Women And The Workplace English Language Essay

Women And The Workplace English Language Essay In many societies in the whole world women were patronized and viewed as the weaker sex. Women are commonly perceived of not being fit to go to work and because of societal pressure and expectations retreat to a life of raising children and cooking meals at home for their family. This has become a very important issue and the biggest workplace challenges facing women today revolve around gender. Females are earning less than their male counterparts doing the same kind of work or job, encountering with the glass ceiling in the workplace, balancing their families and career, and what will it take to establish a work environment where gender is a non issue, has always been a challenge for them. Objective of this paper In this paper we will try to study the main factors which cause inequality in the workplace between men and women. Most women have difficulty advancing in the corporate world because of the gender differences. There are several factors that lead to the failure of women to be successful. For example, if a man demands his proceeding employees to complete a certain task harshly, almost in a barking manner, each employee will listen to him and will do the work immediately. However, women have to find a different way to place these demands so that she will not seem as harsh or rude. The question is, do they really have to try so hard? Throughout this paper, gender is classified as men or women for convenience. We will try comparing the work of each gender within the workplace and try to find out the differences. We will also try to reason out the challenges that women are facing and find the ways to which they can overcome them, and to examine how the gender roles for women in the workplace have changed or they havent. Literature Review Heilman and Welle (1998) conducted a study whereby the effects of gender diversity initiatives on the perceptions of competence were examined. Carol Gillian wrote, In a Different Voice, where women were struggling to find their place in the corporate World. Two of their biggest challenges involve the glass ceiling that still blocks women at many companies from advancing to their full potential and the formidable task of balancing career, family and personal lives, says Heather Shea in her article. Lahle Wolfe wrote in her book of how Women Can Overcome Challenges in Business and theWorkplace. Methodology Primary Data: The instrument being used here in this paper is the questionnaire. Population: Because of the geographical, time and money constrain, methods of a simple random sampling of a number of people in Delhi which were selected and thus the element of the target population has an equal chance of being selected into the sample. Sample size: A sample size of 30 respondents was taken into account. Secondary Data: Relevant secondary data was gathered from authenticated websites and books. Discussions Each business of corporation involves using gender at the workplace and each individual has their own responsibilities and goals. Even though most people think that the man has the dominant role in the workplace, it is women who do not get full credit and appreciation that she deserve for the work she has done. Even if the women have high recognition in the workplace and has achieved a high level of acceptance, it still seems as if the men won all the glory. The effects of this gender stratification and differences have taken its toll in the corporate world. Most women admit that there is something within themselves that prevents them from advancing to a higher position. However, if the working environment were to be equal then women would feel confident within themselves to take a step up and show the work force what they are all about. The gender diversity was not taken seriously into consideration and most companies have very little knowledge on how to take advantage of it, despit e many efforts to increase diversity of workforce over recent decades, the number of female in the workplace has remained disproportionately low. Although it may not be true for every country, in the USA women now represent approximately half of the working population, while in the UK women constitute just over 50 percent of the total workforce and considerable evidence has been gathered that these women are mostly in the executive level positions. According to leading US research organisation Catalyst, there is a difference between companies that managed to take advantage of gender diversity and those companies that did not. It is therefore very important that organisations should take a closer look at the issue of gender diversity internally within their workforce which will impact the working condition in the workplace. Gender diversity within the workplace was revealed in a study by Heilman and Welle, that gender diversity was a consideration in group member selection increases stereotyping. This gender-role stereotype reflects how peoples perceive the differences in the personality traits and behaviours related to the persons gender. While social change over the past 50 years has been widespread, research has shown that it has not been followed. Although there was a dramatic increase in the number of women participating in the labour force has taken place in the past decade, women have played a secondary role in that work force since the ancient civilization of man. The value of women was and still is viewed as less than that of a man. Traditionally a womens role in society was that of raising children and handling the duties of the household but now most women want and desire careers and their own place in this world. They want to stand on their own two feet, become self-sustaining individuals an d become independent and free of others limits. In todays world, it has become clear that women in all careers are striving to gain equality in the work force. There are many issues that still surround women in the workplace and for a long time women have been at a disadvantage when it came to competing with men. Women were not given the educational opportunities that the men were given and women were stereotyped into certain jobs. For years this discrimination has been fed by gender bias and proven by the fact that women entering the workforce have been paid less than a man for doing the same job. Even though women