essay on a woman

5 Women Empowerment Essays Everybody Should Read

What does “women’s empowerment” mean? It refers to the process of giving women control over their choices and access to the opportunities and resources that allow them to thrive. While there’s been progress, gender inequality remains a persistent issue in the world. Empowering women politically, socially, economically, educationally, and psychologically helps narrow the gap. Here are five essays about women’s empowerment that everyone should read:

Women’s Movements and Feminist Activism (2019)

Amanda Gouws & Azille Coetzee

This editorial from the “Empowering women for gender equity” issue of the journal Agenda explores the issue’s themes. It gives a big picture view of the topics within. The issue is dedicated to women’s movements and activism primarily in South Africa, but also other African countries. New women’s movements focus on engaging with institutional policies and running campaigns for more female representation in government. Some barriers make activism work harder, such as resistance from men and funding, If you’re interested in the whole issue, this editorial provides a great summary of the main points, so you can decide if you want to read further.

Agenda is an African peer-viewed academic journal focusing on feminism. It was established in 1987. It publishes articles and other entries, and tutors young writers.

5 Powerful Ways Women Can Empower Other Women (2020)

Pavitra Raja

Originally published during Women’s History Month, this piece explores five initiatives spearheaded by women in the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship community. Created by women for women, these innovations demonstrate what’s possible when women harness their skills and empower each other. The initiatives featured in this article embrace technology, education, training programs, and more.

Pavitra Raja is the Community Manager for social entrepreneurs in Europe, North America, and Latin America. She’s consulted with the UN Economic Commission for Europe and also has experience in legal affairs and policy in the private and public sectors.

The Key to Improving Women’s Health in Developing Countries (2019)

Because of gender inequality, women’s health is affected around the world. Factors like a lower income than men, more responsibilities at home, and less education impact health. This is most clear in developing countries. How can this be addressed? This essay states that empowerment is the key. When giving authority and control over their own lives, women thrive and contribute more to the world. It’s important that programs seeking to end gender inequality focus on empowerment, and not “rescue.” Treating women like victims is not the answer.

Axa is a leading global insurer, covering more than 100 million customers in 57 countries. On their website, they say they strive for the collective good by working on prevention issues, fighting climate change, and prioritizing protection. The company has existed for over 200 years.

Empowering Women Is Smart Economics (2012)

Ana Revenga and Sudhir Shetty

What are the benefits of women’s empowerment? This article presents the argument that closing gender gaps doesn’t only serve women, it’s good for countries as a whole. Gender equality boosts economic productivity, makes institutions more representative, and makes life better for future generations. This piece gives a good overview of the state of the world (the data is a bit old, but things have not changed significantly) and explores policy implications. It’s based on the World Bank’s World Development Report in 2012 on gender equality and development.

Ana Revenga and Sudhir Shetty both worked at the World Bank at the time this article was originally published. Revenga was the Sector Director of Human Development, Europe and Central Asia. Shetty (who still works at the World Bank in a different role) was the Sector Director, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management, East Asia and Pacific.

The Side Of Female Empowerment We Aren’t Talking About Enough (2017)

Tamara Schwarting

In this era of female empowerment, women are being told they can do anything, but can they? It isn’t because women aren’t capable. There just aren’t enough hours in the day. As this article says, women have “more to do but no more time to do it.” The pressure is overwhelming. Is the image of a woman who can “do it all” unrealistic? What can a modern woman do to manage a high-stakes life? This essay digs into some solutions, which include examining expectations and doing self-checks.

Tamara Schwarting is the CEO of 1628 LTD, a co-working community space of independent professionals in Ohio. She’s also an executive-level consultant in supply chain purchasing and business processes. She describes herself as an “urbanist” and has a passion for creative, empowering work environments.

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About the author, human rights careers.

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The Way We Live Now

What Makes a Woman a Woman?

By Peggy Orenstein

• Sept. 11, 2009

There is a painting by Richard Prince hanging in the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, a purple canvas bisected by one line of chartreuse type that reads : “I met my first girl, her name was Sally. Was that a girl, was that a girl. That’s what people kept asking.” That refrain echoed in my head as I pored over the photos of 18-year-old Caster Semenya, the South African track star whose biological sex was called into question last month after she annihilated her competition, winning the 800-meter world championship in significantly less time than her own previous finishes.

Was that a girl, was that a girl. That’s what people kept asking.

Semenya’s saga was made for the news media. A girl who may not be a girl! That chest! Those arms! That face! She was the perfect vehicle for nearly any agenda: was this another incidence of people calling into question black female athletes’ femininity (the Williams sisters, the basketball legend Sheryl Swoopes)? Was it sexist to assume women were incapable of huge leaps in athletic performance? Should all female athletes be gender-verified, as they were in Olympic competition until 1999? (The practice was dropped because no competitive edge was proved for the few women with rare disorders of sex development — it served only to humiliate them.) Should the entire practice of sex-segregating sports be abandoned?

I had my own reasons to be fascinated by Semenya’s story: I related to it. Not directly — I mean, no one has ever called my biological sex into question. No one, that is, except for me. After my breast-cancer diagnosis at age 35, I was told I almost certainly had a genetic mutation that predisposed me to reproductive cancers. The way I could best reduce my risk would be to surgically remove both of my breasts and my ovaries. In other words, to amputate healthy body parts. But not just any parts: the ones associated in the most primal way with reproduction, sexuality, with my sense of myself as female. Even without that additional blow, breast cancer can feel like an assault on your femininity. Reconstructing the psyche becomes as much a part of going through treatment as reconstructing the body.

In the weeks that followed my diagnosis, during that heightened, crystalline time of fear and anxiety, I was not, I, admit, at my most rational. So I began to fret: without breasts or hormone-producing ovaries, what would the difference be, say, between myself and a pre-op female-to-male transsexual? Other than that my situation was involuntary? That seemed an awfully thin straw on which to base my entire sense of womanhood. What, precisely, made me a girl anyway? Who got to decide? How much did it matter?

When I was in college, in the early 1980s, the gospel was that the whole enchilada of gender was a social construct: differences between boys and girls were imposed by culture, rather than programmed by chromosomes and chemicals, and it was time to divest ourselves of them. That turned out to be less true than feminists of the era might have wished: physiology, not just sisterhood, is powerful. While femininity may be relative — slipping and sliding depending on the age in which you live, your stage of life, what you’re wearing (quick: do tailored clothes underscore or undercut it?) even the height of the person standing next to you — biology, at least to some degree, is destiny, though it should make no never mind to women’s rights or progress.

Even as I went on as a journalist to explore ideas about gender, I took the fact of my own for granted: as for most people — men and women alike — it was so clear to me as to be invisible. I was unnerved, then, to discover not only that it could be so easily threatened but also how intense that threat felt. That, too, gave me pause: why should being biologically male or female still be so critical to our self-definition? Is it nature — an evolutionary imperative to signal with whom we can reproduce? Is it nurture? Either way, and regardless of our changing roles and opportunities, it is profound.

And yet, identity is not simply the sum of our parts. That’s what makes Semenya — whose first name is usually conferred on a boy but happens to be Greek for “beaver” — so intriguing. Science may or may not be able to establish some medical truth about her, something that will be relevant on the playing field. But I doubt that will change who she considers herself to be. According to Sheri Berenbaum, a professor of psychology and pediatrics at Penn State who studies children with disorders of sex development, even people with ambiguous biology tend to identify as male or female, though what motivates that decision remains unclear. “People’s hormones matter,” she said, “but something about their rearing matters too. What about it, though, no one really knows.”

There is something mysterious at work, then, that makes us who we are, something internally driven. Maybe it’s about our innate need to categorize the world around us. Maybe it arises from — or gives rise to — languages that don’t allow for neutrality. My guess, however, is that it’s deeper than that, something that transcends objectivity, defies explanation. That’s what I concluded about myself, anyway. Although I have, so far, opted to hang onto my body parts (and still wonder, occasionally, if I would feel differently were, say, a kidney or an arm at issue), I know that my sex could never really be changed by any surgeon’s scalpel. Why not? Perhaps because of the chemistry set I was born with, one that Semenya may or may not share. Perhaps merely because . . . I say so. And maybe that will have to be enough.

Peggy Orenstein, a contributing writer, is the author of “Waiting for Daisy,” a memoir.

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What Does It Mean to Be a Woman: Understanding the Essence and Experience

Being a woman encompasses a multitude of experiences, perspectives, and identities. When we consider what it means to be a woman, it goes beyond biological definitions. It is about embracing the unique challenges and strengths that come with identifying as female.

To me, being a woman means navigating societal expectations while staying true to oneself. It means finding empowerment in our choices and supporting other women along the way. As women, we often face obstacles and biases that can hinder our progress, but it is through resilience and determination that we continue to break barriers and make strides towards equality.

In today’s ever-evolving world, the definition of womanhood continues to expand. It is inclusive of transgender women who bravely embrace their true selves and contribute to the rich tapestry of femininity. Being a woman means recognizing that gender is not binary but exists on a spectrum.

As we explore what it truly means to be a woman, let us celebrate the diversity within our community and champion each other’s successes. Together, we can redefine societal norms and create a future where every individual feels seen, heard, and valued for who they are.

The Historical Significance of Womanhood

The historical significance of womanhood is a complex and multifaceted topic that has evolved over time. It encompasses the roles, rights, and experiences of women in different societies throughout history. Exploring this subject sheds light on the struggles, achievements, and contributions of women that have shaped our world. Let’s delve into some examples and key moments that highlight the historical significance of womanhood:

• Suffragette Movement: One of the pivotal moments in women’s history is the suffragette movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Women fought tirelessly for their right to vote, challenging societal norms and demanding political equality. The suffragettes’ determination paved the way for significant progress towards gender equality.
• Women in World War II: During World War II, women took on vital roles previously reserved for men on the home front while men were at war. They worked in factories, served as nurses, operated machinery, and contributed significantly to war efforts globally. This period marked a turning point in challenging traditional gender roles.
• Feminist Movements: Throughout history, various feminist movements have emerged worldwide advocating for equal rights for women. From first-wave feminism focusing on suffrage to second-wave feminism addressing reproductive rights and workplace discrimination, these movements have had a profound impact on shaping policies and societal attitudes toward women .
• Trailblazers in Science: Despite facing significant barriers due to gender biases, many pioneering female scientists have made groundbreaking discoveries throughout history. Notable figures like Marie Curie (who discovered radioactivity) and Rosalind Franklin (who contributed to understanding DNA structure) defied societal expectations and advanced scientific knowledge.
• Women’s Rights Activism: From influential figures like Malala Yousafzai fighting for girls’ education to activists like Gloria Steinem advocating for reproductive rights, countless individuals continue to fight against gender-based discrimination today, both locally and globally.

These examples merely scratch the surface of the historical significance of womanhood. They demonstrate how women have challenged societal norms, fought for their rights, and contributed to various fields despite facing significant obstacles. Understanding this history helps us appreciate the progress made while recognizing the ongoing struggle for gender equality.

Exploring the Biological Aspects of Being a Woman

When it comes to understanding what it means to be a woman, exploring the biological aspects is essential. These aspects shed light on the unique characteristics and experiences that shape the female identity. Let’s dive into some key points:

• Chromosomal Makeup: One of the fundamental biological distinctions between males and females lies in their chromosomal makeup. Women typically have two X chromosomes (XX), while men have one X and one Y chromosome (XY). This genetic difference contributes to various physical and physiological differences observed between males and females.
• Reproductive System: The female reproductive system plays a central role in defining womanhood. From puberty through menopause, women undergo significant hormonal fluctuations that regulate their menstrual cycles, fertility, and pregnancy-related processes. It is through this intricate system that women can conceive, nurture, and give birth to new life.
• Secondary Sexual Characteristics: Women possess distinctive secondary sexual characteristics that develop during puberty under the influence of hormones like estrogen. These include breast development, widening of hips, redistribution of body fat, and growth of pubic hair. These changes contribute to both physical appearance and functionality specific to the female body.
• Hormonal Influences: Hormones significantly impact various aspects of a woman’s life beyond reproduction alone. Estrogen levels affect bone density, cardiovascular health, emotional well-being, cognition, and more. Progesterone also plays a crucial role in regulating the menstrual cycle and preparing the body for potential pregnancy.
• Aging Process: The aging process brings about unique challenges for women as their bodies undergo hormonal changes associated with menopause. This transition marks the end of reproductive years but also has implications for overall health and well-being due to shifts in hormone production.

Understanding these biological aspects helps us appreciate the diverse experiences encountered by women throughout their lives—physically, emotionally, and socially.

As we explore further into other sections of this article, we’ll delve into the societal, cultural, and personal dimensions that contribute to the multifaceted nature of womanhood. Stay tuned for more insights on what it truly means to be a woman in today’s world.

Societal Expectations and Gender Roles

When exploring the concept of what it means to be a woman, one cannot ignore the influence of societal expectations and gender roles. These factors play a significant role in shaping women’s experiences, behaviors, and opportunities. Let’s dive into this complex topic by examining some examples:

• Traditional Gender Roles: Throughout history, society has placed certain expectations on individuals based on their gender. Women have often been assigned domestic responsibilities like caregiving, housekeeping, and child-rearing. These traditional gender roles can limit women’s choices and reinforce stereotypes about femininity.
• Workplace Inequality: Despite progress in recent years, gender inequality persists in many workplaces. Women continue to face challenges such as lower pay compared to male counterparts for doing the same job and limited representation in leadership positions. These disparities stem from deeply ingrained biases and societal norms that undervalue women’s contributions.
• Beauty Standards: Society often imposes narrow beauty standards on women, which can lead to body image issues and low self-esteem. The media frequently portrays an idealized version of femininity that is unattainable for most women. This pressure to conform to unrealistic beauty ideals can have detrimental effects on mental health.
• Double Standards: Women are often held to different standards than men when it comes to behavior and choices they make. For example, assertive behavior may be seen positively in men but negatively labeled as aggressive or bossy in women. This double standard reinforces stereotypes about how women should behave and limits their autonomy.
• Reproductive Expectations: Society places significant emphasis on motherhood as an essential aspect of womanhood, creating expectations around marriage and starting a family at a certain age or stage of life. This pressure can create feelings of inadequacy or exclusion for those who do not wish to follow traditional paths or face difficulties conceiving.

It is important to recognize that these societal expectations are not universal and vary across cultures, communities, and time periods. However, they continue to influence women’s experiences in significant ways. By acknowledging and challenging these expectations, we can work towards creating a more inclusive and equitable society for all genders.

As we continue our exploration of what it means to be a woman, it is crucial to consider the impact of societal expectations and gender roles on women’s lives. By understanding these dynamics, we can strive for a future where everyone can embrace their authentic selves, free from restrictive norms and stereotypes.

Challenging Stereotypes and Breaking Barriers

When it comes to the concept of being a woman, challenging stereotypes and breaking barriers becomes an integral part of the journey. Society has often placed women in predefined boxes, limiting their potential and imposing expectations on them. However, many incredible individuals have risen above these constraints, proving that being a woman is not about conforming to societal norms but rather defying them.

• Shattering Gender Roles: One inspiring example of challenging stereotypes is the increasing number of women who are entering traditionally male-dominated fields such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). From pioneering scientists to groundbreaking engineers, these women are redefining what it means to be successful in careers that were once considered off-limits for females. Their accomplishments not only challenge gender biases but also inspire future generations to pursue their passions without limitations.
• Advocating for Equal Rights: Another way women challenge stereotypes is through their tireless advocacy for equal rights. Throughout history, women have fought relentlessly for gender equality, pushing boundaries and demanding recognition for their contributions. From suffragettes fighting for the right to vote to activists championing reproductive rights and workplace equality today, these courageous individuals refuse to accept societal norms that limit opportunities based on gender.
• Empowering Voices: In recent years, social media platforms have provided a powerful tool for women to amplify their voices and share experiences that challenge stereotypes head-on. The rise of online communities dedicated to feminism has created spaces where women can connect with one another, share stories of triumphs over adversity, and provide support in the face of discrimination or prejudice. These digital platforms have become catalysts for change by enabling conversations about body positivity, mental health awareness, intersectionality, and other important topics.
• Redefining Beauty Standards: Women are also breaking barriers by redefining traditional beauty standards imposed by society’s narrow definitions. The body positivity movement has gained momentum, promoting self-acceptance and celebrating diverse body shapes, sizes, and colors. Influential figures in the fashion industry are challenging the long-standing notion that beauty only comes in one form by featuring models of different ethnicities, ages, and body types on runways and in advertising campaigns.
• Nurturing Leadership: Women are not just breaking barriers individually; they are also collectively empowering one another to take on leadership roles. Initiatives like mentorship programs and networking groups provide support systems for women to grow professionally and ascend into positions of power. As more women occupy leadership roles across various sectors, they inspire others to believe in their own capabilities and challenge the notion that leadership is solely a male domain.

