlet promises to avenge hisRead MoreHamlet Insanity Essay1199 Words   |  5 PagesHamlet’s Insanity Hamlets actions display something of a madman. 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Phyllis Abrahms and Alan Brody in â€Å"Hamlet and the Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy Formula† consider the madness of the heroRead More Madness and Insanity in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay1390 Words   |  6 Pages     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Shakespeares Hamlet, there are two characters that display qualities of insanity.   They are Hamlet and Ophelia.   Although they both appear to be mad at times, their downfall (or supposed downfall) is quite different.   Ophelias crazed characteristics show up and intensify quite rapidly, until she is ultimately led to suicide.   Her madness seems definite, and it is never questioned.   The insanity or sanity of the main character is an arguable question.   The issue can be discussed bothRead More Use of Insanity and Madness in Hamlet Essay1141 Words   |  5 Pages It is or is it not true that Hamlet was faking his insanity? I’m not saying Hamlet was faking the whole thing. 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He communicates withRead MoreEssay on hamlet: sanity vs insanity842 Words   |  4 Pages when he starts to carry out those actions, its it possible to say at what point the stops pretending and starts actually being crazy?†. In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the way others interpret Hamlet’s behavior is different from the way Hamlet views himself. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Hamlet is in a situation where his sanity is turning into insanity. He is like one of those people who tell so many lies that they start believing their own lies. Hamlet’s acting is so vivid to him that, unconsciously