in the workplace have had the odds stacked against them, they manage to make great contributions towards the organisation that they are working with. Through determination, women have been the driving force in the enactment of laws to protect not only themselves but others in the workplace. These laws are designed not just for protection from gender discrimination but al so protection from discrimination based on marital status, pregnancy, race, disabilities, sexual preference and age. This gives women the ability to break out of the gender roles that were created for them by society long ago. Organisations actually learned from women. In todays workplace women have a unique role that has evolved over the last twenty years. In the past the feminine ability to nurture and to be empathetic were frowned upon or seen as weak. But today, businesses recognize the importance of these softer skills in managing teams, leading, mentoring and developing trust among clients. Today both men and women enter the workplace with a different set of rules. The natural skills that Gillian described in her landmark book, the ability to be empathetic, the ability to listen, the tendency to put people before results were considered negative. In fact, Gillian wrote, Psychologists tended to regard male behaviour as the norm and female behaviour as some kind of deviation from that norm. What Gillian discovered was that men and women played differently as boys and girls. These games led to normative behaviours that transcended into the workplace. What she particularly found was that men were more concerned with rules and women about relation ships. Todays workplace values teams and team work. Teams are built on trust, strong communication, listening, and rapport building. What we have learned over the last 20 years is that bringing women and their unique abilities into the workplace, combined with the male tendency toward competition and results created a longer-lasting and more profitable work environment. Once women stopped trying to be men and instead maximized their strengths, everyone benefited. Lets look at some of the things that have changed in the workplace as a result of a feminine/masculine environment: Teams. There are more teams and teams are the norm. If one cannot work on a team, he/she cannot work in a corporate world. Mentoring and Coaching Programs. Women recognized the need to help other women become successful at work. At first they developed informal mentoring programs for themselves. Now, most companies have mentoring programs or coaching for all new employees. Self-Assessments. Many companies are doing more and more self- assessments to help people learn more about their strengths and weaknesses. Win/Win Leadership. In the past the goal was Win/Lose. In fact the kind of manager who got results regardless of the people he left behind was admired. Today, we search for consensus and opportunities to build relationships through win/win. Most marketing materials target benefits. How can I help youbefore a product is ever sold. Social Consciousness. Many organizations and companies look beyond their products to the impact of that product on the world. Organizations identify these companies. Being environmentally, internationally and socially conscious has become a symbol for the most successful companies. Women have set the pace for a workplace that no longer eats people up, but welcomes them as individuals with a heart, a soul as well as two productive hands. The rules have definitely changed. Work-Related Challenges This is a great time for women in business. There are more opportunities available than ever before, and a high demand for people with leadership, management and marketing skills. At the same time, however, women continue to face challenges in getting ahead, achieving the recognition they deserve, and integrating the career and personal life they most desire. Two of their biggest challenges involve the glass ceiling that still blocks women at many companies from advancing to their full potential and the formidable task of balancing career, family and personal lives , says Heather Shea in the article The Glass Ceiling Those women who can follow a dream or find support within an organization stay long enough. Yet many women reach a point where they feel that nobodys interested in backing or training them. As a result, every 11 seconds, a woman leaves corporate world to start her own business reported The National Foundation for Women Business Owners. The number one reason why, is to pursue their personal dreams. Before making this leap, many of these new entrepreneurs bump up against a glass ceiling in their organization that says, You can advance just this far, but no farther. In fact, too often, instead of cracking over the years, the glass ceiling turn to cement. When women discover they have a harder time than ever moving beyond that ceiling, they ask, Why bother? and move on to create work environments that are more supportive of their goals. Or, these days those who do break through sometimes look around and they dont like what they see which forced them to leave and quit the job. Women need to be realistic about whats holding them back, however. The glass ceiling implies gender issues and these may or may not be the problem. There are other reasons some women dont get promoted. Sometimes, theres a skill they need to learn or a person they need to know, who can help them. There are other reasons women leave companies, too. Maybe theyre not having fun anymore because opportunities are becoming more limited. Whatever the reason, when women feel stuck, its time dust off their skills, look around and reinvent themselves. They need to ask themselves: What is my goal? What excites me? What could I do? What other type of organization might I like to work for? Am I certain I wont run into the same issues there? Do I want to start my own business? If so, they need some self assessment. Starting a company is not right for everyone. Whats the right strategic move? The reality is that while companies are changing, its still going to take more time for the old male-oriented structures to become more woman-friendly. No matter now successful a woman is. Cultural differences remain, and women have to be realistic about how these differences play out in the corporate world. Look closely at how people are treated and promoted within an