By challenging stereotypes and breaking barriers, women continue to redefine societal perceptions of what it means to be a woman. Through their resilience, determination, and unwavering spirit, they pave the way for future generations to thrive without limitations or preconceived notions.

Empowerment and Feminism

When it comes to the topic of empowerment and feminism, there are numerous aspects to consider. In today’s society, the concept of empowering women has gained significant traction as it seeks to challenge traditional gender roles and promote gender equality. Let’s delve into a few examples that highlight the importance and impact of empowerment and feminism:

• Economic Empowerment: Economic empowerment plays a crucial role in advancing women’s rights and achieving gender equality. It involves providing women with equal access to opportunities, resources, education, and job prospects. When women are economically empowered, they can break free from financial dependence, contribute to household income, make independent decisions about their lives, and invest in their own futures.
• Political Empowerment: Political empowerment focuses on increasing women’s participation in decision-making processes at all levels of governance. This includes encouraging their involvement in politics, leadership positions, policy-making bodies, and other influential roles. By having more diverse perspectives represented in political arenas, societies can benefit from inclusive policies that address the needs of all citizens.
• Social Empowerment: Social empowerment aims to challenge societal norms and stereotypes that limit women’s potential. It involves fostering an environment where women feel safe and supported to pursue their aspirations without facing discrimination or prejudice. Through initiatives such as education campaigns against gender-based violence or promoting equal opportunities for girls in sports or STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), social empowerment helps dismantle barriers that hinder progress.
• Intersectionality in Feminism: It is essential to recognize the intersectionality within feminism – acknowledging that different individuals face unique challenges based on race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and disability status, among other factors – when discussing empowerment efforts fully. By embracing an intersectional approach within feminism, movements focus not only on gender but also on addressing overlapping systems of oppression for more inclusive progress.
• The Power of Solidarity: Feminism thrives on solidarity and collective action. Empowering women involves creating a supportive network where individuals can come together to advocate for gender equality, amplify each other’s voices, and challenge discriminatory practices. Whether it’s through grassroots movements, online activism, or community organizations, the power of solidarity has the potential to create lasting change.

Remember that these examples are just a starting point in understanding empowerment and feminism; there is much more to explore within this vast topic. By continuing to educate ourselves and engage in meaningful conversations about gender equality, we can contribute to a more inclusive and empowered world for all.

Navigating Gender Identity and Expression

Understanding and navigating gender identity and expression is a complex journey that individuals embark on to discover their authentic selves. It encompasses the exploration of one’s internal sense of being male, female, or non-binary, as well as how they choose to express themselves outwardly. Let’s delve into this topic further by examining a few examples:

• Personal Exploration: For many individuals, understanding their gender identity involves introspection and self-reflection. They may question societal expectations and norms surrounding gender roles, leading them to explore the possibility of identifying with a different gender than assigned at birth. This process often involves seeking support from friends, family, or professionals who can provide guidance and resources.
• Non-Binary Identities: Non-binary individuals challenge the traditional binary concept of gender by identifying outside of the categories of male or female. They may embrace fluidity in their gender expression and feel comfortable embracing characteristics typically associated with both genders or neither. This inclusive approach allows for greater freedom of self-expression.
• Gender Expression: How one chooses to express their gender externally is an important aspect of personal identity and can vary greatly from person to person. Some individuals may align their appearance with societal expectations for their identified gender, while others might intentionally subvert these expectations through clothing choices, hairstyles, or other forms of self-expression.
• Intersectionality: It’s crucial to recognize that navigating gender identity intersects with various aspects of an individual’s life, such as race, culture, religion, disability status, socioeconomic background, etc. These intersecting identities shape unique experiences within society and influence how someone navigates their own path towards self-discovery.
• Supportive Communities: Building supportive communities plays a vital role in helping individuals navigate their journey of understanding gender identity and expression successfully. LGBTQ+ organizations provide safe spaces where people can connect with others who share similar experiences while accessing valuable resources such as counseling services or educational materials.

As we continue to explore the multifaceted nature of gender identity and expression, it’s essential to approach this topic with empathy and respect for individuals’ lived experiences. By fostering a society that values diversity and inclusivity, we can create a more accepting world where everyone feels empowered to express their true selves.

Embracing Diversity within Womanhood

When it comes to understanding what it means to be a woman, embracing diversity is crucial. The concept of womanhood encompasses a wide range of experiences, identities, and perspectives. In this section, we’ll explore how embracing diversity within womanhood can lead to empowerment and inclusivity for all.

• Celebrating Different Backgrounds: One of the most beautiful aspects of womanhood is that it transcends cultural boundaries. Women come from various ethnicities, religions, socioeconomic backgrounds, and nationalities. Embracing this diversity means acknowledging and celebrating the unique experiences that shape each woman’s identity. By recognizing the richness that different backgrounds bring to the table, we create a space where all women feel seen and valued.
• Embracing Intersectionality: Womanhood intersects with other dimensions of identity such as race, class, sexual orientation, disability status, and more. Recognizing this intersectionality allows us to understand that every woman’s experience is shaped by multiple factors simultaneously. It helps us avoid making sweeping generalizations about what it means to be a woman based on one aspect alone. Embracing intersectionality fosters empathy and encourages allyship among women from various walks of life.
• Challenging Stereotypes: Society often imposes narrow definitions of femininity onto women, perpetuating harmful stereotypes that limit individuality and self-expression. Embracing diversity within womanhood involves challenging these stereotypes by creating spaces where all women can confidently embrace their authentic selves without judgment or pressure to conform.
• Amplifying Voices: Within any group or community, there are voices that tend to dominate while others remain marginalized or unheard altogether. Embracing diversity within womanhood requires actively seeking out those voices that have been historically silenced or overlooked due to systemic biases or discrimination. By amplifying diverse voices through platforms like social media or public discourse, we can foster an environment in which every woman’s story is valued and respected.
• Building Solidarity: Embracing diversity within womanhood means recognizing that all women face unique challenges but also acknowledging that some women experience additional barriers due to intersecting forms of oppression. By standing in solidarity with one another, we can work together to dismantle these barriers and create a more equitable society for all women.

In conclusion, embracing diversity within womanhood is not only essential but also empowering. It allows us to appreciate the multifaceted nature of being a woman and creates space for inclusivity, understanding, and growth. By celebrating different backgrounds, embracing intersectionality, challenging stereotypes, amplifying voices, and building solidarity, we can foster an environment where every woman feels seen, heard, and valued.

Finding Strength in Unity: Sisterhood in the Modern World

In today’s fast-paced and interconnected world, the power of unity and sisterhood has become even more significant. Women from all walks of life are coming together to support and empower each other, creating a strong network that fosters personal growth and societal change. In this section, we’ll explore how women find strength in unity through sisterhood.

• Building a Supportive Community:
• One of the key aspects of sisterhood is building a supportive community where women can lean on each other during challenging times. Whether it’s dealing with work-related issues, relationship struggles, or personal setbacks, having a network of understanding women provides comfort and guidance.
• Through open conversations, shared experiences, and empathetic listening, sisters offer not only emotional support but also practical advice to help navigate various situations.
• Empowering Each Other:
• Sisterhood goes beyond offering support; it involves empowering one another to reach their full potential. Women uplift each other by celebrating achievements, promoting self-confidence, and encouraging risk-taking.
• By sharing knowledge and skills, sisters inspire each other to excel in both personal and professional spheres. They recognize that when one woman succeeds, it paves the way for others to follow suit.
• Advocating for Gender Equality:
• Sisterhood plays a crucial role in advocating for gender equality on both local and global scales. United voices amplify the call for equal opportunities, fair treatment, and an end to discrimination.
• Women come together to challenge societal norms that limit their potential or perpetuate inequality. By standing up against gender-based violence, unequal pay practices, or lack of representation in leadership roles, they strive to create a more equitable world for all.
• Fostering Collaboration:
• The power of collaboration within sisterhood cannot be underestimated. When women join forces with shared goals and passions, they become catalysts for positive change.
• Sisters collaborate on projects, initiatives, and advocacy campaigns to address issues that affect women collectively. Their diverse perspectives, skills, and experiences create a rich tapestry of ideas and strategies for creating lasting impact.
• Inspiring Future Generations:
• Sisterhood in the modern world is not just about women supporting each other; it’s also about inspiring future generations of girls to embrace their own power and potential.
• By serving as role models, mentors, and advocates for young girls, sisters sow the seeds of empowerment and resilience. They instill values of self-worth, ambition, and compassion in the next generation, ensuring a legacy of strong women who continue to uplift one another.

Sisterhood in the modern world represents a collective force that empowers women to break barriers, overcome challenges, and thrive personally and professionally. Through building supportive communities, empowering each other, advocating for gender equality, fostering collaboration, and inspiring future generations – unity becomes strength. Together as sisters, we can create a more inclusive society where every woman thrives.

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Setting the Moral Compass: Essays by Women Philosophers

Calhoun, Cheshire (ed.), Setting the Moral Compass: Essays by Women Philosophers , Oxford University Press, 2004, 384pp (pbk), ISBN 0195154754.

Reviewed by Anita Superson, University of Kentucky

This superb collection contains nineteen, most newly published, papers by some of the leading women moral philosophers who have “set the moral compass” over the past few decades. The time has come for this book: I for one have found that the overwhelming majority of intriguing papers in moral philosophy have been written by women. What makes women’s works so interesting, evidenced by the papers in this volume, are (1) the issues with which women are largely concerned (e.g., self-respect, decency, resentment, and moral progress), (2) the approaches women take to philosophy (e.g., drawing on examples from literature and from real life rather than using wildly implausible, hypothetical cases, and respecting the history of philosophy while using it to teach new lessons applicable to real life), and (3) the theses women defend (e.g., that moral theories need to include treatment of vulnerable persons, that we need to assess not only the wrongdoings of individuals, but also the injustices of institutions, practices, and ideologies, and that in assessing the practices of other cultures we need to be sensitive to cultural differences while not succumbing to moral relativism). This is the first book I have seen that puts together papers for the reason that they are written by women philosophers, and as such it promises to confirm my own convictions about women’s philosophical work in the minds of its readers. The papers in this volume are not necessarily feminist papers: some explicitly are, but others are not identified as such by their authors. Cheshire Calhoun thinks of them in terms of a feminist continuum, ranging from papers with explicitly feminist aims, to papers that would not have been written in the same way had the authors lacked feminist sensibilities. I like to think of them as humanist papers, since they, together with earlier works by women moral philosophers, legitimize certain topics (e.g., killing in the heat of passion, genocide, the role of narrative in moral life), and either they explicitly aim to include traditionally disenfranchised groups, or the views they defend can be more inclusively applied than those typically espoused in traditional moral theories. Either way, they buttress feminists’ arguments for ending women’s oppression. Most significantly, this book is a unifier , not a divider. Typically we find works in moral philosophy written either by feminists (mostly women) or by those in more “mainstream” ethical theory (mostly men), with little or no overlap. This is unnecessarily divisive both for ethics and for women, since it sets aside feminism as a “special” area concerned with “women’s issues,” and generates expectations that all women philosophers (but only a few men) do feminism. But the fact of the matter is that feminism is concerned with some of the most fundamental issues in ethics (e.g., respect, equality, autonomy, and justice), and indeed, that any moral theory that fails to import these issues into its basic tenets in an inclusive way is seriously remiss. This division of areas often serves to marginalize feminism, and subsequently, feminists (mostly women) in the profession. This book, though, counteracts such unjust separations, since it shows that traditional ethics can be –indeed, should be – informed by feminism, and vice versa, in order for our principles and theories to reach their richest levels. All moral philosophy stands to benefit from this mutual exchange of ideas. Philosophy in general needs a lot more of this, and this book provides a great start. It is suitable to use in an upper division undergraduate or graduate course on ethics, and will be an inspiration to all women considering entering the profession of philosophy.

Calhoun’s introduction is simply outstanding. Significantly – and, I believe, courageously – Calhoun links the purpose of this collection to women’s status in the profession. She does not think that women philosophers produce a “woman’s moral philosophy” in a gender-essentialist sense. A gender-essentialist believes that just in virtue of their gender, philosophers will produce different kinds of work. This, of course, is false and sexist. But yet Calhoun believes that embodiment does make a difference to the philosophy one does.(12) This is because “our social worlds make all sorts of things of our evident sex differences.”(10) Our social world includes, for philosophers, our academic environment, where women have been notoriously under-represented. Calhoun believes that how women philosophers have been received into and supported by their profession affects both their subjectivity and their philosophical production. Indeed, not only women’s embodiment, but men’s too, will show up in their work, but, I would add, men’s philosophical production has been taken to be the norm, while women have had to work, without the support of numbers or high-ranking women colleagues, to legitimize certain issues, approaches, and theses. The point of Calhoun’s book is to make visible the difference that gender makes to one’s philosophical production, by allowing women philosophers, as philosophers rather than as feminists or as token spokespersons for all women philosophers, to have a voice. Very importantly, Calhoun notes that once we see the difference that gender makes in doing philosophy, it will be obvious that women’s under-representation is “a significant cognitive loss.”(12) I couldn’t agree more, and I would add that it would be a loss for our (male) colleagues to dismiss this book just because it is a collection of works by women philosophers, and/or because it contains representative feminist pieces. They most of all need to read it, since in virtue of their numbers they determine women’s being attracted to, and hired and retained in, philosophy.

The book is divided into six sections: an ethics for ordinary life and vulnerable persons (Marcia Homiak, Elizabeth Spelman, Virginia Held, Martha Nussbaum); what we ought to do for each other (Barbara Herman, Susan Wolf, Cheshire Calhoun); the normative importance of a shared social world (Margaret Walker, Claudia Card, Annette Baier); achieving adequate moral understandings (Robin Dillon, Marilyn Friedman, Alison Jaggar, Michele Moody-Adams); the dramatic and narrative form of deliberation and agency (Amelie Rorty, Diana Meyers); and emotions, reason, and unreason (Christine Korsgaard, Karen Jones, Marcia Baron). I am able to address only one representative paper in each section, tying it in with themes that Calhoun takes to be illustrative of women’s philosophy. Any moral philosopher would benefit from reading the other extremely rich, insightful, and interesting papers.

One common theme in women’s philosophy that takes many forms is resistance to elitism and inegalitarianism. Marcia Homiak persuasively argues that Aristotle’s arguments about the goodness of the moral life can reach not only those who are already disposed to virtue, but even the average person on the street. Homiak shows that the unimpeded activity of ordinary life is not that far removed from Aristotle’s ideal life of contemplation that seems to be in the reach of only a select few. She relies on an everyday case study of the ordinary activity (another theme in women’s philosophy) of art patronage, which is within almost anyone’s grasp. Art patronage involves continuous and pleasant activity of knowing about paintings, enjoyment from the mathematical skills involved in the business aspect of art, and contemplation with colleagues, all of which are marks of unimpeded activity. As a result of these ordinary activities and relationships, the art patron develops further desires for greater continuous activity, which eventually leads to virtue. In short, a person acquires more desires from pursuing certain things that the person on the street pursues, and these desires will eventually lead to virtue. Thus virtue, which is continuous activity, is within the scope of any rational being, and so Aristotle’s theory is not as elitist as we may have believed.

