Gender inequality in Canada

Gender inequality in Canada Do you think gender inequality exists in Canada? Why or why not? The term gender describes the physical difference between people. Gender gives an individual personal a trait that the societies commonly attach to as being either of male or female gender. Gender inequality on the other hand is unequal distribution of privileges between men and women in terms of different issues like employment opportunity, wealth, and power position.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Gender inequality in Canada specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Women are the most affected victims of gender inequality and they deserve a top priority among any other group as action to address inequality issues are being put across. Canada is described as a society that lives in denial of the fact that there exist gender inequality issues. The persistence in gender inequities is becoming a major problem as Canadians seem even more confused on issues pertain ing gender and how to address the problem. According to (Naiman 123), although it is certain that men and women have actual differences particularly physically, most of the social indifference perception are not because of the biological connotation but because of the over time cultural practices and beliefs. There exists some kind of gender discrimination in markets as well as in systems of public provision and due to its prevalence presence associated with factors outside the household they are shaping peoples perception about gender inequality. The significance of women unpaid work for their capacity to respond to market signals shows inequality. Gender inequality extends in societies where there exist unequal roles, responsibilities and distribution of resources in the household. This leads to men and women feeling constrained in their response behaviors. What is heterosexism? Heterosexism is predisposition towards people who are heterosexual who include gay, lesbians, bisexuals and the transgender (GLBT) members of the community, the word is commonly used to express societal institutions biasness in wanting people to behave as if they are all heterosexual. Heterosexism firmly embeds the existing customs and traditions of the society. It depicts the ideological system that disgraces any person who is not heterosexual. An individual who claims to be homosexual is usually seen as abnormal because the society believes that only heterosexuals are normal beings. Heterosexism seeks to judge these particular groups of people (GLBT) making them appears as weak, low social status and inferior as compared to the ‘straight’ people. It allows the society to make judgments towards them and deny the homosexuals the same rights and privileges given to the heterosexuals members. What are some key gender issues in contemporary Canada? In the 20th century the Canadian state introduced policies and programs that defined a new form of citizenship in Canada. Women could now vote while human rights legislations protected basic freedoms and prohibited fundamental forms of discrimination. Despite these efforts, there is evidence that there are certain groups of people who are privileged over others.Advertising Looking for essay on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Gender role defines the attitude and activities communities believe to best suite different sexes. This is among many issues related to gender. In contemporary Canada context the male is obligated to be an ambitious person and every competitive while his female counterpart is expected to be fragile and emotional. Gender biasness is also experienced in most parts of Canada as many women continue to experience sexual discrimination, unequal treatment, and unfairness. Another gender issue is superiority. Males are perceived as superior beings more competent than women even though there are several instances where by women are equally as intelligent as men this is why they are underrepresented in important professional fields like medicine, engineering and law (Naiman 233). Schools are known to encourage boys to attain good grades in mathematics and science as compared to girls. Canadian government is encouraged to ensure that men and women have equal rights and opportunities in all areas of the economy and the society to achieve a sustainable social and economical development. Work Cited Kuper Island: return to the healing circle. Dir. Welsh Christine and Peter Campbell. Gumboot Production.1998. DVD Naiman Joanne. How Societies Work: Class, Power and Change in a Canadian Context. Winnipeg. Fernwood Pub. 2008. Print

Why Its Important to Read Beowulf

Why Its Important to Read Beowulf In the film Annie Hall, Diane Keaton confesses to Woody Allen her interest in attending some college classes. Allen is supportive, and has this bit of advice: Just dont take any course where you have to read Beowulf. Yes, its funny; those of us who, by professorial demand, have plowed through books written in other centuries know just what he means. Yet its sad, too, that these ancient masterpieces have come to represent a form of scholastic torture. Why bother anyway? you may ask. Literature isnt history, and I want to know what actually happened, not some story about unrealistic heroes who never existed. However, for anyone truly interested in history, I think there are some valid reasons to bother. Medieval literature is history a piece of evidence from the past. While the stories told in epic poems can rarely be taken for actual fact, everything about them illustrates the way things were at the time they were written. These works were morality pieces as well as adventures. The heroes embodied the ideals to which knights of the times were encouraged to strive, and the villains performed actions they were cautioned against and got their comeuppance in the end. This was especially true of Arthurian tales. We can learn much from examining the ideas people had then of how one ought to behave which, in many ways, are like our own views. Medieval literature also provides modern readers with intriguing clues to life in the Middle Ages. Take, for example, this line from The Alliterative Morte Arthure (a fourteenth-century work by an unknown poet), where the king has ordered his Roman guests to be given the finest accommodations available: In chambers with chimpnees they changen their weedes. At a time when the castle was the height of comfort, and all the castle folk slept in the main hall to be near the fire, individual rooms with heat were signs of great wealth, indeed. Read further in the poem to find what was considered fine food: Pacockes and plovers in platters of gold / Pigges of pork despine that pastured never (piglets and porcupines); and Grete swannes full swithe in silveren chargeours, (platters) / Tartes of Turky, taste whom them likes . . . The poem goes on to describe a sumptuous feast and the finest tableware, all of which knocked the Romans off their feet. The likely popularity of surviving medieval works is another reason to study them. Before they were set to paper these tales were told by hundreds of minstrels in court after court and castle after castle. Half of Europe knew the tales in The Song of Roland or El Cid, and everyone knew at least one Arthurian legend. Compare that to the place in our lives of popular books and films (try to find someone who never saw Star Wars), and it becomes clear that each tale is more than a single thread in the fabric of medieval life. How, then, can we ignore these literary pieces when seeking the truth of history? Perhaps the best reason for reading medieval literature is its atmosphere. When I read Beowulf or Le Morte DArthur, I feel as if I know what it was like to live in those days and to hear a minstrel tell the story of a great hero defeating an evil foe. That in itself is worth the effort. I know what youre thinking: Beowulf is so long I couldnt possibly finish it in this lifetime, especially if I have to learn Old English first. Ah, but fortunately, some heroic scholars in years past have done the hard work for us, and have translated many of these works into modern English. This includes Beowulf! The translation by Francis B. Gummere retains the alliterative style and pacing of the original. And dont feel you have to read every word. I know some traditionalists would wince at this suggestion, but Im suggesting it anyway: try looking for the juicy bits first, then go back to find out more. An example is the scene where the ogre Grendel first visits the kings hall (section II): Found within it the atheling bandasleep after feasting and fearless of sorrow,of human hardship. Unhallowed wight,grim and greedy, he grasped betimes,wrathful, reckless, from resting-places,thirty of the thanes, and thence he rushedfain of his fell spoil, faring homeward,laden with slaughter, his lair to seek. Not quite the dry stuff you imagined, is it? It gets better (and more gruesome, too!). So be as brave as Beowulf, and face the fearsome fables of the past. Perhaps youll find yourself by a roaring fire in a great hall, and hear inside your head a tale told by a troubadour whose alliteration is much better than mine.