organisation and Know the gender issues in the environment. Balancing Work and Family. Another major issue for women at work is how to balance work and life. Fortunately, companies are recognizing that part of this balancing-taking care of family matters, including raising children, isnt just a womens issue, but a mans issue, too. Fortune magazine recently ran an issue on fathers at work and the impact that balancing work/family is having on them. Employers also have to deal with the fact that many workers are single parents. This raises many new concerns for women at work. The question for some becomes not only, How do I break through the glass ceiling? But Do I really want to work that hard and make the sacrifices to my family that I need to make in order to break through it? More and more people, including successful and well-known women-and men, are saying, My family comes first. The fact especially that if a single parent and supporter of two young children has definitely influenced the career choices the persons make. It is important for that person to have break fast every morning and dinner at night with his or her children. For a single parent, cancelling major presentations to make sure to show up at the Christmas play or any important event is a common practise in the US. People no longer want to work as a senior executive for a major organization. The strategic move has been to work as a professional speaker with an organization that would give a person more opportunity to be home. From the start, they will have to explain that they will work really hard for an organisation, but whats important also is to spend time with the children. That was a career choice they will have to make. Yes, sometimes making these choices can be career changing, but whats most important is to be true to yourself and your personal priorities. The goal is not to choose work or family. Its to balance and integrate both worlds successfully. Whatever choices ones make, women have experienced that the whole notion of You can have it all in work and life doesnt p lay out quite like they thought it would be. Working mothers, who are actively involved in their families and careers are exhausted. On that note, when balancing work and life, a women have to take care of herself first. Overall, the job market is changing, and more women and men are openly expressing how important balancing work and life is to them. But this is not discouraging because, organizations now adays are discovering that in order to maintain top talent, they have to be family-friendly. Women Role In Society How the society defines a gender is what is the womans role in society is. Men and women are by no means equal. There are always going to be certain attributes of each gender that the other gender cannot duplicate. This does mean that the one is better than the other. Even though we are seeing more and more women succeeding in life than men, our society still defines a woman as unequal. Society has set men and women apart by labeling them. It is common for men to be seen as strong and women to be seen as weak. The society thinks that women cannot do jobs like men do or doesnt fit for them to be; such as firefighters, security force and especially the role of leading a society like a headman, etc and if they do these jobs, the society looks at these women in a negative side because these jobs are masculine and women are not supposed to do these jobs. Furthermore, society defines a woman as a sensitive person; however in order to obtain these jobs, you have to be aggressive and tough a nd a woman is not like that. The gender wage gap is a very objective representation of an accepted form of male dominance, whether it is fair or not. In business, men have always been in control. Now, women are fighting for equality in the workplace. However, our society wants a woman to be a house wife, to just stay home and take care of children. Why should they? They have the right to make their own decisions. If a woman is interested in a job and meets the qualifications that employer requires, she should be considered eligible for that job. The point is that men have treated women as subordinates throughout history because that is what they have been taught by the culture: that women are not equal to men. When it comes to sexuality, the culture still does not defines women as equal. Women should be allowed to do whatever they desire in their heart, just like any men do. I see no reason other than ignorance that woman should be aware of in order to change the societys perception . Challenges For Women At Home And To Overcome Them. If women are going to achieve balance in their lives and be able to have a career and a meaningful life outside of work, they will only achieve it with the good support around them, especially that of their partners. Many men are changing quite considerably around these issues. They are reassessing whether work is the be-all and end-all of everything. They have often learnt it the hard way after a relationship break-up because in the greatest majority of break-ups it is the woman who leaves. She leaves because her needs werent given sufficient weight in the relationship. There are also many young men today who saw their baby boomer fathers make absolute commitments to their jobs only to be retrenched in the later part of their lives by the companies to whom they had given their all. They have learnt from that work isnt everything.These men are much more team players with their women. They understand they are in a partnership and want to work on the work/family balance challenge toge ther, taking their individual and respective needs into consideration. There are, however, still men around with 1950s masculinity, especially in a country like ours, they are happy for their women to work if they can manage it around all their other commitments at home. They expect their working wives to do everything that their stay-at-home mothers did. They expect to have, outside of work, the freedom that their fathers had to do whatever they wanted to do because theyve worked hard all week. Their work is real work. They are the breadwinners. The work their women do is not real. It provides grocery money or school shoe money. When their women get overwhelmed by the responsibility of looking after everyone and everything, these men offer no support except to tell their wives that