Another characteristic of women’s philosophy is the appeal to literature outside philosophy. Cheshire Calhoun, in a fun and exciting paper, examines the notion of common decency through the failure of Ebenezer Scrooge, who does his duty by giving others exactly what he owes, but who gives nothing more – no pleasantries, mercies, kindnesses, and favors that we expect of any minimally well-formed agent. Calhoun argues that common decencies are a subclass of supererogatory acts, the former being ones that are motivationally nontaxing (e.g., giving up one’s seat to an elderly person) and that are part of social convention (e.g., opening a door for a burdened stranger v. tying his shoe). My only concern about Calhoun’s argument is that if a person is being exploited (e.g., the severely underpaid professor), we should hope that the expectations of minimal decency (e.g., giving comments on students’ papers) become straightforward supererogatory acts. Calhoun could readily accept this modification by challenging the sexism and other immorality that might underlie social conventions and expectations generated thereby.

Margaret Walker’s paper is important for understanding the oppressed’s response to the privileged. It argues that resentment plays the role of targeting violations and prompting violators of our shared norms and expectations to reconsider their actions and to beware that they have violated these. This paper illustrates the themes of ordinariness and resistance to elitism: resentment is a common reaction of the oppressed to their oppressors, and it is a way that the oppressed can protest their ill-treatment and express the view that the privileged, but not the oppressed, have violated shared norms. Resentment responds to received threats to expectations based on presumably shared norms, and to threats to one’s standing to assert or insist upon these norms.(146) It is occasioned not only by harms and losses, but by exploitations (free-ridership), improprieties, demotions (of value), slights (treatment beneath one’s status), and offenses (norm-violations). In all cases the person resenting believes that the other could have acted differently, since the latter knows or ought to know that he is not exempt from the shared norms. Resentment calls for the resented to reaffirm their subscription to moral or other norms they have violated. And where these norms are different for the oppressed and the privileged, the oppressed can legitimately resent this very difference.

In her excellent and powerful paper, Robin Dillon argues that for Kant arrogance is the deadliest of moral vices.(192) Dillon approaches the issue of arrogance from a feminist perspective, setting up a dichotomy: should women use arrogance in struggling against domination, or should they eschew arrogance as a trait that conflicts with self-respect, as Kant believed? In so asking, Dillon demonstrates resistance to elitism, since even if arrogance might help women fight their oppression, it might be the case that they ought not to develop it if it means sacrificing self-respect – one is to have a humble attitude toward morality. Arrogance violates the duty to respect others, requiring that others respect the arrogant person more highly than he deserves, and that they respect themselves much less than they deserve, thereby denying their intrinsic dignity. Dillon identifies three versions of arrogance in Kant: (1) a warped belief that the worth of persons is scalar, and that nothing, including oneself, is unconditionally deserving of respect; (2) an unwarranted claim to much more moral merit than one has actually earned from acting morally; and (3) a belief in the greatness of one’s moral worth by failing to compare it with the standards of excellence set by the moral law. The third kind of arrogance underlies the first two, and is the worst form and the deepest source of evil, since it involves tinkering with the moral law in a way that makes the arrogant person able to pass off what he wants to do as what he ought to do, by subordinating the incentives of the moral law to those of the inclinations. He exercises power over morality and reason itself, for the desire for self-esteem.(209) I believe that this best explains the arrogance involved in privilege. Were women to become arrogant in this way, they would likely turn into oppressors themselves, and lose self-respect. They can, though, become superior to oppressive social norms, as long as they do so in a self-respecting way.

Diana Meyers’ insightful paper argues that any theory of moral agency must speak to the issue of internalized oppression, since this compromises self-determination. Agents who internalize their oppression act on their “own” values and preferences, but at the same time perpetuate their own oppression. Meyers rejects the Kantian view that so long as reason can steer volition, the agent’s will is free, since rational willing is not an option for those in the grips of internalized oppression.(297) Meyers rejects the Humean view that the only force that compromises free will is an external one, since agents who internalize oppression are not self-determining. She favors a narrative account of agency and responsibility that can show both how internalized oppression subverts self-determination, and how resistance is possible. When oppressed persons tell their life stories, they are empowered, are creative about what their futures can be, engage others for help in revising their self-narratives, become aware of habits that keep them from changing, and even change their desires and so rid themselves of internalized oppression. Meyers’ paper illustrates a resistance to elitism by acknowledging the very real presence of internalized oppression and by including even those who internalize their oppression as self-determining, full moral agents.

The book ends with Marcia Baron’s engaging paper on killing in the heat of passion. Significantly for woman’s philosophy, Baron points out that the provocation defense historically has been seen from the reasonable man’s perspective, being allowed when a husband observes his wife committing adultery, but not vice versa. Even though the defense is now available to women who kill their adulterous husbands, since women rarely kill their husbands for this reason, it is still gendered. Baron argues that the provocation defense is neither purely an excuse, since it suggests some degree of fault on the part of the “provoker,” nor purely a justification, since it suggests that the defendant’s agency is impaired by some provocation. Instead of rejecting this defense, which we might think that feminists should do, given its link with sexist background assumptions about blame, provocation, violence, gendered versions of what counts as acceptable expressions of rage, and so on, Baron argues instead for narrowing the defense. It can be used, after all, in cases such as the one in which a battered woman caught her husband about to rape their baby girl, and after hearing him later the same day threaten to rape the girl, shot him.(362) Baron argues for fine-tuning the defense in ways that speak to the extraordinary nature of the situation, and to whether there was taunting or arrogant flaunting on the part of the provoker or his friends. Using provocation as a hybrid of excuse and justification reflects our view that the defendant had every reason to be upset –there is nothing wrong with her– and that even very good people might react the way she or he did. Baron’s thought-provoking paper is a very fine example of philosophy that is informed both by tradition and by feminism, and shows how each stands to benefit from the other.

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Essay on Women Empowerment in English

• Updated on  
• May 3, 2024

Women empowerment is one of the most debated social topics. It means recognising the importance of gender equality, and women’s participation in decision-making and offering them equal opportunities in education, employment, others. Women empowerment talks about making women strong so that they can lead a healthy and prosperous life and contribute to the development of society. Today we will be discussing some sample essay on women empowerment, which will cover details like how can eliminate discrimination against women, challenge traditional gender roles, and promote equal opportunities for women in various aspects of life.

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Quick Read: Speech About Dreams

Long Essay on Women’s Empowerment

“A woman is like a tea bag – you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Women empowerment refers to the practice of making women independent so that they can make their own decisions and take decisions without any familial or societal restrictions. In simple terms, it entitles women to take charge of their personal development. The patriarchal society has always deprived women of their rights.

The main motive of women’s empowerment is to help them stand equally with men. It is a foundational step to ensure the prosperous growth of a family as well as the country. By empowering women, the world would witness gender equality and help women from every stratum of society stand on their own and steer their lives as per their wishes.

Check out our 200+ Essay Topics for Students in English !

Women empowerment is the process of giving women the ability to live a happy and respected life in society. Women are empowered when they have unrestricted access to chances in a range of domains, such as education, profession, and lifestyle, among others. It involves things like education, awareness, literacy, and training to help them improve their position. It also involves decision-making authority. A woman feels powerful when she makes a significant decision. Empowering women is the most important factor in a country’s overall growth. If a household has just one earning member, while another family has both men and women earning, who will have a better standard of living? The solution is straightforward: a household in which both men and women work. As a result, a country where men and women work together grows more quickly.

‘Feminism does not aim to make women powerful. Women are already powerful. It is about influencing the way the rest of the world views your strength.” Women have always had fewer opportunities and possibilities to develop their talents and knowledge since ancient times. Although the world is made up of both men and women. But men were regarded as the family’s most powerful members. They were the family’s decision-makers and were in charge of making a living. Women, on the other hand, were believed to be responsible person for all home chores and child-rearing, and they were not engaged in making any important family decisions. The roles were assigned depending on gender. If we look at the whole picture, research shows that women’s subjects are either centred on their reproductive role and their body, or their economic position as workers. However, none of them is aimed at empowering women. Women’s Empowerment is a progressive technique of putting power in the hands of women for them to have a happy and respectable existence in society. Women are empowered when they have access to opportunities in several sectors, such as the right to an education, gender equality, a professional (equal wage) lifestyle, and others. However, there are no constraints or limitations. It involves training, awareness, and increasing their position via education, literacy, and decision-making authority. For the total growth of each country, women’s empowerment is the most essential sector. Previously, the men were the sole breadwinners in the household. Assume the household has one earning person; on the other side, suppose the family has both male and women earning members. Who will have a better way of life? The answer is simple: a household in which both the man and the woman work. As a result, when gender equality is prioritized, a country’s growth rate accelerates. Standing up for equality, women have empowered and spoken up for other women.’

Essay on Women Empowerment in 200 Words

‘Women’s empowerment encompasses more than just ensuring that women get their basic rights. In its truest form, women’s empowerment comprises the aspects of independence, equality as well as freedom of expression. Through this, the real strive lies in ensuring that we bring gender equality.

When given the right support, women have shone brilliantly in every field. Even in India, we have seen women handle diverse roles, be it a Prime Minister, Astronaut , Entrepreneur, Banker and much more. Further, women are also considered the backbone of a family. From domestic chores to nurturing children, they handle multiple responsibilities. This is why they are great at multitasking and often many working women efficiently juggle between professional and personal responsibilities. While the urban cities have working women, the rural areas have still restrained them to household chores. How can we aspire to prosper as a nation where every girl does not get access to education or make their own choices? India is a country where we worship goddesses while we don’t bother thinking about gender equality. 

Hence, for all our mothers, sisters and daughters we must aim at creating an environment of integrity. We must boost their confidence to make them capable enough to make their decisions in every phase of life and this is how we can strive towards bringing women empowerment.’

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Popular women can play an important role when it comes to empowering other women. These influential women are aware of the difficulties faced by women in our society and can see their problems from their perspectives, as they have experienced similar situations. Nadia Murad Basee, a German human rights activist once said, “I want to be the last girl in the world with a story like mine.” Some other popular and influential women in the world are:

• Gloria Marie Steinem
• Malala Yousafzai
• Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• Jane Seymour Fonda
• Betty Friedan
• Halima Aden

Quick Read: Speech About Life

Almost all countries, regardless of how progressive, have a history of mistreating women. To put it another way, women from all over the world have been defiant to achieve their current standing. While Western nations continue to make progress, third-world countries such as India continue to lag in terms of women’s empowerment. Women’s empowerment is more important than ever in India. India is one of the countries where women are not safe. This is due to a variety of factors.

Not only that, but horrific crimes against women such as rape, acid attacks, the dowry system, honour killings, domestic violence, and other forms of violence against women continue to occur throughout India. Women should account for 50% of the entire population. However, due to female foeticide practises, which are still prevailing in the rural and underprivileged sections of Indian societies, the girl-child population is rapidly declining, affecting the country’s sex ratio. Furthermore, the education and freedom scenario is extremely regressive in this situation.

Women are not permitted to continue their education and are married off at a young age. In certain areas, men continue to dominate women, as though it is the woman’s responsibility to labour for him indefinitely. They don’t let them go out or have any form of freedom and personal life. As a result, we can see how women’s empowerment is a pressing issue. We must equip these women with the tools they need to stand up for themselves and never be victims of injustice.

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There is a wide range of approaches and methods to empower women. Individuals and the government must work together to achieve this. Girls’ education should be made obligatory so that they do not become illiterate and unable to support themselves.

Women, regardless of gender, must be given equal chances in all fields. Women empowerment may also be achieved through government-sponsored programmes as well as on an individual level.

On a personal level, we should begin to appreciate women and provide them with chances equal to males. We should promote and encourage them to pursue jobs, further education, and entrepreneurial endeavours, among other things.

To empower women, the government has implemented programmes such as the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana, Mahila Shakti Kendra, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana , and others. Apart from these programmes, we can all help women by eradicating societal problems such as the dowry system and child marriage. These simple actions will improve women’s status in society and help them feel more powerful.

Find Out How Falguni Nayar Made Nykaa a Beautiful Success

“To all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful, and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.” Hillary Clinton

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“It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.” Madeleine Albright

Before we begin with the essay samples on Women’s Empowerment, take a look at the following tips you must keep in mind while drafting an essay: 

• Analyse the different topics carefully and pick according to your knowledge and familiarisation with the topic.  
• Plan your time wisely and bifurcate it for outlining, writing and revision. 
• Highlight/underline your key sentences for each paragraph.
• Emphasise your introduction and conclusion while also keeping the main body of the content as concise as possible. 
• Thoroughly revise it after completion.

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“Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong, it’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” G.D. Anderson

Women are taught to mould themselves based on others’ preferences and men are taught to lead because, at the end of the day, women have to manage household chores whereas men are the heroes saving their families and providing them financial support. This is the stereotype that has existed for centuries in India and one of the reasons women are denied basic human rights in society. A woman is denied the right to raise her opinions even in her household matters, political or financial viewpoints are far behind.  Women are born leaders and if given the opportunity can excel in every field. We live in a male-dominated society where a male has every right to do whatever he desires however thought in women’s minds is sacred. For centuries, women were not allowed to eat before men or sit in front of other men. Gender equality and women empowerment is a major concern globally. Gender equality starts with providing the same and equal resources of education to both genders. Education of girl child should also be a priority and not just an option. An educated woman will be able to build a better life for herself and the ones surrounding her. Gender equality and women’s empowerment are essential for the growth of women in society. Women empowerment ensures that every female gets an opportunity to get an education, seek professional training, and spread awareness. However, gender quality will ensure that access to resources is provided equally to both genders and ensure equal participation. Even at the professional level women face gender inequality because a male candidate is promoted way before a female candidate. The mindset should be changed and only deserving candidates should be promoted. Gender quality is a key step towards sustainable development and ensures basic human rights for everyone.

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“A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman.” Melinda Gates

‘Education is the biggest tool in women’s empowerment and also a factor that helps in the overall development of the country. Education can bring a change in women’s life. As the first prime minister of India once said “If you educate a man you educate an individual, however, if you educate a woman you educate a whole family.

Women empowered means mother India empowered” An educated woman will promote the education of other females around her, mentor them and also be a better guide to her children. Education helps women gain self-confidence, esteem, ability to provide financial support. Education will also help to reduce the infant mortality rate because an educated woman is aware of health care, laws, and her rights.

Educating a woman will benefit her and also the development of society. With proper education, women can achieve more socially, and economically and build their careers. Women are still being denied their right to education in rural parts of India. Education will also reduce child marriage which is still practised in some parts of India also help in controlling overpopulation.

The government has launched various schemes over the years to create awareness around women’s education such as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan , Operation Black-Board , Beti Padhaoo Beti Bachao , and many more. Education helps women to identify the good and bad and change their outlook, way of thinking, and way of handling things. Education helps women to become independent. Indian women have the lowest literacy rate as compared to other countries.

Education is a fundamental right of all and no one should be denied the right to education. Education helps to meet the necessities of life, and confidence to raise a voice against domestic violence or sexual harassment. Be a part of a change and empower a woman with the help of education.’

Here is an Essay on Education System

“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” Michelle Obama

Women have been facing issues since the day they were born. Fighting for their rights, society’s stereotypes, and their freedom. Women’s Empowerment means encouraging women through education, at a professional level, accepting their opinions, and providing them with the right they desire. Women should not stay behind someone’s shadow and not be able to express themselves. The main motive of women’s empowerment is to give women a chance to outshine others and get equal rights in society. The first step of women’s empowerment is literacy. A well-educated woman is confident, outspoken, and able to make decisions. Especially in a country like India, If women get a chance to study they can be a prime minister like Indira Gandhi, IPS like Kiran Bedi , or become a famous CEO like Indira Nooyi .

