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Sunday, July 18, 2004
Went out to catch a SNGS ELDDS production entitled unBound last night. The production was rather thought-provoking, in my opinion. What does it mean for a woman to be unbound?A woman can be truly unbound,only through education. It is only through education that a woman can acknowledge her rights,and realise that she is,and should be on a level playing ground with her male counterparts.
In the past,when women were uneducated, they thought that their role as women was merely to get married,have lots of babies,and take care of their families.Women were supposed to obey their fathers,and husbands when they got married.Women were expected to be dutiful wives,being with their husbands in life, and in some cultures, even in death. Like in olden India when women were expected to throw themselves into their deceased husbands' funeral pyre.
However, as education for women became more widespread, they began to realise that their roles as women were not restricted merely to that in the home and family. Women began to realise that they too,should be treated equally.That they should not be subject to gender discrimination that has plagued women since time in memory.
It is undeniable that we women have come a long way since the feminist movement, but are we women truly unbound? I beg to differ. Women still receive lower salaries as opposed to males in the same position. No doubt that in Singapore, men do NS and we should pay them their dues,women in countries like the US still receive lower starting salaries.Moreover,there are numerous employers who feel that women are not worth employing because they can get pregnant and have to take time off for pre-natal checkups when they are pregnant. Also, women are entitled to take maternity leave after giving birth.
While women are asking for more rights, I feel that women must realise that they cant have their cake and eat it. If there ever comes a day when we women can be regarded as equal to men, don't ever ask for special treatment of the "fairer sex".If we still ask for "special treatment", then we certainly will be undermining our efforts to be on par with the males.
*| 3:24 AM |*