they will have to leave their job if they cant cope.Many women do because relationships are important to women. But there are other ways around this. Women have to learn how to have those important conversations with the men about teamwork, partnerships and helping one anot her achieve their respective dreams. Challenges For Women In TheWorkplace And To Overcome Them. Women business owners and working women face certain challenges and obstacles that men do not. Working women who have children experience even more demands on time, energy and resources, and women face gender discrimination in business and on the job. But women are not less successful than men, in fact, statistics show that women are starting businesses at more than twice the rate of all other businesses. Women are resourceful, and able to succeed, despite many challenges. Here are ways that women are overcoming the challenges facing women in business. Finding the Right Work-Life Balance For Busy Working Women. Many women struggle with finding better ways to balance work and life and often this guilt comes from outside sources like pressure from husbands, family, and friends. Some women opt to spend more time with their families, while others, like billionaire and super entrepreneur Marilyn Carlson Nelson believe that women should not feel guilty about having a passion for work. Overcoming Gender Discrimination against Women in Business. Gender lines are drawn early, and exclusions for women continue throughout adulthood. Not only are women discriminated against in private businesses, but also by the Federal government. Gender bias begins in elementary school continuing on into college. Even though more women hold higher degrees than men, they are still passed over for jobs that go to less-educated and less-qualified males, and they also receive less compensation than men for the same job. Womens Business Issues and Political Challenges. There are laws that protect women, and laws that hurt women in the workplace and it is important for women to consider how far they have come in legislative changes and how far they have to go. Job Fields and Industries Women in Business Are Dominating. Women do face many challenges including discrimination and are often paid less than men for doing the same job. But there are some industries where women are competing and even dominate. Knowing where women are succeeding can help them decide areas to grow their business and identify obstacles in male-dominated industries. Government Challenges and Resources for Women The Government offers many programs and resources to help business women. But the government is also one of the worse offenders when it comes to discriminating against women in regards to awarding federal contracts. Knowing the resources available to women, this can help them compete better in both the private sector and for Government contracts. Finding Inspiration and Support From Other Business Women on Fire In addition to having a mentor, many women find reading the success stories, tips, and advice from other women who are already successful in business helpful and inspiring. Women in business feature profiles of famous business women, as well as small businesses owned by successful women entrepreneurs, and working moms to encourage you on your own path to success. Analysis of Primary Data From the Primary data collected it is found that 40% of the respondents says that the workplace are changing and there are no gender inequality or women discrimination now in the present workplace. But a different view of the majority of 60% of the respondents admits that Gender inequality still exist now a days. The followings are the different opinions by the respondents during the interview with them. Ritas friend, Jenny Briganza, left her office because Sam Gera, barely a month old in the organization bagged a promotion over her. She quit her job because nobody from her company often made her feel uncomfortable around him. Archita Nayar, an executive with a Delhi based MNC is on the verge of quitting her job. The reason: Her boss recently pulled her cheeks while congratulating her for meeting her monthly targets. Ramakanth Misra, a legal advisor says, In todays world being clueless about your legal rights is not cool, it is like roaming around in a war zone without a shield. As per the Indian legal system women are not helpless at all. They can battle almost any problem under the sun as long as you are aware of their rights. Kamal Mehta, an advocate says, The problem with most women in our society is that they are not aware of their legal rights despite being educated and holding a number of degrees. Atul Gupta, social worker says, Women in our country have ample rights but have been brought up in such a way that they feel scared to raise their voice against injustice. They feel timid to fight back in this male dominated society. Only a handful of them have the guts to file a report or complain. Shalini Jain, HR Manager says, Women feel insecure only because they are ignorant of the power and protection that the Indian Legal System offers them. A number of women suffer at their workplace. Whether it is the corporate world or a small retail outlet, most women have complaints about their bosss inappropriate behaviour. Workplace woes can be sorted out provided you know what to do. Garima Khanna, call centre executive says, I was going crazy at my new office when a group of rowdy boys would corner me whenever they could and bombard sleazy jokes. My boss would never take this seriously. I then made a complaint in writing to the HR (Human Resource) Manager in my organization and immediate action was taken against the lot. Razia Khan, Senior Associate in an MNC says, It was my second job and as per my faith, I had always cover my head with a scarf. My team leader started calling me Taliban just because I was a Muslim. Initially, I ignored his remarks but the teasing continued. I soon realized that his comments were targeted in a communal way. I reported the matter to the ombudsperson in my office and an investigation was carried out in which my Team Leader was found guilty of harassment. Mira Nandi, executive in an event management firm says, I went through a very hard time when my boss hit on me big time. Hed merrily walk past and slap my back or pinch me publicly. I reported sexual harassment and he was fired. Seema Ahuja, a