The need for women’s empowerment has existed for a long time but only in the last few years, it has become popular. Women’s empowerment is not just a fight for equal rights. Women empowerment is the upliftment of women from a society constantly pulling them down. In a country like India where female goddesses are worshipped at the same time a woman faces sexual harassment, is denied the right to education, her voice is suppressed and becomes the next case of domestic violence. Indian society will only be able to evolve when they stop putting constant pressure on women and allow them to share their thoughts with others. A woman in India is restricted to household chores and taking care of family members. Women’s Empowerment is the need of the hour in India because awareness among women is important for them to understand their rights. If they are aware of their basic rights only then women will be able to fight for it. The first step towards women’s empowerment starts with supporting their opinions. Don’t mock them or bury their opinions. Boost their confidence and build their self-esteem. Encourage them to pursue their dreams, provide resources for help and be their mentor. Women have the ability not only to shape their lives but also to shape the world. Equal opportunities and the right to make their own decisions are the basics to start with women’s empowerment.

Women’s empowerment is desperately required in today’s cultures. It is critical for women’s self-esteem as well as for society. Women have the right to participate equally in education, society, the economy, and politics. Women may participate in society because they have the freedom to select their religion, language, employment, and other activities.

Women’s Empowerment is the process of providing women with all of the rights and amenities available in society so that they can live freely and without fear or limitation. Women should be granted the same rights as men in society, with no gender discrimination.

Female or women empowerment, according to Keshab Chandra Mandal, may be classified into five categories: social, educational, economic, political, and psychological.

The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) are a collection of Principles that provide businesses with direction on how to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace, and community.

Improved female education leads to higher levels of economic growth because women spend 90%of their earnings back on their families, whereas males only invest 30-40% of their earnings. This is only one example of how women’s empowerment has a beneficial impact. Like this, there are several other benefits and positive sides of women’s empowerment

Gender Discrimination, Sexual Abuse and Harassment, Education, Child Marriage, etc.

Great social reformers in the past like  Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Acharya Vinobha Bhave and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar  etc abolished ghastly practices like sati and child marriage and worked relentlessly in the past for the upliftment of women in India.

Equal pay, financial independence etc are some examples of women empowerment.

In the Indian constitution, many provisions include women empowerment such as Article 15 which enables the state to make special provisions for women.

Related Essay Topics

This was all about an essay on women empowerment. We hope the above-listed essays will help you understand all dimensions of this important essay topic. For more information on such creative essay articles, visit our essay writing page and make sure to follow Leverage Edu .

Sonal is a creative, enthusiastic writer and editor who has worked extensively for the Study Abroad domain. She splits her time between shooting fun insta reels and learning new tools for content marketing. If she is missing from her desk, you can find her with a group of people cracking silly jokes or petting neighbourhood dogs.

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13 Women Open up About What Being a Woman Means to Them in 2020

While there used to be a very specific model for exactly how to be a woman—how to look, talk, act the part, and sit down and shut up like a woman—those days are long gone. While there are certainly battles still raging over how women use their bodies and conduct their lives, the ways they show up in the world are more varied and nuanced than ever, making the definition of womanhood not universal, but rather specific to each woman herself.

To highlight the many ways there are to be a woman in the world in 2020, we spoke with more than a dozen women to hear about their lives—and what being a woman means and looks like to them. As their stories prove, being a woman is not about genitals, femininity, or fitting one specific mold. Each woman and her experience is uniquely hers.

‘I’m a force to be reckoned with’

"Being a woman to me in my past has always meant being too much. This is what I was always taught in my childhood and adolescence. Whenever someone said I was too loud or too talkative, it would hurt. ‘Too much' is no longer an insult to me; it is a sign of pride. If I am 'too much' for the world in this moment, I am just right for me as a woman.

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"Culture has played a very interesting role in my identity and the intersectionality of my identities. There was a time where I never thought I could claim the identities of ‘writer’, of ‘activist.' Being an Indian woman has often meant sacrificing one identity in order to preserve another. It meant being conservative over being honest. If I wanted to maintain my identity as a 'good' Indian girl, I had to sacrifice my identity as an advocate for mental health…Besides being a woman, I am a writer, an artist, an activist, a hustler. I am a force to be reckoned with, and most importantly I’m ‘me.' I own every one of my identities now. I worked too hard to reclaim them all to only have one." —Vaidehi Gajjar, 25

'Womanhood is much more complex than chromosomes'

"I think today we are seeing the very beginning of the acceptance that womanhood is not simply a set of body parts and functions that were never generalizable to all women anyway. That womanhood is much more complex than chromosomes or the ability to carry a baby.

"As a trans woman, it took me decades to understand that, despite all outward physical evidence to the contrary at the start of my life, my womanhood is real. It isn’t just a feeling nor is it delusion. It is a living, breathing, undeniable force that lies deep within me...Being a woman in 2020 is not so fragile a thing that it can’t encompass me or people like me.

"I am not just fighting the patriarchy and misogyny for the equality of women, I am fighting against their effects to be regarded as a woman at all. The net effect is that, for too many, being transgender erases the legitimacy of my other identities entirely. Fighting against that is the most feminist thing I do." —Melody Maia Monet, 49

‘I feel connected to more women—strangers and mothers and friends—than ever before’

"Being a woman means something different to me now than it even meant a month ago. It means I’m the manager of my family and I feel responsible for keeping us alive [on the macro level], and also helping every day in many little ways to get us through a crisis that is affecting the entire world.

"Being a woman in 2020, before the novel coronavirus pandemic, however, also has had a new, improved meaning, building on the past couple years since #MeToo and Binders and other female-forward initiatives. I feel very visible, and I feel connected to more women—strangers and mothers and friends—than ever before. It’s nice. It’s encouraging.

"More than anything, my identities—a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a cousin, a friend, a teacher, a writer, a comedian, a musician—come and go at various times. Sometimes being a sister isn’t as meaningful as being a mother, other times it’s everything in that moment." —Jessica Delfino, 43

‘It means having the choice to be bold and speak up’

"By the end of 2020, I will (hopefully!) be finished with my first semester of college at Barnard College of Columbia University. I’m a first-generation Chinese-American 17-year-old and one of two daughters of a single and immigrant mother.

"Like the hyphen in Chinese-American, I see how my experiences are all due to the intersection of my different identities. I was taught by my extended family to not speak until I am spoken to and to stay quiet about my opinion about current events... Being a woman in 2020 is to be unapologetically myself, especially in unconventional spaces that were not created for me; it means to have choices in every decision I come across and to have the understanding that all of my experiences that have led me to this point are credited to my various identities that intersect. Being a woman to me means having the choice to be bold and speak up not only for yourself but passing your voice to others as well." —Joyce Jiang, 17

'I contain multitudes'

"Aside from being a woman, I'm invisibly disabled, a writing instructor at a college, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivor, a freelance writer, a journalist, an alcoholic, a sexual assault survivor, a sister, a daughter, a granddaughter, a cousin, and a friend.

"My friends and I always joke around and say 'I contain multitudes' when someone finds out something about us they hadn't expected, but it's true: We all contain multitudes. For me, being a woman in 2020 isn't feeling ashamed I thwarted [a person’s] expectations and instead acting surprised they didn't assume I was a three-dimensional person with more than one story arc." —Brooke Knisley, 29

'It's about solving impossible problems'

"I am the child of immigrants, fat, queer, and live with autism and mental health issues including an eating disorder. Increasingly, being a woman in 2020 is [about] solving impossible problems. Making sure my community is safe and still connected and loved. It’s about boundaries, especially as a mental health professional—giving people support without turning all my friendships and relationships into therapeutic ones. It’s about being vulnerable and strong, and not having all the answers."  —Alicia Raimundo, 30

‘Being a woman is fully badass’

"Being a woman is a really interesting experience in the modern age (and all through history, let's be real)... I think that for me, part of being a woman means standing up for the values that I hold, and trying to make sure that all of the women, even and maybe even especially those who may not intersect with my life, are able to live their lives in the way they choose to.

"Beyond the global approach of being a woman, I think being a woman is fully badass. Women are powerful, and beautiful, and strong, and inspirational, jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring, history-makers, and just really, really cool." —Cat Wheeler, 26

'My existence is an act of resistance'

"I would say that as a woman of color, my existence is an act of resistance. Anything I do, whether I want it to be or not, is inherently political. I navigate the world knowing these things...[and] when I have an opportunity to use any privilege I have for 'good,' I take advantage of that.

"For me, my job as a writer on a TV show [ The Proud Family ] about a black family is a huge responsibility. My job in the day is a lot of pitching jokes, but I didn’t set out to do it because I wanted to pitch jokes all day. It was a responsibility for me to create representation in the world. Everything I do is driven by the knowledge that representation matters and belonging matters, and that everyone should have the right to belong." —Ashley Soto, 29

‘You can’t put me in a little box’

"I was adopted from Vietnam when I was four, and my whole family is white and we live in a town that is less than 4,000 people and predominantly white. Growing up, I was the only non-white person or Asian person at my school. It was kind of like a shock to everyone for me to be there... If you hadn’t seen me and just saw my name and that I’m from Mississippi, you might think I’m just a white woman, but you’d never be able to guess what’s behind the name.

"So I think being a woman in 2020 is breaking all those stereotypes and not being what everyone expects a woman to be. As someone who identifies as so many things, you can’t put me in a little box that other people might think ‘Oh she’s this or that.’ I’m a multifaceted person. That’s what all of us are as women in 2020, we’re all so different from what a woman might have been in the 1940s or 1950s when they were expected to be one thing, whether it’s a CEO, a teacher, a mom. Even if you just want to be a mom to a fur baby, we can proudly be whatever we want." —Sarah Barrett, 27

‘Women are looking inward now more than ever’

"Being a woman to me in 2020 means self-awareness. I believe the uptick in diversity in terms of gender identity, sexuality, and personal identity is coming from a rise in self-awareness. Women are looking inward more now than ever and investigating all aspects of their identity.

"I try to be as self-aware as possible with critical thinking—I basically try to question the reason behind why I do everything. Why am I reacting this way? Why does this make me happy? Why do I care about this? By asking myself these questions I often surprise myself with the answers, because we never quite realize how much of our thoughts and beliefs are more subconscious than not.

"With that self-awareness comes confidence—no one can tell you what you are or what you are not because you've deeply explored that and had those conversations with yourself. That confidence lets us be secure in our identity, but also secure in changing that identification if it feels right for us. Being a woman in 2020 is truly whatever we desire it to be!" —Gabby Beckford, 24

'I'm claiming ownership over my body and my identity'

"Being a queer femme woman has honestly been interesting to navigate ... Before I had a better understanding of my sexuality, I was afraid to dress less feminine because I thought people would think I was queer, which is really just my own internalized homophobia talking. Now that I'm more comfortable with my identity, I look at clothes as an artistic expression of who I am rather than something to be afraid of.

" Being a woman means claiming ownership over my body and my identity, advocating for equal rights for everyone, and making sure women retain the rights to their bodies. Being a woman makes me feel like I can be whoever I want to be and do whatever I want to do, regardless of whether anyone says otherwise. Being a woman means empowerment of both myself and other women." —Sloan Pecchia, 21

'It's both a wonderful and dangerous thing to be'

"To be a woman in 2020 is both a wonderful and dangerous thing to be. Society is starting to listen to what had been ignored in the past: Women are being victimized, women are being paid less for the same work, women are not seen as capable leaders. However, the actual change that comes with acknowledgement seems very slow and frustrating...

"My identity [as a Jewish woman] has definitely changed. In the late ‘90s when I was preparing for my Bat Mitzvah, I had to have a ‘very special talk’ with the rabbi’s wife about what being a woman meant. It was explained to me that the ideal woman is a help-mate to her husband in all things, and was put on this earth to nurture the next generation. This, along with other similar experiences, led me to be less connected to my Judaism. Now, however, with the advent of social media, I find myself becoming reconnected to my heritage. On Twitter alone, I follow a radical rabbi , a rabbi who is a disability activist , and a Southern rabbi of color , not to mention the amazing non-binary, queer, and trans Jews who have opened my eyes to the many ways one can be a Jewish woman." — Aviva Levin, 33

'Being a woman means being resistant and unapologetic'

"Being a woman is the first thing I identify with. Women's rights, empowerment, and equality are the issues that make my blood boil and that I'll never stop fighting for. I'm also Latina and the daughter of an immigrant, which is also an extremely important aspect of my identity...

"Being a single, 30-year-old, independent woman in 2020 to me means being resistant and unapologetic. I'm grateful for my ancestors who paved the way to allow me the freedoms I enjoy today, but know that globally, women have a long way to go before we achieve equity and equality in society, at work, and at home." — Lola Méndez , 30

These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.

In 2020, one of the biggest fights for women's rights will center on reproductive freedom . And you shouldn't take your credit card for granted—it is a milestone of women's economic freedom .

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What Is a Woman?: And Other Essays

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• ISBN-10 0198186754
• ISBN-13 978-0198186755
• Publisher Oxford University Press
• Publication date August 30, 2001
• Language English
• Dimensions 9.21 x 6.14 x 1.1 inches
• Print length 548 pages
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press (August 30, 2001)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 548 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0198186754
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0198186755
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.67 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.21 x 6.14 x 1.1 inches
• #656 in Literary Theory
• #1,719 in Gender Studies (Books)
• #5,959 in Feminist Theory (Books)

About the author

Toril Moi is James B. Duke Professor of Literature and Romance Studies, and Professor of English, and Theater Studies at Duke University. She is Director of the Center for Philosophy, Arts, and Literature at Duke. To learn more about her please go to her home page: www.torilmoi.com

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A Woman in Today's’ Society is a Woman with Power

by Andrienne A. Espiritu, CED-IDS | Mar 09 2020

In 2019, the Department of English of the College of Arts and Social Sciences conducted the 2nd Women's Month on-the-spot essay writing contest. 

This year's Women's Month, the Institute is featuring the winning entries of last year's essay writing competition. 

Below is the  2nd runner up essay entry written by Andrienne A. Espiritu of MSU-IIT Integrated Developmental School.

Woman. Who is she to people? Is she the Mother who lights a house with Grace and sacrifice? Is she the fiery member of the workplace who works day and night with the vision of hum but never the roar. Is she the shadow of a weary man’s success? Woman, always the essential darkness of somebody else’s night.

Throughout history, women have been marginalized and oppressed in this patriarchal society. They are often subjected to lesser roles and menial jobs; or worse, not expected to work at all. Society has always put women as an extension or being next to men. Because of this, they have learned to slowly blend in the background, to work behind the scenes, to stay silent in a world dominated by men. But when a staggering fifty percent of the world’s population is oppressed and forced to stay on the wayside, it does not take long for them to realize their worth, to start seeing a world where they may be significant. The role of women has drastically changed over the course of history, thanks to people who fought for women’s rights. However, we have not completely eradicated the division between men and women. In some parts of the globe, there are still people who stereotype women, immediately assuming they are of lesser roles, classifying them as housewives, or denying them opportunities. There are several cultures that believe a woman exists only so that she can be sold, married, and be of service to men. There are many practices that we are blind too because some of us are privileged enough to live in a society where women are rising to the same roles as men. Ironically, there are still women who have not realized their worth and freedom, women who continue to be oppressed, abused, and treated as objects. And it is up to the empowered women to raise the marginalized women along with them.

We have taught women to build themselves smaller than men. Taught them that if they can offer thunder and the man can only produce a mere clap, then they should stay silent instead. Women have shrunk themselves to a size men can conveniently handle. They try to fit in the small boxes this society has built for them when clearly, they are made for something much bigger. They stay at home brewing ideas with the knowledge that if they come out of the world, it would be a magnificent sight. Despite the struggles that women have been through and continue to go through, nothing stops them from achieving their absolute best. When we look back in history, we can see that many women have excelled in fields traditionally assigned to men or believed only men can achieve.  For example, Ada Lovelace, known to be the first computer program. Who would have thought that a woman could also excel in an area dominated by men? Marie Curie, the first person to win a Nobel prize twice in two different fields of science. She paved the way for many discoveries we now have. There was Frida Kahlo, whose bold paintings opened up conversations on taboo topics about women. These women had the courage to jump through loops, to go through needle-sized holes with the knowledge that the pathway towards success for women is laid out with more swerves and bumps. These women and many other women who fought courageously have shed light on women’s contributions in today’s society.

