Women In Power Roles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Women In Power Roles - Essay Example As the report declares traditional gender roles were challenged by the Feminist Movement initiated by Betty Friedan, who encouraged women to shake off their domestic role and emerge into the workplace. As a result many women are financially independent and have even emerged into positions of political power, such as for example women like Margaret Thatcher, Golda Meir and Hilary Clinton. The Macquarie Dictionary defines feminism as â€Å"advocacy of equal rights and opportunities for women, especially the extension of their activities into the social and political life†. This definition suggests that women’s access to power within the public sphere has always been one of the main objectives of the feminist movement. This paper stresses that in Western societies, women have moved far ahead of their contemporaries in developing countries in terms of increased power and competition with men in all arenas. Workplace empowerment and women’s rights have pushed forward the cause of women and increased their power and influence in the world. Many of the traditional notions of feminity and restrictions within gender defined roles are being challenged as the world view is being changed by radicals such as Toni Morrison, Virginia Woolf, Betty Friedan, Oprah Winfrey and many Asian writers and reformers. Perhaps one of the best examples of gender power play that has occurred in recent times is the example of Bill and Hilary Clinton.