Lawyer says, The Supreme Court says that any act that has a sexual overtone/nature and causes you o feel uncomfortable amounts to sexual harassment. All you need to do is file a written complaint against such behavior to the HR department of your organization and take a receipt for it. There should be a person designated (a woman) to look into these issues as per the guidelines of the Supreme Court as your employer is bound by the law to provide a safe and conductive work environment to all the employees. Another common type of harassment at the workplace is gender bias. If the boss tends to have a soft corner for the male species and treats women like dirt and is even paying women a lesser salary as compared with the male colleagues for the same post and same amount of work done by a women, its high time you read the Equal Remuneration Act to the boss,says Liviana, a Lawyer. Kavita Bishnoi, corporate counselor says, The Equal Remuneration Act is applicable to all employees including those in the private and informal sectors. It states that employees of both genders doing the same or similar work of the same value be paid equal remuneration in cash and kind. Angita Choudhary, trainer in an MNC says, I was infuriated when my boss gave me a call one week after my delivery and said that she was going to fire me because I had not told her that I was planning a baby at the time of joining the organization. It is often difficult to deal with an unsympathetic boss. But even she cant do much about the Maternity Benefits Act. According to the Act a woman is entitled to payment during her maternity leave at the rate at which she was working prior to the leave period. The maximum period of maternity leave you are entitled to is 12 weeks, which can be taken either before or after the delivery. In case of a miscarriage or abortion, you are entitled to six weeks of paid leave. You can only apply for maternity leave if you have worked with the organization for a period of at least 80 days. It is prohibited to employ female employees during the six weeks after a delivery, miscarriage or termination of pregnancy. Conclusion In todays world, stereotypical views about womens suffrage, educational expectations and athletic abilities have all advanced over the years. In many aspects of our society, women are now expected to compete with their male counterparts. Currently, it is not uncommon to hear of a women CEO or Vice President in businesses or even a women politician. Women have now emerged from laundry rooms and kitchens across the country and changed the demographics of the worlds workforce. The best way to safeguard their own interests is to know all about the rights. Sitting with a legal counselor and get to know about it in a few hours is a good way to know all about the rights. Knowledge is power and if Women can make that extra effort to be aware of their rights, this will surely make their future secure at the workplace. After all, it is a choice to work in a healthy atmosphere conducive to growth or take the filth in the name of ignorance and live with it forever. Suggestions This new age mantra is only to remind all the divas that accessing their rights on time shows their smartness and capability of handling themselves. They need to stop feeling sorry for themselves and get rid of the Im the victim sign and fight back. Bibliography Books: In A Different Voice by Carol Gillian How Women Can Overcome Challenges in Business and The Workplace Women in Business Organization: ByJoan Curtis Websites: Articles Women in the Workplace (http://ezinearticles.com/?Women-in-the- Workplaceid=777543) Challenges for Women Leaders (http://womenleadingthefuture.com/blog/challenges-women-leaders-0)

New Deal :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Franklin Roosevelt’s â€Å"optimism and activism that helped restore the badly shaken confidence of the nation† (pg. 467 Out of Many), was addressed in the New Deal, developed to bring about reform to the American standard of living and its low economy. It did not only make an impact during the Great Depression. Although, many of the problems addressed in the New Deal might have been solved, those with the long lasting effect provide enough evidence to illustrate how great a success the role of the New Deal played out in America’s history to make it what it is today. Although, the growth of business was booming and consumption was extremely high during the 1920’s employers failed to equally distribute the benefits to its industrial workers who got the short end of the stick and did not see any profit from productivity. Since there was no law at the time established on how many hours a person was to work and get paid, employers would overwork and underpay the laborers. This became a major problem because it brought about high unemployment rates, which for laborers, the shortage of jobs meant strong competition among each other for finding and keeping a job, and low wages, which brought down consumption. Several of the policies created to specifically help the jobless during that time were, Emergency Relief Appropriations Act (1935) run by the Public Works Administration (PWA), designed for the construction of public building, roads, dams and other projects. Federal Project No. 1, also run by PWA, gave jobs to writers, musicians, and artist. â€Å"The idea was to provide jobs and thus, stimulate the economy through increased consumer spending†. (pg 469 Out of Many)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most benefited policies created through the New Deal for employment, one, the Social Security Act (1935), provides â€Å"old-aged pensions and unemployment insurance. A payroll tax on workers and their employers were created a fund from which retirees received monthly pensions after age sixty-five.† (pg 470 Out of Many) Second, National Labor Relations Act (1935), also known as the Wagner Act, gave Americans the right to form a union and bargain with their employers for better pay and working conditions. Third, and the most important one of all Fair Labor Standard Act (1938), it established a minimum wage and maximum hours for an employee.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Roosevelt’s first order of business as President was to put a halt on the banking system. Congress passed the Emergency Bank Act, which gave him leeway to all banking transactions and foreign exchange.