The women that we see today are empowered women. They continue to contribute to various aspects and excel at what they do. They radiate motivation and exude excellence; they are pioneers of change. They are equipped with the knowledge that they have the ability to change the world. They are no longer afraid to step out into the light. From the many years of living in the shadows, they have come to realize that the light they’ve been taught to stay away from is a brightness they yearn. To bathe in this light is not a fault, to find happiness in recognition is not something to be ashamed of. In this modern world, women are foundations for success. They venture into the world not as inferior beings but as equal partners alongside men. They explore new ideas and touch topics they’ve been afraid to open up before. They inspire other people. Children too looked up to women. The daughters of today’s society are filled with hope knowing that they are able to grow in a healthy world where they are not criticized for being a woman. The women of today are leaders, achievers, innovators; they are power with grace, a strict motivator with an inborn sense of love and compassion.

They say a woman finally becomes herself when she speaks without permission. And every word, every action, every deed that a woman does today without fear of being judged is a justice for all women who have fiercely fought the battle for equality. Woman. Who is she to the people? She is the raging anthem for every hopeful soul and the burning fire that swallows all fear and darkness. She is the figure that does not only stand up for herself but for thousands of other women who stand alongside her. She is no longer confined into darkness; rather, she dances underneath the warm light. She is fearless with her mouth and tongue and the unfailing courage to speak up. She is unbothered by society’s double standards and she will fight for her rights and the rights of other women who do not have voices to speak their truth. She is a woman. Fearless and brave- everything a woman is born to be.

_____________________________________________

Andrienne is an 18-year-old senior high school student from MSU-IIT IDS and is currently enrolled in the STEM strand. Her dream of becoming a board-certified ObGyn stems from the fact that she wants to dedicate her professional life working with women and empowering them. She strongly believes in being environmentally conscious and tries her best to practice an eco-friendly way of living. When she is not caught up in academic work, she likes to bake, write, watch slam poetry videos, and binge-watch tv shows. She is slowly learning to appreciate parts of herself society forces her to discard; she hopes to help others do the same.

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Essay on Proud to Be a Woman

Students are often asked to write an essay on Proud to Be a Woman in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Proud to Be a Woman

The essence of being a woman.

Being a woman is a matter of pride. Women are unique, possessing strength and grace. They excel in various roles, from being nurturing mothers to successful professionals.

Women’s Achievements

Women have made significant contributions to society. They have excelled in science, arts, politics, and sports, shattering stereotypes and breaking barriers.

Empowerment and Equality

Women’s empowerment is crucial for a balanced society. It’s important to respect women’s rights and promote gender equality. Women should be proud of their identity and achievements.

Being a woman is a privilege and a source of immense pride. Women are the backbone of society, and their contributions should be celebrated.

250 Words Essay on Proud to Be a Woman

The essence of womanhood.

Being a woman is a matter of pride, a celebration of resilience, strength, and grace. Women have been the backbone of societies across the globe, contributing to various fields such as science, arts, politics, and more. Their roles as mothers, daughters, sisters, and partners are equally commendable and vital to the fabric of society.

Overcoming Challenges

Historically, women have faced numerous challenges and societal prejudices. Yet, they have constantly fought to overcome these obstacles, proving their tenacity and resilience. Their struggles for equality and rights, from the suffragette movement to the #MeToo campaign, demonstrate their courage and determination.

Contributions to Society

Women have made significant contributions to society, often without recognition. From Marie Curie’s groundbreaking work in physics and chemistry to Malala Yousafzai’s advocacy for girls’ education, women have left indelible marks on our world. They have broken barriers and shattered glass ceilings, proving that gender does not limit one’s capabilities or potential.

The Power of Femininity

Femininity is not a weakness but a strength. Women’s emotional intelligence, empathy, and nurturing capabilities are qualities that should be celebrated. These attributes contribute to balanced decision-making, compassionate leadership, and a more inclusive society.

Being a woman is a privilege and a responsibility. It is about embodying strength, resilience, compassion, and intelligence. It is about breaking barriers and making a difference. It is about celebrating the essence of being a woman and the unique contributions women make to society. As a woman, I am proud of my identity and the legacy of strong, influential women I am part of.

500 Words Essay on Proud to Be a Woman

Women have been the pillars of society since time immemorial, their roles evolving from mere nurturers to leaders and innovators in the modern world. Today, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and versatility that characterize womanhood. Being a woman is a matter of pride, not just because of the biological uniqueness we possess, but also due to the diverse roles we play and the immense potential we hold within ourselves.

The Power of Creation

The ability to give birth is a unique privilege endowed to women. It’s not just about the physical act of bearing a child but also the emotional strength that accompanies it. The journey of carrying another life within oneself and nurturing it post-birth is an unparalleled experience. This power of creation is a testament to the strength and resilience of women, making us proud bearers of life.

Women in Leadership

Women have proven themselves to be effective leaders, demonstrating qualities like empathy, communication, and resilience. From Angela Merkel’s steady hand in guiding Germany, to Jacinda Ardern’s empathetic leadership in New Zealand, women leaders have shown the world that power can be wielded with grace, compassion, and fairness. This shift in leadership dynamics has brought a sense of pride as it shatters stereotypes and paves the way for future female leaders.

Champions of Social Change

Women have often been at the forefront of social change, advocating for rights and equality. Figures like Malala Yousafzai, who stood up for girls’ education, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who fought for gender equality, are shining examples of this. These women have not only changed the course of history but also serve as inspirations for future generations. Their courage and determination underscore why it is an honor to be a woman.

The Versatility of Womanhood

One of the most compelling aspects of being a woman is the versatility we embody. Women are not confined to a single role but wear many hats – from being caregivers and homemakers to being professionals and entrepreneurs. This ability to adapt and excel in diverse roles is a testament to the flexibility and determination inherent in womanhood.

Conclusion: Embracing Womanhood

Being a woman is not about fitting into societal norms or expectations, but about embracing our individuality, strength, and potential. It is about breaking barriers, challenging stereotypes, and continuously evolving. It is about creating, leading, and inspiring. The pride of being a woman lies in these aspects, in the strength of our spirit, and in the depth of our resilience. It is a celebration of the essence of womanhood, a tribute to the past, a recognition of the present, and a beacon of hope for the future.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Problems Faced by Youth Today
• Essay on The Role of Youth Today
• Essay on The Role of Youth in Nation Building

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Essay On Women Rights

500 words essay on women rights.

Women rights are basic human rights claimed for women and girls all over the world. It was enshrined by the United Nations around 70 years ago for every human on the earth. It includes many things which range from equal pay to the right to education. The essay on women rights will take us through this in detail for a better understanding.

Importance of Women Rights

Women rights are very important for everyone all over the world. It does not just benefit her but every member of society. When women get equal rights, the world can progress together with everyone playing an essential role.

If there weren’t any women rights, women wouldn’t have been allowed to do something as basic as a vote. Further, it is a game-changer for those women who suffer from gender discrimination .

Women rights are important as it gives women the opportunity to get an education and earn in life. It makes them independent which is essential for every woman on earth. Thus, we must all make sure women rights are implemented everywhere.

How to Fight for Women Rights

All of us can participate in the fight for women rights. Even though the world has evolved and women have more freedom than before, we still have a long way to go. In other words, the fight is far from over.

First of all, it is essential to raise our voices. We must make some noise about the issues that women face on a daily basis. Spark up conversations through your social media or make people aware if they are misinformed.

Don’t be a mute spectator to violence against women, take a stand. Further, a volunteer with women rights organisations to learn more about it. Moreover, it also allows you to contribute to change through it.

Similarly, indulge in research and event planning to make events a success. One can also start fundraisers to bring like-minded people together for a common cause. It is also important to attend marches and protests to show actual support.

History has been proof of the revolution which women’s marches have brought about. Thus, public demonstrations are essential for demanding action for change and impacting the world on a large level.

Further, if you can, make sure to donate to women’s movements and organisations. Many women of the world are deprived of basic funds, try donating to organizations that help in uplifting women and changing their future.

You can also shop smartly by making sure your money is going for a great cause. In other words, invest in companies which support women’s right or which give equal pay to them. It can make a big difference to women all over the world.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Conclusion of the Essay on Women Rights

To sum it up, only when women and girls get full access to their rights will they be able to enjoy a life of freedom . It includes everything from equal pay to land ownerships rights and more. Further, a country can only transform when its women get an equal say in everything and are treated equally.

FAQ of Essay on Women Rights

Question 1: Why are having equal rights important?

Answer 1: It is essential to have equal rights as it guarantees people the means necessary for satisfying their basic needs, such as food, housing, and education. This allows them to take full advantage of all opportunities. Lastly, when we guarantee life, liberty, equality, and security, it protects people against abuse by those who are more powerful.

Question 2: What is the purpose of women’s rights?

Answer 2: Women’s rights are the essential human rights that the United Nations enshrined for every human being on the earth nearly 70 years ago. These rights include a lot of rights including the rights to live free from violence, slavery, and discrimination. In addition to the right to education, own property; vote and to earn a fair and equal wage.

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17 Essays by Female Writers That Everyone Should Read

As the VIDA count shows, the ratio of male to female writers published in literary journals, magazines, and book reviews remains largely disproportionate in favor of male writers. In the conversation around this imbalance, some have suggested (among other silly arguments) that women should simply write about more important subjects. The folks over at Creative Nonfiction , the literary magazine that this year celebrates its 20 th consecutive year of publication, scoff at this assessment of the situation. In fact, CNF ’s current issue, “ Female Form ,” includes only essays by female writers. While the theme of the issue was initially unintentional, CNF’ s editors think this only shows that there are indeed plenty of women writing serious nonfiction; they’re just not getting the serious attention they deserve. Just to hammer the point home, the magazine curated this list of 17 essays by female writers every woman (and man) should read. Check them out after the jump, and if we missed any of your favorites, add them to CNF ‘s list in the comments.

“ Split at the Root ,” Adrienne Rich

Adrienne Rich was one of the major feminist writers of the 20th century, and throughout her many volumes of poetry and essays, she has voiced the struggles to establish identity — especially female identity. In 1982’s “Split at the Root,” Rich recalls growing up in a Southern, Christian household, and frets over the significance of identifying — as an adult — as Jewish.

“Living Like Weasels,” Annie Dillard

This essay, excerpted from Dillard’s memoir, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek , begins with a moment at Hollins Pond where Dillard and a weasel lock eyes and swap brains. “If you and I looked at each other that way, our skulls would split and drop to our shoulders,” Dillard writes. The essay then explodes into an exploration, in Dillard’s unforgettably imaginative and passionate style, of what we might learn from the weasels about living in the present moment, “noticing everything, remembering nothing, choosing the given with a fierce and pointed will.” If this essay does not make you see the world like a weasel, it will at least make you want to see the world with Dillard’s inexhaustible sense of wonder.

“ Heroin/e ,” Cheryl Strayed (1999)

“I wanted my mother to love me, but more. I wanted her to prove it, to live, to be a heroine. To go to battle and win. And if she was going to die, I wanted her to tell me, in the end, how I should live without her.” Writing in her distinctive emotionally raw and straightforward style, Cheryl Strayed introduces us in this heart-wrenching essay to many of the themes and stories more fully explored in her New York Times bestselling memoir, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail : the author’s mother’s early death, the crumbling of her first marriage, and her addiction to heroin in her early 20s. (Strayed fans will also want to check out her new interview with Elissa Bassist in the latest issue of Creative Nonfiction ; they discuss fame, writerly jealousy, and writing like a motherf*#ker.)

“The Solace of Open Spaces,” Gretel Ehrlich

Gretel Ehrlich has become one of today’s most influential environmental writers; she is well known for her work exploring the relationship between land and culture, often focusing on rapidly disappearing or isolated landscapes. She began her writing career with 1985’s The Solace of Open Spaces , a collection of personal essays about her time working as a rancher in Wyoming following the death of her partner. The eponymous and first essay from that collection, lyrically beautiful and haunting, specifically explores how the history of settlement in barren and remote Wyoming influences the culture of the scattered ranchers and farmers making their lives there.

“The Ugly Tourist,” Jamaica Kincaid

“You make a leap from being that nice blob just sitting like a boob in your amniotic sac of the modern experience to being a person visiting heaps of death and ruin and feeling alive and inspired at the sight of it.” A must-read for anyone who dreams of a tropical vacation, this ruthless essay, written in 1988, forces us to take a good look at what it means to be a tourist and what it is we think we’re escaping when we travel. Antiguan-born, Kincaid specifically talks about the conditions on islands, such as her home, where a certain brand of tourism continues to flourish, which ignores the hardships of islanders’ lives.

“Slouching Towards Bethlehem,” Joan Didion

It would be impossible to put together this list without including this powerhouse of literary journalism, a seminal figure in the New Journalism movement of the ’60s who has since become one of our most beloved and prolific writers. Famed for her clear-eyed and vivid descriptions of her home state, California, in “Slouching Towards Bethlehem,” Didion explores Haight-Ashbury in 1968, at the height of counterculture.

“ The Fourth State of Matter ,” Jo Ann Beard

This moving essay captures the events in Jo Ann Beard’s life preceding and surrounding the 1991 shooting at the University of Iowa, which claimed the lives of four faculty members and one student in the physics department, where Beard worked part-time. The juxtaposition of Beard’s daily struggles — caring for her sick dog, navigating a separation, and getting rid of squirrels from her attic — with the shooting underscores the unpredictability, shock, and otherworldliness of tragedy.

Photo Credit: Star Black

“ Against Nature ,” Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates, one of the most prolific writers of our time, is also — to judge from this essay — one of our most prolific readers. Ruminating on her own body and relationship to nature, and surveying (many) other writers’ depictions of nature, Oates ultimately disagrees with the writers she cites that nature is “an experience.” “Against Nature” builds to a conclusion that is as unique as Oates’ own place within the literary landscape.

“ No Name Woman ,” Maxine Hong Kingston

Every family has at least one big secret. In this imaginative and brave essay, second-generation Chinese immigrant Maxine Hong Kingston tells us what she knows and what she imagines about her aunt, who became pregnant outside of her marriage, gave birth in a pigsty, and drowned herself and her baby in a well. Hong Kingston gives her relative a voice by imagining her story, and makes us consider what silence can do to a person’s memory within a family.

“ My Misspent Youth ,” Meghan Daum

The dream is not always what it seems. Ever since visiting the apartment of a music copyist with her father as a girl, Meghan Daum confesses, she had romanticized living in New York. She details her fantasies of a life accessorized with an apartment with oak floors, “faded Persian rugs… and NPR humming from the speakers.” The essay was published in 1999, but the struggle to “make it” in New York is, if anything, more challenging today (as any fan of Girls knows). Daum details her efforts, as a young woman working in publishing, to attain her dream of being a successful writer, and her painful decision ultimately to leave the city, dragging her debt behind her.

“ Shunned ,” Meredith Hall (2003)

Today, we have Sixteen and Pregnant and Teen Mom , but the world was not always thus. In “Shunned,” Meredith Hall recalls being a pregnant teenager in a small community in the 1960s, cut off by her family, church, and community. “The price I paid seems still to be extreme,” Hall reflects, in this moving exploration of the facades communities maintain, as well as the costs individuals pay for not belonging.

“ He and I ,” Natalia Ginzburg

“He loves museums and I will go if I am forced to but with an unpleasant sense of effort and duty. He loves libraries and I hate them.” Do opposites attract, and can they stay together? With a simple and matter-of-fact tone, acclaimed Italian writer Natalia Ginzburg chronicles the telling details of a 20-year relationship. This poignant essay sneaks up on you, and by the end leaves you breathless at the way one moment can influence who we become and how we see the people we love.

“ Notes on a Difficult Case ,” Ruthann Robson

At age 42, attorney Ruthann Robson was diagnosed with a tumor in her liver; doctors pronounced her “hopeless, incurable, and inoperable.” Robson suffered the effects of toxic chemotherapy and the condescension of her doctors for asking questions. Desperate and finally deciding to seek a second opinion, she discovered she had been misdiagnosed; her tumor was easily operable. “Notes on a Difficult Case” explores Robson’s search for justice amid the frustrating legal intricacies of medical malpractice.

