Equal Rights for Women and Men (by Susi NA 2)

The role of women and men has changed enormously over the last century. But are these roles equal yet?

It is true that the way in which women are seen today is very different from the way were seen two hundred years ago. Back then women were not allowed to speak as often as they would have liked. They were expected to have children and do household duties as cleaning and cooking for the family while men were always the ones who commanded or had the final word.

Firstly, in this century women have the ability to choose our own lives, speak our minds or balance a family and a career. It is common for both women and men to work outside the home and, of course, families are smaller.

I have two daughters and I wish them a more egalitarian, just and humane society as women. For instance, there is a simple test to assess the active presence of movies. A movie just has to pass this simple question: “If there are two or more women in the movie, do they talk to each other about something other than a man?”

It is quite extraordinary, actually, how many movies do not pass this test. For example, Slumdog millionaire, Shrek, Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Identity, Ocean’s twelve, Pirates Caribbean, Men in black and many more films.

This test does not gauge if it is a feminist or a good movie, just if there is a female presence in it and that they are engaging about things other than men.

Finally, do these changes mean that women today have more idyllic lives than our great-grandmothers? I personally believe that we do but still we need to tend to a much more humanizing culture with women, society needs a deep change in its mindset.