“I am not that woman” by Kishwar Naheed Essay

Kishwar Naheed, a contemporary Urdu Pakistani poet was born in 1940 in a Syed family of Uttar Pradesh, India. She moved to Pakistan during the partition of sub-continent in 1947. Settling down in the conservative environment of Pakistan, she had to struggle in order to get education. She studied at home and received a high school diploma and went on to receive a Masters degree in Economics from Punjab University. She won many prizes which are a proof of her high literary status. She achieved this high standing in the literary world because of the uncensored voicing of her fight against her society. Being a part of the partition of subcontinent, Naheed witnessed harassment against women and its effect is greatly reflected as we see women subjugation the main focus of Naheed’s poetry. Naheed’s poems â€Å"I Am Not That Woman† and â€Å"The Grass Is Really Like Me† voice the lack of dignity and respect felt by the females and how they come to terms with it. Feminism being Naheed’s forte is the main theme of the two poems. Naheed highlights how females are reduced to mere objects of use with their emotions put aside, are used for physical satiation, thus puts forward the theme of Commodification. Though robbed off the right of opinion by men she still hopes for a better life with equal rights to men introducing the theme of Optimism in her poems. Fathers, brothers and husbands being responsible for the suppressed life a female spends as they are her disloyal guardians and killers of her freedom as well, gives way to the theme of Male Chauvinism. Though making an effort of trying to rise and throwing away the shackles that confine their movement some weak women surrender themselves in the hands of the society thus allowing it to control their life, displaying the theme of Reification in one of the two poems. Naheed very skillfully has made use of poetic devices like Connotation, Symbols, Metaphors and Personification to heighten the impact of her message in the two poems. Discrimination on the part of women was the focus of her attention but apart from being the witness to the violence done to women in the partition of subcontinent, the unjustness on the part of women in the Zia regime was also a reason of her women subjugation being her main focus. General Zia ul Haq’s military dictatorship, Martial Law which lasted from 1977 to 1988 profoundly shaped Naheed’s protest against the undue subjugation that was  contrived on the bases of State-regulation of women’s bodies and sexualities under Zia’s application of the Hudud Ordinances beginning in 1979. Women were deprived of their due rights and even though the ordinance appeared to safeguard women from harassment, the passing of the Law of Evidence in 1983 reduced a woman’s testimony in a court of law to half the value of a man and the implications of such laws on women are worth exploring briefly because in matters of rape and sexual violence (zina) women were profoundly affected. Even if, as Anita Weiss (1985) notes in her study of the women’s movement in Pakistan, the punishment meted out to offenders of zina regardless of sex was constitutionally the same (p. 8), since women’s power of testimony in zina cases was inadmissible in court, the legislation of zina in fact had serious gender biases built into it. Anita Weiss in her article â€Å"Women in Pakistan: Implications of the Current Program of Islamization† tells that when women were convicted for zina offences there was little room for appeal; men, by the same token, were by and large acquitted. While the Hudud Ordinances would have severe repercussions for women’s social standing in Pakistan, this moment in Pakistani political history between the years of 1977-1988 would mark, for the first time, women’s direct participation and protest against the state’s regulation of the hadd (singular of hudud) punishments especially as it concerned women’s bodies and sexualities. Zia ul Haq came up with such laws to cause a step-by-step reduction of women’s power in matters of economic, legal, and educational representation. Confining women to their houses did not stop women like Naheed. She in her own ways through her poetry protested against the authorities and the baseless laws passed out under the Zia regime. Though back then open protest against the authorities was considered illegal, Naheed was unstoppable in voicing her point. Fearless Naheed reached out to all women and not to a particular class and her poetry jolted the complacency in her peo ple as she showed mirror to the men and shook them in their seats as their injustice towards women was captured by Naheed in poetry for public viewing. Poetry written for a cause reached out to the hearts of many. â€Å"I am not that woman† and â€Å"The grass is really like me† are such examples. â€Å"I am not that woman† is about women addressing the males of the society. She is drawing a line between herself and the  degraded women who appear in advertisements and their beauty is used as a tool of selling the products. She says I am a respectable woman who won’t allow her to get insulted by men. She says that even though the men make them stay imprisoned within the four walls of their house, while they enjoy life roaming free as breeze, even then a woman cannot be silenced and she would speak for her rights. She also says that her husband has suppressed her under the constraints of baseless traditions and used her for lovemaking and to bear children who grow up to disrespect their mothers equally but still it won’t stop her from shining and that this oppression cannot mar her hopes of a life that she deserves. Parents are also accused of marrying off their daughters just to  feel free of a burden and to fulfill their duty but she says that the actual need is not only fulfilling duties but to