“ The Fracking of Rachel Carson ,” Sandra Steingraber (2012)

The dangers and drama of hyrdrofracking are attracting increasing visibility ( Gasland ; 60 Minutes stories showing tap water that catches on fire; and even a new Matt Damon flick, Promised Land) . Focusing specifically on Rachel Carson’s homeland of Pennsylvania, the heart of the Marcellus Shale fracking boom, acclaimed ecologist Steingraber details Carson’s own battle throughout her lifetime to raise awareness about the effects of pollution. This essay is a must-read for anyone with an interest in the implications of fracking for our health, or who worries about Carson’s prophecy for future silent springs.

“ The Bitch is Back,” Sandra Tsing Loh (2011)

At the beginning of this rollicking tour through modern hormonal advice, Sandra Tsing Loh declares herself the reader’s “Virgil to the literature of menopause.” What follows is a hilarious analysis of the recommendations made to women coping with the effects of mid-life changes — and for the record, women between 44 and 65 is currently America’s largest demographic group. But no matter your age or gender, Tsing Loh’s Sedaris-like wit makes this essay a fun and thought-provoking piece that asks us to re-examine what we mean by a “normal” woman.

“Street Haunting,” Virginia Woolf

Can we ever really escape ourselves? Nope – -or at least, Virginia Woolf could not. In “Street Haunting,” she takes the reader along on a seemingly humdrum evening walk to pick up a lead pencil. But what we really get is a peek into Woolf’s wild consciousness; this essay is one reason why many point to her as one of the originators of the personal essay form. (It’s also worth reading strictly for Woolf’s vivid descriptions of 1920s London.)

“ Joy ,” Zadie Smith (2013)

Children — as many a parent has realized — are a joy, but not always a pleasure. In this essay that ranges through the many experiences of adulthood (you know: taking ecstasy in nightclubs; being so carelessly in love the thought of breaking an ankle seems a trifle; becoming a parent) the incomparable Zadie Smith puzzles over the differences between joy — which she describes as a “strange admixture of terror, pain, and delight” — and pleasure.

An Essay on Woman in Three Epistles

AN ESSAY ON WOMAN, IN THREE EPISTLES.

LONDON: PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR. And Sold by Mr. GRETTON, in Bond-Street. And Mr. POTTINGER, in Pater-Noster-Row.

AN ESSAY ON WOMAN.

EPISTLE II.

K NOW then thyself... and make the Sex thy care, The proper study of Mankind's the FAIR; Plac'd in that state — which all who know thee, know A Politician, Poet, Parson, Beau; Created half to rise, and half to fall, Great son of Homer — doating on a doll; Truth's friend so fond of female falsehood grown, The glory, jest, and riddle of the town. Go, wond'rous creature, as Apollo leads, And mark the Path majestic Milton treads; The little versifiers teach to write, Then to thy bottle and thy w.... at night. The wondering actors, when of late they saw A grave Divine explain theatric law, Admir'd the wisdom of the rev'rend cowl, And shew'd a C....., as we shew an owl. Has he who wrote the Rosciad e'er inclin'd. Ten days together to one female mind? Then might thy friend be constant to his W...., And PRIVILEGE be pleaded then no more. Woman to man still yields {and where's the harm?) Who keeps her close while she has power to charm; Then yields her to his fellow-brutes a prey: And where's the fault, my friend, in us, or they? Two principles in human nature reign, Self-love to urge, and reason to restrain: Self-love, the spring of motion, acts the soul; And reason yields to its supreme controul: Great strength the moving principal requires, Active its task, it prompts, impels, inspires; Sedate and quiet sense and reason lie; We yield to passion, and from reason fly. We sieze immediate good by present sense, And leave to fate and chance the consequence: Thicker than arguments temptations throng, More pow'rful these, though those are ne'er so strong. Self-love and reason to one end aspire, Pain our aversion, pleasure our desire; But greedy still our object to devour, We crop, without remorse, the fairest flow'r: Pleasure, with us, is always understood, Howe'er obtain'd, our best and greatest good. Passions, like elements, though born to fight, By female pow'r subdu'd, are alter'd quite; These 'tis enough to temper and employ, While what affords most pleasure, can destroy. All spread their charms, but charm not all alike, On different senses different objects strike; Hence different ladies, more or less inflame; Or different pow'rs sometimes attend the fame; And calling up each passion of the breast, Each lady, in her turn, subdues the rest. As man, perhaps, the moment of his breath, Imbibes the flame which ends not but with death; The flame, that must subdue the fair at length, Grows with his growth, and strengthens with his strength. So cast and mingled too in Woman's , frame, Her mind's disease, her ruling passion came. Imagination plies her dangerous art, And pours it all upon the peccant part: Nature it's mother, habit is it's nurse, Wit, spirit, faculties, but make it worse. We wretched subjects to the female sway, The tyrant, Woman, one and all, obey; Who, bent to govern by her own wise rules, Will, if she finds not, aim to make us fools; Teach us to mourn our state, but not to mend; A sharp accuser, but a helpless friend! Proud of her easy conquest all along, She still allays our passions, weak or strong. Virtuous and vicious every man must be; Women are neither in a small degree; The rogue and fool, by fits, is fair and wise, Women are always what they most despice: 'Tis but by parts Man follows good or ill; Woman's sole sovereign is her own dear will , While ev'ry man pursues a different goal, Womans whole aim's unlimited controul, The faults of men, and their defects of mind, Afford the highest joy to womankind. See some peculiar whim each man attend; See every Woman lab'ring to one end: See some fit passion ev'ry man employ; Empire alone affords the Woman joy. Behold the Girl , by Nature's kindly law, Pleas'd with a rattle, tickled with a straw; Some other bauble gives her youth delight, A little louder, but as empty quite. Dress, dancing, balls, amuse her riper age, And drams and opiates are the toys of age; Pleas'd with this bauble still, as that before, 'Till tir'd, she sleeps... and life's poor play is o'er .

EPISTLE III.

O H Happiness! to which we all aspire, Wing'd with strong hope, and borne by full desire, Oh Ease! for which in want, in wealth we sigh, That Ease for which we labour and we die. Why should the Female ever have the power, To tyrannize o'er Man, and to devour? Why should the wife, the learned, and the fool, The brave, the rich.... submit to Woman's rule? Ask of the learn'd the cause, the learn'd are blind, This bids us seek, that shun all Womankind; Some place the bliss in serving one alone, Some by a single Passion are undone. Some, sunk to beasts, find pleasure end in pain. Some, swell'd to Gods,... confess all pleasure vain; Some hold the maxim others wrong would call, To try all Women... and to doubt them all. Oh, Sons of Men! attempt no more to rise, But own the wond'rous force of Woman's eyes; Who, big with laughter, your vain toil surveys, And shews her power a thousand diff'rent ways. Know all the happiness we hope to find, Depends upon the will of Womankind. Nothing so true as Pope, long since, let fall, "Most Women have no characters at all"; How many pictures of one nymph we view! All how unlike each other... all how true! See Sin in state majestically drunk; Proud as a Peeress, prouder as a punk; Chaste to her husband, frank to all beside, A teeming mistress, but a barren bride; In whose mad brain the mix'd ideas roll, Of Tallboy's breeches, and Caesar's soul. Who, spite of delicasy, stoops at once, And makes her hearty meal upon a dunce. In Men we various ruling passion find, In Women... two alone divide the mind; Those only fixed, they, first or last, obey, The love of pleasure, and the love of sway.

This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

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“A Woman’s Beauty” by Susan Sontag Essay

Introduction, research question, interpretive argument about the primary text, representation of the primary text, representation of second and third texts, connection between “a woman’s beauty” and “round up: cosmetic surgery”, works cited.

To the majority of women, the term “beauty” evokes mixed reactions as they strive to put it in context based on who, where, or when the phrase has been used. Most women have been conditioned, through societal constructs, to seek elusive elements associated with being beautiful. Women have been enduring this form of suffering for years because society has placed some demands and set standards on what or who can qualify as beautiful. Unfortunately, such societal concepts of beauty are mainly associated with superficial aspects, such as the size of breasts and hips, length of legs and hair, and the skin complexion, among other trivial body appearances.

This assertion explains why beauty is rarely associated with being intelligent. Sontag claims that such perceptions have become common because the inside, which entails character and intellect, is normally separated from the outside looks of a person (1). This paper is an interpretation and representation of Susan Sontag’s text ­– “A Woman’s Beauty–A Put Down or Power Source” as the primary source, and it uses a secondary text, “Round Up: Cosmetic Surgery” to understand why some women focus on their physical appearance by going for cosmetic surgery.

The issue of plastic surgery has become popular in modern times as some individuals, and especially women, seek to enhance their physical appearances. One of the unanswered questions regarding this trend is the underlying reasons why some women choose to pay attention to their different body parts, such as breasts, waistline, face, nose, skin complexion, and other features. According to scholarly arguments by thinkers such as Sontag, societal pressures and forces compel women to focus on their appearance to meet the set standards. In this case, the research question is – What are the social factors that force some women to focus on their physical appearance to the extent of undergoing cosmetic surgery?

In the text, “A Woman’s Beauty–A Put Down or Power Source,” Susan Sontag highlights the varying standards of beauty between women and men. According to Sontag, Christianity took away the central place of beauty in human excellence ideals (1). The excellence of beauty was limited to moral virtue only, thus making the concept arbitrary and alienated superficial enhancements. As such, societies started associating beauty with women, hence the emergence of phrases such as “a beautiful woman” and “a handsome man.” Therefore, beauty is now ingrained in women’s character, which encourages females to become narcissistic, dependent, and immature (Sontag 2).

On the other hand, men are perceived to be strong, competent, or effective, but such characteristics are rarely associated with their female counterparts. Sontag asserts, “In men, good looks are a whole, something is taken in at a glance. It does not need to be confirmed by giving measurements of different regions of the body; nobody encourages a man to dissect his appearance, feature by feature. As for perfection, that is considered trivial-almost unmanly” (2). However, women do not enjoy such privileges as they are expected to appear in a certain way in pursuit of perfection.

Women are expected to fragment their bodies into different parts, whereby each is evaluated separately and compared to a perfect social construct. Sontag laments that women are conditioned to see “their bodies in parts and to evaluate each part separately. Breasts, feet, hips, waistline, neck, eyes, nose, complexion, hair, and so on—each, in turn, is submitted to an anxious, fretful, often despairing scrutiny. Even if some pass muster, some will always be found wanting. Nothing less than perfection will do” (2).

As such, women are forced to change the appearance of some of their body parts in a bid to fit into societal standards. Sontag’s claims are reliably backed with verifiable research findings. For instance, in a study by Calogero et al., it was established that 90 percent of the interviewed 3,300 women and girls wanted to change at least one aspect of their bodily appearance (259). The participants noted that the reason for yearning to change certain aspects of their physical appearance was the need to conform to the universally accepted standards of beauty. This assertion is in tandem with Sontag’s argument that becoming and staying beautiful is a fulltime work for women.

Beauty in women is associated with power. However, Sontag observes that such power is only conceived in relation to men, and thus “it is not power to do, but the power to attract (3). Besides, this nature of power is the only form that women are allowed or encouraged to seek. According to Barthel, “For women, beauty has been one route to achieving social status. By “marrying up,” the beauty can wave good-bye to her humble origins and gain recognition and security among her betters” (87).

Unfortunately, such kind of power is self-negating, and women cannot choose or renounce it freely without societal censure. As such, women are damned if they do, and if they do not (Sontag 3). This assertion holds because women are expected to be caretakers of their bodies, but they are disparaged for being superficial. Consequently, to women, beauty becomes a form of oppression because what they are is inferior to what is expected of them.

Ultimately, women decide to undergo plastic surgery to rectify the areas that are allegedly flawed in the quest to achieve the standard body appearance. In a study carried out in the United States and Britain, some women claimed that good looks were important, hence the necessity for plastic surgery (“Round Up: Cosmetic Surgery” 178). The lingering question, in this case, is to whom good looks are important. However, Sontag clarifies that such attempts are made to make women more appealing to the men’s eyes.

In “A Woman’s Beauty–A Put Down or Power Source,” Susan Sontag explores the implications of the term “beauty” to the female gender. Sontag argues that women are highly valued, assessed, and judged based on their looks, as opposed to their intelligence and abilities. On the other hand, men are judged based on their brainpower and other abilities apart from physical appearance. Sontag structures her work in a way that allows deep analysis and understanding of the evolution of the concept of beauty in society. The author presents her ideas by integrating historical and religious components that have been shaping beauty over the years.

In ancient Greek society, during the times of Socrates, physical appearance was highly valued, and Sontag uses this analogy to explore the importance of beauty among women in the modern era. By structuring her writing to start with an ancient example of the value of beauty, Sontag positions her arguments to communicate the social constructs associated with beauty. She states, “For the Greeks, beauty was a virtue: a kind of excellence. Persons then were assumed to be what we now have to call – lamely, enviously – whole persons” (Sontag 1). The author effectively compares perceptions of beauty in the ancient Greek culture to the present social constructs of the concept.

The young Athenians in ancient Greece would not understand why Socrates – a brilliant, intelligent, brave, and honorable man, would be so ugly. Sontag notes that as the young Athenians, people in the modern era are surprised when they encounter a beautiful, intelligent, and talented individual (1). Through such comparisons and analogies, Sontag communicates clearly about issues surrounding beauty in the present times.

Sontag incorporates the aspect of religion to discuss how beauty has evolved to be associated with women. She writes, “By limiting excellence ( virtus in Latin) to moral virtue only, Christianity set beauty adrift – as an alienated, arbitrary, superficial enchantment” (Sontag 3), and such a perception links beauty to women, but not men. Consequently, beauty becomes an essential part of a woman’s character, and females are obligated to appear beautiful.

The author discusses the many challenges that women face in an attempt to remain beautiful based on the societal standards of the concept. Sontag then compares women’s experiences with their male counterparts. She says, “In men, good looks are a whole, something is taken in at a glance. It does not need to be confirmed by giving measurements of different regions of the body; nobody encourages a man to dissect his appearance, feature by feature” (Sontag 2).

The author moves from one idea to another as she develops her essay and arguments for the reader to follow easily. By using evidence-based arguments, Sontag uses a structure that facilitates her tone to express her ideas on how beauty disproportionately affects women. This aspect improves the credibility of her arguments. Without such an approach of comparing her thoughts with what is already known, Sontag would be accused of using rhetoric to address such a critical social issue.

The second text, “Round Up: Cosmetic Surgery,” is a roundup of different reports on the issue of plastic surgery from different parts of the world. In one of the reports, it is noted that men who normally go for penile enlargement normally have normal penises (“Round Up: Cosmetic Surgery” 175). However, they suffer from psychological dysmorphism, and thus they think that they have small penises. This aspect relates to Sontag’s argument that societal demands pressurize women to look at beauty from the outside.

In this case, men with normal penises going for enlargement have been conditioned to think that a large male organ is a sign of masculinity and authority. In another report, women in Brazil claimed that they preferred plastic surgery to correct deformities on their bodies, especially their breasts. This article is closely related to Sontag’s argument that women are forced to see their body parts as fragments that should measure up to certain standards.

In the Brazilian case, the said women prefer breast enlargement to attain the societal standards of the definition of beauty. In the US and Britain, feminists argue that cosmetic surgery is “evidence of women’s self-hatred and troubled relationship to a sexually objectified body” (“Round Up: Cosmetic Surgery” 178). This observation is closely related to Sontag’s claim that what is “accepted by most women as a flattering idealization of their sex is a way of making women feel inferior to what they actually are-or normally grow to be” (2). In both texts, women are presented as victims of beauty, which is a form of self-oppression as they strive to achieve societal standards and definitions of the term.

The third text is “Beauty Status/Social Status” by Diane Barthel. The author argues that women use beauty to attain social status and power. Once some of the beautiful women marry rich men, they use wealth to purchase expensive materials as a symbol of power and status. This argument is in line with Sontag’s view that women seek beauty as a way of gaining power. She says, “To be sure, beauty is a form of power. And deservedly so” (Sontag 3).

However, this kind of power can only be defined and attained with men in the picture. It comes out as the power to attract, and its possessors (women) cannot renounce or choose it freely without social backlash. The text by Barthel uses numerous examples of how wealth is used as a sign of social status. Beauty products give women a form of transcendence in the promise of happiness after buying and consuming the same (Barthel 91). The two texts by Sontag and Barthel focus on the lies that women have been fed concerning beauty in modern times.

The text, “Round Up: Cosmetic Surgery,” highlights some issues that are closely related to Sontag’s writing – “A Woman’s Beauty.” In her essay, Sontag claims that women are taught to view their body parts as separate entities, with each having to achieve certain standards of perfection. As such, if a woman’s breasts are not big enough to attain the set beauty standards, she will undergo plastic surgery to fix that problem. In the article, “Round Up: Cosmetic Surgery”, women support Sontag’s views. For instance, in Lebanon, women “fall in the vortex of continuous image alterations by means of plastic surgery, leading to the creation of “lookalike” females” (“Round Up: Cosmetic Surgery” 177).

Similarly, in Brazil, women opt for abdomen and breast cosmetic surgeries to attain given body figures and sizes as defined by beauty in the modern era. In most of the reports published in “Round Up: Cosmetic Surgery,” women say that they undergo plastic surgery as a way of dealing with their fears of not looking beautiful enough according to societal standards. This assertion confirms Sontag’s view that women’s bodies are seen as objects of admiration. Both texts assert that some women focus on their physical appearance by undergoing cosmetic surgery to rectify parts of their bodies that do not meet the societal standards of beauty. Therefore, such women go for surgery because they feel incomplete because they are preoccupied with the external façade of achieving a seemingly unattainable beauty ideal.

The idea of beauty has evolved over the years, and in contemporary times, it affects women disproportionately. Sontag explores the different aspects of beauty together with their implications on women in comparison with their male counterparts. Women are judged by their looks, and thus they strive to meet the set standards at any cost even if it means going through cosmetic surgery. The other two texts, “Round Up: Cosmetic Surgery” and “Beauty Status/Social Status” support Sontag’s views in many cases. Ultimately, women go for plastic surgery to fix parts of their bodies that appear to be below the standards of beauty set by society.

Barthel, Diane. Putting on Appearances. Temple University Press, 1988.

Calogero, Rachel, et al. “The Impact of Western Beauty Ideals on the Lives of Women and Men: A Sociocultural Perspective.” Body Beautiful: Evolutionary and Sociocultural Perspectives , edited by Viren Swami and Adrian Furnham, Palgrave Macmillan, 2007, pp. 259-298.

“Round Up: Cosmetic Surgery.” Reproductive Health Matters, vol. 18, no. 35, 2010, pp. 175-181.

Sontag, Susan. A Woman’s Beauty–A Put Down or Power Source, 1975. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2020, December 22). "A Woman's Beauty" by Susan Sontag. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-womans-beauty-by-susan-sontag/

""A Woman's Beauty" by Susan Sontag." IvyPanda , 22 Dec. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/a-womans-beauty-by-susan-sontag/.

IvyPanda . (2020) '"A Woman's Beauty" by Susan Sontag'. 22 December.

IvyPanda . 2020. ""A Woman's Beauty" by Susan Sontag." December 22, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-womans-beauty-by-susan-sontag/.

1. IvyPanda . ""A Woman's Beauty" by Susan Sontag." December 22, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-womans-beauty-by-susan-sontag/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . ""A Woman's Beauty" by Susan Sontag." December 22, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-womans-beauty-by-susan-sontag/.

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How Celibate Women Became a Threat

A mid a number of recent pivots, including scrapping the women-message-first system it launched with 10 years ago, dating app Bumble recently unveiled a new ad campaign that seemed to take aim at its primary demographic: women. Over the weekend of May 11, a number of TikTok users in the Los Angeles area posted the dating app’s new anti-celibacy billboards, which appear to tease women who have sworn off sex and dating. One billboard reads, “You know full well that celibacy is not the answer.” The campaign comes two weeks after a commercial announcing “the new Bumble,” which shows a woman who becomes a nun because she’s fed up with dating, only to immediately relapse once she sees a hot guy. The billboards generated considerable backlash from women on TikTok, with a creator @Fleeksie posting , “LADIES! The patriarchy is SCARED!! They’re losing us and they’re panicking!!” Julia Fox, for her part, commented on one of the posts: “2.5 years of celibacy and never been better tbh.”

The overwhelmingly negative response to the campaign pushed Bumble to issue an apology on May 13, acknowledging the many valid reasons that move someone towards celibacy: restrictions on reproductive rights, recovering from trauma or abuse, or existing as asexual. “We have heard the concerns shared about the ad’s language and understand that rather than highlighting a current sentiment towards dating, it may have had a negative impact on some of our community,” a Bumble spokesperson shared in a statement to TIME . The app has promised to remove the ads, as well as donate to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. But in attempting to make light of a social climate in which, as they worded it in their apology, “a community” (read: women) “are frustrated by modern dating,” Bumble ended up, inadvertently or not, mirroring the language many women experience when they tell men they are not interested. The sexless, “crazy cat lady” trope is a tale as old as time, but in the context of rising incel ideology—which psychologists partly attribute to women’s increased economic and social power—the sentiment still feels like a toxic, all-too-familiar neg.

Read More: Bumble Apologizes After Getting Stung for Anti-Celibacy Campaign

Desiree (all last names in this article have been kept private to preserve anonymity), for instance, is a 26-year-old woman who is no longer using dating apps because she felt people “were using physical connection to make up for the lack of emotional intimacy.” She has found that the emotional intimacy she craves—something she needs to be physical with someone—is increasingly hard to come by. “I find myself constantly setting boundaries due to the normalization of hookup culture by apps,” she told me. Too often she’d be on dates where, all of a sudden, someone would lean in for a kiss and get a bit touchy without respecting her wishes to connect on a personal level first. “For me, it’s not worth the hassle, or the risk that someone might not respect or abide by my decision.”

Even beyond the persistent pressure from individuals to participate in hookup culture, as Desiree experienced, the dating industry at large is perpetually badgering single people to redownload, buy premium subscriptions, and remain in the romantic marketplace. This begs the question: Has a celibate woman become more threatening than a sexual one?

Increasingly, women are both sexual and celibate at once, and perhaps that makes them doubly threatening: A new generation is proving that sexual empowerment doesn’t hinge on having lots of sex, or even sex at all. In 2023, I wrote about the rise of “celibate sluts,” people who consider themselves sexual but have taken big steps back from sex, usually when they realize sex isn’t serving them, and found peace. One 23-year-old woman told me she and her friends referred to themselves as sluts “to signal us being hot and in control of our bodies,” regardless of sexual activity. Furthermore, growing visibility surrounding asexuality has given many people the freedom to redefine intimacy for themselves.  

Across age groups and genders, studies suggest that people are having less sex, a phenomenon that’s been called the “ sex recession ” and largely cast in a negative light. In 2021, the General Social Survey found that over a quarter of Americans over 18 hadn’t had sex once in the past year, which is a 30-year high. Not to mention women, overall, are opting out of dating: 2020 Pew Research Data found 61% of single men were actively looking for dates, compared to 38% of women. Rather than examining the social, economic, and political conditions that may make sex and dating unappealing for individuals, particularly women, the impetus is put on the individuals to fix it. 

What I found when reporting my book, Laid and Confused: Why We Tolerate Bad Sex and How to Stop , is that young people are consciously opting out of sex and dating, largely due to swiping burnout, but also due to setting higher standards for romantic partners. This can be a beautiful, empowering choice—one that I can speak to from personal experience. After a nearly two-year break from dating, which included my recent year of cancer treatment , I decided to dip my toe back in the waters and almost immediately forfeited the few shreds of peace I’d been clinging to. If I, a person recovering from cancer, didn’t respond to prospective suitors fast enough, I received weirdly snarky follow-ups like “don’t be too shy” or “lol ok.” I felt overwhelmed by how many men’s profiles declared they weren’t “looking for a pen pal,” or that they wanted to meet up right away without much back-and-forth (which is actually a tool women use to vet potential partners, for their safety.) To exist on a dating app is to be constantly inundated by the pressure to meet up, regardless of your readiness. And for women, that pressure is reinforced by existing in a world that hates them for being single .

The truth is, being single is incredibly healthy for people who want or need to be, and studies show that single women without children are often happier than their married counterparts with children. Celibacy can facilitate some of this joy. “I would rather be at home on my couch hanging out with my plants,” said Sunah, a 41-year-old woman who found that when she raised her dating standards, her sex life dried up. “People are like, ‘Why aren’t you dating?’ They feel like it’s sad. Everyone acts like their shining accomplishment is being romantically partnered.” (Her guy friends, in particular, accuse her of being “too mean” and “too quick to dismiss people.”) 

Online conversations about the “male loneliness epidemic” tend to rope in women as a potential solve, particularly on incel forums. Yes, male loneliness is a real problem: A 2021 American Perspectives survey found that the number of men who reported not having a single close friend had quintupled to 15% since 1990. For unmarried men under 30, 25% say they have no close friends at all. Consistently, studies show that men have a harder time making and keeping friendships. But women don’t owe men companionship, even if those men are lonely. While all Americans are reporting fewer close friendships than they had before the pandemic, the same American Perspectives Survey found that young women are more likely than young men to lean on their friends for support. While loneliness affects all genders, women who opt out of dating are more likely to do so by choice. If men’s loneliness is stemming from a lack of sex, many women clearly benefit from that lack.

Read More: Why Gen Z Is Ditching Dating Apps

Alex, a 30-year-old woman who feels enormous “relief” to be on a dating app hiatus, told me, “I’ve recently realized how exhausted I am from the grind of it all and wanted to take a break to rebuild myself a little bit, take a pause from setting up dates all the time, save money, and reevaluate my feelings on dating in general.” 

When it comes to the business of dating apps, the most relevant principle isn’t necessarily patriarchal, but inherently capitalist: celibate, app-less women are not lucrative, an issue that the entire industry is grappling with. The business of dating, in general, is floundering: Dating app downloads are starting to fall , and a Pew Research study found that more people are dissatisfied with the apps than ever before. 

“Most of the time when I tell people I’m not dating, they immediately view it as a negative and start saying, ‘Well, you just need to put time in on the apps,’” a 30-year-old woman who is currently celibate told me. “And of course, society reminds me that I am elderly and should have ten kids right now. Thankfully, I’m on a particularly anti-dating side of TikTok though, which helps.” 

Alex, on the other hand,  says it’s been hard “to quiet the societal voice of ‘you’re in your prime time!’” Especially when she scrolls through so much content about dating online. But she’s not anti-dating, just anti-dating-in-a-way-that-doesn’t-work-for-her.  

“I’m not opposed to seeing people if I were to meet them in the wild,” she told me. “But I plan to keep my apps deleted for a while and that in itself feels really good.”

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One of the budget papers will be all about women. Here's what you need to know

For the fourth consecutive year, the pile of budget papers deposited on the desks of journalists this afternoon will contain a booklet dedicated exclusively to women.

Inflation is making everything more expensive, including  essentials women can't avoid buying.

On top of that, on average women are  earning less than a man in the same sector and doing more of the work that they don't get paid for at home too.

And that's before you get to facing an increased risk of violence  and chronic shortages of essential products women need.

For women of colour, those with disabilities or from low-income backgrounds, these problems are even greater.

The booklet will detail how the government plans to improve their lives and how particular measures will help 51 per cent of the country's population.

But how much of a difference will that actually make to most women? And what do we know about what's already inside?

Shout-out to the ladies

The Women's Budget Statement, first introduced in the 1980s by the Hawke government, was a longtime fixture of budget day. It was then stopped by the Abbott government, resumed in the last years of the Morrison government, and has been a consistent feature under the Albanese government.

Most budget measures are not specific to women, so the women's budget statement is often used as a place for the government to spruik the ones that stand out as benefiting them, or to reframe general policies in terms of their benefit to women.

For example, the first item mentioned by Treasurer Jim Chalmers in a Mother's Day message about the women's statement was "a bigger tax cut for more than 90 per cent of women", a cut which also applies to men.

But the Albanese government has also used the statements to highlight targeted changes to address economic gender equality.

Super on paid parental leave

As first announced on International Women's Day, the government will pay superannuation on the publicly funded Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme starting in the 2025-26 financial year.

That's a proposal the government says will help close the gender gap in retirement incomes, since the vast majority of the 180,000 who receive the payment every year are women.

Labor first promised the move at the 2019 election, then ditched it at the 2022 election owing to its cost. Previous modelling suggested it would cost about $200 million a year, but the government confirmed on Sunday it would cost $623.1 million a year.

That's in part because the government is in the process of increasing the number of weeks that can be accessed under the scheme, up to 26 by 2026. There will also be incentives for parents to share more leave.

Higher wages in aged care and child care

The budget will also provision a "multi-billion-dollar" amount for higher wages in two female-dominated workforces, aged care and child care.

In both cases, its hand has been forced by the Fair Work Commission (FWC), which approved a pay rise for aged care workers in 2023 and is expected to do the same for childcare workers in June. The government supported both cases before the FWC.

Other female-dominated workforces will get support targeted at the trainee level through the introduction of paid placements in teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work courses, each to the value of $319.50 a week and benefiting an estimated 73,000 students.

But Students Against Placement Poverty has criticised the measure as insufficient, saying the commitment amounts to about $8 an hour for a full work week, and many students will miss out because it's means-tested.

Beyond that, the government has pointed to a range of general measures which will disproportionately benefit women, such as the decision to reduce indexation of HELP debts and other student loans, since 58.5 per cent of outstanding debt is held by women.

Endometriosis funding

The government has already announced that longer specialist consultations for women with endometriosis and other complex gynaecological conditions such as chronic pelvic pain and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) will now be covered under Medicare from July next year.

Two new rebates will be added to the Medicare Benefits Schedule, enabling extended consultation times and increased rebates for specialist care.

The $49.1 million investment is expected to provide about 430,000 more services to women across the country.

Including this new funding, the federal government has committed a total of $107 million in endometriosis support for women since coming to government, including by establishing endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics across the country and providing funding for research and awareness.

They've also flagged a scholarship fund to encourage nurses and midwives to get a higher qualification so they have the power to prescribe, order pathology and give their patients referrals.

The Primary Care Nursing and Midwifery Scholarship Program will run for four years, costing the government $50 million.

In May 2023, a Senate inquiry found women around Australia were facing major challenges to accessing abortion, contraception, pregnancy and birth care.

Health Minister Mark Butler and Assistant Health Minister Ged Kearney said a recent Senate inquiry into access to reproductive and sexual healthcare would help inform how those commitments would be reached.

The government's response to the report's recommendations is now nearly a year overdue.

Violence against women and their children

The government has promised additional measures to support women's safety, building on the already-announced $915 million over five years to make permanent a trial program which has seen women fleeing violence paid up to $5,000 in financial support.

But this has been heavily criticised as not going far enough to protect some of those most vulnerable to violence because it only covers violence by an intimate partner — not a carer or family member.

Women with disabilities say they're being left behind , while the federal government says they should approach Centrelink or the NDIS  if they're being abused by a carer.

And Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth has said the government has no plans to expand that eligibility.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has also said there will be "additional steps" on welfare payments, the level of which is often identified as a barrier to women seeking to leave violent relationships.

But it's not clear whether this will include an increase to the JobSeeker unemployment benefit or the Single Parenting Payment.

Instead, the government has hinted it is likely to increase the more narrowly available Commonwealth Rent Assistance payment.

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DJ Akademiks, Off The Record podcast host, accused of rape and defamation

DJ Akademiks , a media personality and host of the Off The Record podcast, has been sued for allegedly raping a woman.

In a civil lawsuit filed in New Jersey Superior Court Monday, which was obtained by USA TODAY Tuesday, Fauziya “Ziya” Abashe alleged Akademics, whose real name is Livingston Allen "brutally" raped her in July 2022. She also alleged two unnamed "accomplices" drugged and raped her at Allen's house earlier that day.

Abashe, described as a writer who lives in Pennsylvania, sued Allen and two John Does for sexual assault, negligent infliction of emotional distress and defamation and requested a jury trial.