change to conservative mindset of the society which presently do not seem to change. The very first stanza implies the theme of ‘Feminism’ being highlighted as the opening of the poem has a very declarative tone to it and a tone which tells men to keep her separate from the insulted girls in advertisements â€Å"selling you shoes and socks†. Further it forms the picture of a woman who is confined within the four walls of her house while her husband is allowed to have all the freedom of the world as it tells that he roamed â€Å"free as the breeze†. As Kishwar Naheed is known to give voice to the voiceless women so the theme of this very first paragraph seems very familiar to any Asian reader. The reason is that it has described the very dilemma that women of the Asian societies have to face that is they are taught and expected the whole of their lives to stay within the boundaries of her house because of the culture that prevails which does not allow women any progress and freewill. The message put forward in the very start of the poem has a feminist approach as feminism talks of the downtrodden males and females in a society but mainly it advocates the idea of inferior position of females. Though the woman is suppressed still she gives out a message that nothing can keep her from getting her rights. Here the theme of ‘Optimism’ is seen as Kishwar Naheed has put forward the picture of a suppressed woman has been stated already but the oppression has not been able to beat down the hope that sooner or later she would be able to enjoy the life of free will that she deserves as  she says in the first stanza that â€Å"†¦my voice cannot be smothered by sto nes† and she says in the second stanza also that â€Å"I am the one in whose lap you picked flowers†¦planted thorns and embers†¦cannot smother my fragrance†. It tells that even though her husband stole away all the happiness in her life and all she got in return of the suffering were disrespectful children but even they won’t be able to stop her from rising. It’s the males which prevent females from rising further in the poem the theme of ‘Male Chauvinism’ also surfaces. This is a very common feature of the Asian societies that no matter how uncultured and disloyal the male head of family is it is still his orders that are carried out and all the rules and regulations according to the social conventions are to be followed by the women and none of them apply to a male as it says â€Å"I am the one you crushed with the weight if custom and tradition†. Women completely crushed are merely reduced to objects of use thus giving space to the theme of ‘Commodification’ in the poem. The theme of Commodification is also very clear in the poem. Commodification refers to the concept where an individual’s value is reduced merely to that of an object of use plus its feeling are not taken care of as it says â€Å"I am the woman whom you bought and sold in the name of my own chastity†. She considers their marriage as a deal where his husband got hold of her in the form of a loyal object pure from inside without even thinking that she suffered loss in this deal as she did not get a partner she deserved. At another point she says that â€Å"I am the commodity you traded in, my chastity, my motherhood, my loyalty.† She says that her husband had been making unjust use of her goodness and that she still kept on being a good wife and a mother disregarding the fact that his husband never made an attempt to please her. Naheed has very skillfully used certain poetic devices in her poem which enhance the impact of her message. Poetic devices in the poem the main feature is that this poem is written in free verse. Free verse is a form of poetry that does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern it thus tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech. It does not involve any set meter but still it involves a carefully crafted word picture. The first poetic device she has made use of is connotation. Connotation involves the emotional, psychological or social overtones of a  word; its implications and associations apart from its literal meaning. The word ‘smothered’ has been used as a connotation as smothered basically means to cover an object closely or thickly and it also means to stifle or suffocate. This word is used here in connection with smothering the voice of the girl. If taken the dictionary meaning of the word is not usually used in reference to a voice but it being used in this context reinforces the theme of suffocating women within the four walls thus sup pressing her right to have her own say in the society. The word ‘crushed’ is also used a connotation as the dictionary meaning of crushed is to squeeze and deform an object but crushed used with reference to traditions and customs helps to enhance the misery that a female suffers through the baseless customs and traditions. Another poetic device used is the use of symbols. The symbols thorns and chains in the second stanza assert the message of the discomforts that his husband had been treating her with. These symbols tell describe their severity. It’s a short poem with a very few poetic devices. She has made use of a simile in the first stanza. A simile is a direct comparison of two unlike things using â€Å"like† or â€Å"as. She says â€Å"free as the breeze†. It tells that her husband was allowed to enjoy the freedom of going out and had nobody to stop him. In the third stanza she makes use of a metaphor. A metaphor is A direct comparison between two unlike things, stating that one is the other or does the action of  the other. She says in the third stanza â€Å"walk on water†. No human possibly walk on water but the meaning that this metaphor is trying to convey is that this woman is a strong willed person. She never loses hope despite the adverse conditions of her life and it tells