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Tyrone Blackburn, Abashe's lawyer, said in a statement shared with USA TODAY Tuesday, "Litigation is always the last resort. After several unsuccessful attempts to resolve this case privately, Ms Abashe was left with no choice but to file. Mr. Allen’s hubris will be his downfall."

USA TODAY has reached out to Allen for comment.

DJ Akademiks' response to the lawsuit

Allen, who also co-hosts Complex's series, " Everyday Struggle ," and has accumulated several million followers across social media sites including YouTube , X and Twitch , has been garnering attention recently for his coverage of the rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake .

In a Rumble livestream Tuesday, Allen appeared to address the lawsuit, saying, "I'm going to go against my very high-priced attorney's advice today, but I'm still not going to say much."

He added, "My only comment should really be: Whatever this is will be handled in court. Just know, according to the law and according to the police and according to all sanctioning governing authorities, Akademiks is an innocent man who has not ever been charged with anything of the sort that has to do with any deviancy or anything like that, has never been charged, will never be charged. That's a fact."

He called the lawsuit "a shakedown," adding, "This is a money tree situation."

What is DJ Akademiks accused of doing?

In her lawsuit, Abashe said she started "casually dating" Allen after meeting through social media in 2021. The July 2022 incident took place about a year after they last saw each other, she said.

After arriving at Allen's New Jersey home on July 16, 2022, she alleged John Doe one and John Doe two fixed her a drink that was drugged and plied her with alcohol while she was in a hot tub before sexually assaulting her on Allen's pool deck while she was unconscious. She also alleged Allen raped her afterward.

According to her lawsuit, Abashe went to the police to report the assaults and had a sexual assault forensic exam performed. The complaint also states Abashe believes police used evidence provided by her to obtain a warrant from a judge and get a hold of footage and evidence of the assault.

"Mr. Allen and his two accomplices’ sexual assault severely injured Ms. Abashe, causing significant physical and psychological pain and suffering, loss of dignity, and invasion of her privacy," the lawsuit reads. "Mr. Allen's public statements added to the harm Ms. Abashe was already silently suffering with."

Abashe said she "remained silent" until Allen took to his social media accounts in December and "accused Ms. Abashe of voluntarily having an orgy with his friends at his home while maintaining that he never participated at all."

In his Rumble livestream, Allen seemingly confirmed a police investigation had been conducted and claimed he was "cleared" of wrongdoing.

"I told the truth: Hey, the police came, they looked, we gave them everything, pretty much everything is documented, caught on video tape. They got to see it with their own two eyes," he said.

"Not only did they say Ak, you good — and that's not just word of mouth — you're officially cleared. We could not bring any criminal charges. You are not criminally liable. Also, anybody else in the situation was also cleared."

If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE &  online.rainn.org ).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DJ Akademiks, Off The Record podcast host, accused of rape and defamation

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Environmental Factor

Your online source for niehs news, papers of the month.

Extramural By Megan Avakian and Julie Leibach

Air pollution may trigger DNA modifications tied to Alzheimer’s disease

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a type of air pollutant, may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease risk by affecting DNA methylation patterns tied to neuroinflammation, according to NIEHS-funded research. Neuroinflammation, which is an immune response in the central nervous system, is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

Growing evidence indicates that PM2.5 is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Results from human and animal studies suggest that changes in DNA methylation, which regulate gene expression, are associated with indicators of Alzheimer’s disease and PM2.5 exposure.

The researchers assessed DNA methylation in human postmortem brain tissues obtained from 159 donors who participated in the Emory Goizueta Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center brain bank program. They also estimated donors’ residential traffic-related PM2.5 exposure at one, three, and five years before death. Using a combination of analytical approaches, the team looked for differences in methylation patterns that could explain links between PM2.5 exposure and Alzheimer’s disease.

Differences at two methylation sites — cg25433380 and cg10495669 — were consistently associated with PM2.5 across all exposure timeframes. One of those sites, cg10495669, is connected to a gene that regulates inflammation. The team also identified 22 methylation sites that may underpin ties between PM2.5 exposure and indicators of Alzheimer’s disease. Several of those sites are located in genes responsible for neuroinflammation and related cell death. In addition, the researchers found links between PM2.5 exposure at the three-year window and methylation changes along a pathway important to life span.

The study is the first to show an association between PM2.5 exposure and varying methylation patterns in the human brain. Results should be verified with a larger sample size across more diverse stages of Alzheimer’s disease, according to the authors. (JL)

Citation : Li Z, Liang D, Ebelt S, Gearing M, Kobor MS, Konwar C, Maclsaac JL, Dever K, Wingo AP, Levey AI, Lah JJ, Wingo TS, Hüls A. 2024. Differential DNA methylation in the brain as potential mediator of the association between traffic-related PM2.5 and neuropathology markers of Alzheimer's disease . Alzheimers Dement; doi: 10.1002/alz.13650 [Online ahead of print 12 Feb. 2024].

Heavy metal exposure linked to earlier menopause

Exposure to heavy metals may be linked to earlier menopause in middle-aged women, NIEHS-researchers reported. The study is the first to assess how metals affect levels of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) over time in women approaching menopause.

AMH is a marker of ovarian reserve, or the number of eggs remaining in the ovaries. Ovarian reserve and AMH levels naturally drop in the years leading up to menopause, called the menopausal transition period. A woman reaches menopause once she has gone 12 months without a menstrual period.

The team analyzed data from about 550 middle-aged women enrolled in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation, a racially and ethnically diverse investigation of how the menopausal transition affects health. The researchers assessed the relationship between levels of arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead in urine and levels of AMH in blood in the 10 years leading up to the women’s last menstrual period.

Higher urinary concentrations of arsenic and mercury were associated with lower AMH at the final menstrual period. The top one-third of arsenic and mercury exposures were associated with 32% and 40% lower AMH levels, respectively, compared to the bottom one-third of exposures. During the menopausal transition period, women in the top one-third of cadmium and mercury exposures experienced faster rates of AMH decline — 9% and 7%, respectively — than women in the bottom one-third.

According to the authors, these results indicate that certain heavy metals may act as ovarian toxicants by depleting ovarian reserve in women approaching menopause. (MA)

Citation : Ding N, Wang X, Harlow SD, Randolph JF Jr, Gold EB, Park SK. 2024. Heavy metals and trajectories of anti-Müllerian hormone during the menopausal transition . J Clin Endocrinol Metab dgad756.

Phthalate exposures associated with high numbers of preterm birth

Nearly 57,000 cases of preterm birth a year may be attributable to phthalate exposures, according to a study funded by NIEHS and others. Associated economic and medical care costs are an estimated $3.8 billion, highlighting a need for robust exposure prevention efforts.

The consequences of preterm birth include infant and childhood mortality; adverse psychological, behavioral, and educational outcomes in young adulthood; and cardiovascular disease and diabetes in later life. Phthalates — synthetic chemicals widely used in consumer products, such as vinyl flooring and personal -care items — have been implicated in preterm birth. However, little is understood about the potential effects of newer phthalates, such as diisononyl phthalate (DiNP) and diisodecyl phthalate (DiDP), used to replace di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) in food packaging.

Using data from the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program for 1998-2022, the researchers studied associations between 20 phthalates and gestational age at birth, birthweight, and birth length for 5,006 mother-child pairs. They also investigated negative birth outcomes and financial costs that could be attributable to phthalate exposure.

Although DEHP exposure was associated with preterm birth, the replacement chemicals DiDP, DiNP, and di-n-octyl phthalate showed stronger associations. The team also estimated that 56,595 cases of preterm birth in 2018 could be attributed to phthalate exposures. For that year, lost economic productivity and additional medical care costs due to phthalate-induced preterm birth could have ranged from $1.6 to $8.1 billion.

The results suggest substantial opportunities for phthalate exposure prevention, according to the authors. They added their findings also show that DEHP replacements are not safer, indicating a need to regulate chemicals with similar properties as a class. (JL)

Citation : Trasande L, Nelson ME, Alshawabkeh A, Barrett ES, Buckley JP, Dabelea D, Dunlop AL, Herbstman JB, Meeker JD, Naidu M, Newschaffer C, Padula AM, Romano ME, Ruden DM, Sathyanarayana S, Schantz SL, Starling AP, Hamra GB; programme collaborators for Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes. 2024. Prenatal phthalate exposure and adverse birth outcomes in the USA: a prospective analysis of births and estimates of attributable burden and costs . Lancet Planet Health 8(2):e74–e85.

Moderate radon exposure associated with increased risk of stroke in women

Exposure to moderate levels of radon was associated with increased risk of stroke in middle-aged and older women, NIEHS-funded researchers reported. The findings add to limited research on how exposure to the radioactive gas affects stroke risk in women, who are more prone to strokes than men.

Rocks and soil naturally release radon, which can accumulate inside buildings by entering through small cracks. Although radon is a leading cause of lung cancer and is implicated in stroke, radon testing and mitigation tend to be less common than recommended in the U.S.

The researchers used data from nearly 160,000 women ages 50-79 when they joined the Women’s Health Initiative, a decades-long study of postmenopausal women in the U.S. They estimated exposure by linking each woman’s home address to federal data on radon levels, which they grouped into low-, middle-, and high-radon exposures. Using medical records and death certificates, they confirmed stroke outcomes in participants during the approximately 13-year follow-up.

Stroke risk was 6% and 14% greater among women living in middle and high exposure areas, respectively, compared to those with the lowest radon exposures. Notably, stroke risk was significantly elevated among women exposed to radon at mid-levels, which are below the recommended threshold for taking mitigation steps, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Overall, the results suggest a relationship between radon exposure and increased risk of stroke among women. According to the authors, confirmation of this trend in a more diverse population could extend the generalizability of these findings and help inform stricter radon action levels to protect public health. (MA)

Citation : Buchheit SF, Collins JM, Anthony KM, Love SM, Stewart JD, Gondalia R, Huang DY, Manson JE, Reiner AP, Schwartz GG, Vitolins MZ, Schumann RR, Smith RL, Whitsel EA. 2024. Radon exposure and incident stroke risk in the Women’s Health Initiative . Neurology 102(4).

(Megan Avakian and Julie Leibach are senior science writers at MDB, Inc., a contractor for the NIEHS Division of Extramural Research and Training.)

Read the current Superfund Research Program Research Brief . New issues are published on the first Wednesday of every month.

Breaking News

As salmon populations struggle, California bans fishing on rivers for a second year

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California regulators have decided to ban fishing for chinook salmon on the state’s rivers for a second year in a row, in effort to help the species recover from major population declines.

The unanimous vote by the California Fish and Game Commission on Wednesday follows a similar decision last month to prohibit salmon fishing along the California coast this year.

The decision will shut down the recreational salmon fishing season along the Sacramento, American, Feather, Mokulumne, Klamath and Trinity rivers, among others.

State officials have said salmon are struggling because of factors such as reduced river flows during the severe drought from 2020-2022, the effects of climate change , harmful algae blooms, and shifts in the species’ ocean diet.

Aggressive and impactful reporting on climate change, the environment, health and science.

Fishing advocates blamed Gov. Gavin Newsom and his administration, arguing that the state has been sending too much water to farms and cities, and depriving rivers of the cold flows salmon need to survive.

Scott Artis, executive director of Golden State Salmon Assn., said the main cause is “a horrendous water policy that green lights unsustainable water diversions out of our salmon rivers.”

Artis reiterated his group’s opposition to the state’s proposal to build the Delta Conveyance Project , which would reroute water in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, as well as its plan to build Sites Reservoir in a valley north of Sacramento. He said these projects would cause further harm to fish, and argued that Newsom’s policies are “turning California’s rivers into ghost towns for salmon.”

State officials have said they are prioritizing plans to help salmon populations recover. Newsom’s administration in January announced a salmon strategy plan outlining a series of expanded efforts, including restoring habitats, modernizing hatcheries and removing barriers that block fish migration.

Climate & Environment

Coastal salmon fishing banned for a second year amid steep population declines

Officials have decided to ban salmon fishing on the California coast for a second year. Salmon populations have dropped after the state’s last drought.

April 11, 2024

Charlton “Chuck” Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said in a recent interview with The Times that even as the fishery goes through this difficult time, state officials are focused on actions that can “change the trajectory.” He said these efforts include restoring wetlands to create more habitat, removing dams on the Klamath River and protecting flows and water quality in rivers to support fish.

“Hope is very much alive for salmon in California,” Bonham said. “We think they can not only hang on in the state but thrive, and get back to healthy numbers each year, where people can enjoy them.”

This year is the fourth in state history that no salmon fishing has been permitted. The other back-to-back closure occurred in 2008 and 2009.

California rivers once teemed with salmon, but the construction of dams blocked the fish from reaching many of the cold mountain streams where they once spawned. For decades, government-run hatcheries have reared and released millions of salmon each year. Those efforts, however, haven’t been enough to prevent populations from declining.

Salmon populations are struggling, bringing economic woes for California’s fishing fleet

Captains of fishing boats on the California coast are bracing for salmon fishing to be severely restricted — or possibly canceled for a second year.

March 31, 2024

Successive droughts and global warming have also taken a toll. During the 2020-22 drought, the water flowing from dams sometimes got so warm that it was lethal for salmon eggs.

California’s commercial and recreational fishing industries depend on fall-run chinook, which migrate upstream as adults from July through December. Some fish return to the hatcheries where they were released, while others spawn along tributaries of the Sacramento, San Joaquin and Klamath rivers.

Salmon are also central to the cultures of Native tribes, whose leaders canceled subsistence fishing last year.

Other salmon runs in California have declined to a point that they are at risk of extinction. Spring-run chinook are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and winter-run chinook are endangered.

California’s water outlook has brightened for now, but salmon and other fish are still in peril

California’s fishing fleet suffered when salmon fishing was banned last year. With the fish population still struggling, more fishing restrictions are expected.

April 4, 2024

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California increases water allocation after wet winter, but fish protections limit pumping

April 23, 2024

Ian James is a reporter who focuses on water in California and the West. Before joining the Los Angeles Times in 2021, he was an environment reporter at the Arizona Republic and the Desert Sun. He previously worked for the Associated Press as a correspondent in the Caribbean and as bureau chief in Venezuela. He is originally from California.

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Andrew Tate served with UK civil proceedings papers at Romania home

Influencer served legal papers in relation to allegations of rape and sexual assault made by four British women

Andrew Tate has been served with civil proceedings papers at his home in Romania in relation to allegations of rape and sexual assault made by four British women.

Lawyers representing the women said the alleged victims were bringing a case against the self-professed “ misogynist influencer ” at the high court in the UK, after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided not to prosecute him in 2019.

McCue Jury and Partners said the women alleged Tate, 37, “raped and assaulted them and will also seek damages for injuries they suffered as a result”.

Three of the four British accusers were the subject of an investigation by Hertfordshire constabulary, which was closed in 2019.

The law firm said: “Three of the women bringing the civil action reported that Tate had raped and physically assaulted them to the UK police in 2014-15. After a four-year investigation, Hertfordshire police sent the case to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision.

“In 2019, the CPS decided not to prosecute … Despite additional evidence, the CPS have declined the women’s recent requests to review its decision. The criminal justice system let these women down; civil action is their last remaining route to justice.”

The women, who were seeking donations for the proceedings via crowdfunding, thanked their supporters on Wednesday.

Tate, a controversial social media influencer, and his brother Tristan Tate, 35, are also facing a trial in Romania .

A court in Romania ruled last month that a trial could start in a human-trafficking case, which accused the Tate brothers of rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

The pair were arrested near Bucharest in December 2022 alongside two Romanian women. All four deny the allegations.

The Tate brothers will be extradited to the UK after the proceedings in Romania, after Bedfordshire police secured a European arrest warrant in a separate rape and human-trafficking investigation.

The Bedfordshire force in March said: “As part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of rape and human trafficking, Bedfordshire police has obtained a European arrest warrant for two men in their 30s.

“We are working with authorities in Romania as part of this investigation and will provide an update in due course.”

A representative for the Tate brothers said they “unequivocally deny all allegations”, and were “fully committed to challenging these accusations with unwavering determination and resolve”.

• Andrew Tate

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