that one day she will overcome all obstacles that come in the way of her freedom. â€Å"The grass is really like me† is another poem by Kiswar Naheed. This poem is also about the suppression of women. The writer is comparing the grass with women and says that the only way that the straw of grass can survive is by spreading itself under people’s feet and it implies the fact that the only way a woman can survive in this world is also through spreading herself in front of all, meaning that she has no individual standing of her own. The poem also puts forward the idea that the ones who lack courage are in fact the ones who are never able to rise from the ground. The poet voices the grass and women by  saying that they would not let anyone step over them and that the idea of creating a footpath instead of stepping over them is better but the poem ends with a sad note saying â€Å"the grass is really like me†. Here we see that the poet is being a realist and accepting the stereotypical image of a woman as an underfoot. This poem has a similar tone to that of â€Å"I Am Not That Woman†. Feminism here again is an prominent theme as it talks of the low status given to the women as it gives a degrading image of the grass that has to â€Å"unfurl underfoot to fulfill; itself† . The poet is giving the idea that women have to lay themselves in obedience in front of men and the society in order to survive. This image clearly gives the idea of the unequal status given to the males and females of a society and that how insultingly the females are treated. Although the women are treated unjustly but the poet by saying â€Å"Take my advice: the idea of making a footpath was appropriate† gives out the message that the females do feel bad and they do not want men to step over them in order to walk instead they should change their brutal ways rather than crushing the females down thus bringing forward the theme of Individuality. The poem in its flow gives out a complete message termed as Reification. Reification is a silent acceptance of the treatment provided by the superstructure that is the tyrants to the ones forming the base that is the victims. The poem starts by giving out the general situation of a suppressed woman in a society but then as she moves forward she gives the idea of using a footpath instead of crushing the grass she is giving the idea of having an individuality stating that women must try to rise but then as the poem ends with a sad tone saying that â€Å"The grass is really like me† tells that though ask ing the other women to be brave the poet is being a realist and she has surrendered in the hands of the society and accepting the ill treatment given to her by the males. A similar theme is found in the novel â€Å"Surfacing† by Margaret Atwood in which the unnamed protagonist of the novel tried to create her mark in the world but tired of doing so she surrenders to the puppeteers namely the authorities of religion, politics and the patriarchs of the society thus making them control her life. This poem does not have any fixed meter as it is written in free verse and does not follow any fixed meter. Personification is used as a technique by the poet. Personification is  attributing human characteristics to an inanimate object, animal, or abstract idea. The poet has compared women to the straws of grass. It defines the low status that the women have in this male dominated society and are reduced to objects to be kept at ground level. This poem has very less poetic devices. The symbol of â€Å"lawn owner† is a prominent one. It symbolizes the males of our society and how they are obsessed with leveling women back to the ground level if th ey try to rise. Kishwar Naheed in both her poems has made women her main focus and how she fights to gain individuality and males making a constant attempt to make her fall to the ground.

The Complex Nature Of Major Infrastructure Projects

ROBERT GORDON UNIVERSITY THE PLANNING FALLACY STEINBACH, KEVIN (1512052) MSC PROJECT MANAGEMENT SUM104 - PROJECT PLANNING AND CONTROL DOMINIC AHIAGA-DAGBUI 2ND NOVEMBER 2015 424 WORDS 1. Introduction The complex nature of major infrastructure projects means they are heavily dependent on effective teamwork and integration between parties for their success. Gajendran and Brewer (2012) state that these aspects of project management are critical to the success of any project, however it is clear that implementing these effectively in a real life context remains a significant hurdle. Numerous projects in the UK continue to experience significant problems and face challenges as a result. Background This part of the introduction is simply a summary of your interpretation of the assignment brief and is commonly referred to as ‘explaining the terms of reference’. Also define any terms that may be new to the reader. Aims and objectives This section provides information on the overall purpose (aim) of your work and the areas to be covered (objectives) within it. For the latter you could use the following: â€Å"This report comprises five main parts. It will begin with.... and then......... Next it will.......Conclusions will then be drawn and six recommendations offered† (Robb 1997 p. 15). Essay Question: Italy on the eve of 1860 has often been described as an unlikely nation. Why? On the eve of 1860 the word Italy described not a nation, but aShow MoreRelatedBuilding Finance And Operate For Procuring A Major Public Sector Project907 Words   |  4 PagesThe basis of Design Build Finance and Operate for procuring a major public sector project For the past twenty years, as stated by Gil (2013) , the new way by which the rapid demand of the public in terms of social vertical and horizontal infrastructures are manage is generally referred to as the Public Private Partnership (PPP). 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