Gender Essay Essay Example for Free

Gender Essay Essay During this essay I will be assessing the view that over the recent years the roles of both men and women have changed affecting society and the majority of households. In 1957 Elizabeth Bott as one of the first sociologists to study how the change of leisure, employment and lifestyle affected the roles of husbands and wives. She called these conjugal roles and claimed that there were two main types, segregated and joint. Segregated roles consisted of the splitting of the domestic tasks, where the men took care of the DIY tasks they carried the instrumental role. Womens tasks consisted of the cleaning, the cooking etc. they carried the expressive role. Joint roles meant the domestic labour within a household as distributed evenly. Willmott and Young studied the symmetrical family offering an alternative perspective on conjugal roles, claiming they had become increasingly similar. It appeared that division of labour based on gender was breaking down. Although, many did support this idea their work was challenged by feminist sociologists such as Ann Oakley. She provided some imperial research which dismissed the view of the sharing caring husband. Oakley based her research on interviews in which she had conducted on 40 married women with 1 or more dependant children. It showed that women saw housework and childcare as their prime responsibility and received little help from their husbands. Whereas Willmott and Young had claimed that 72% of men help in the house, this figure indicates that husbands only had to perform one household chore a week. Oakley stated that this is hardly convincing evidence of male domestication and women carried a dual burden, they go to work come home a follow out the domestic labour. However this evidence is 30 years out of date, but it does show that the roles of men and women are gradually moving towards equality and the symmetrical family but are still a long way from it. Fiona Devine conducted a small scale study of car workers families in Luton indicating that mens contribution to domestic labour increased when their wives re-entered paid employment. But the mans role is still secondary; all women remain responsible for childcare and housework where their husbands merely help them. This evidence clearly shows a pure suggestion of division of labour in most household tasks, although the equality and change indicates the tasks are becoming joint due to women working. To help show this trend another piece of research came into focus by Jonathon Gershuny, in which he analysed data from 1974-1987. It showed a gradual increase in the amount of domestic tasks preformed by men, and this increase is greatest when women are in full-time paid employment. Husbands whose wives worked spent double the amount of time cooking and cleaning. Gershuny concludes that women still bear the main burden of domestic labour, and there is a process of lagged adaptation. He thinks it may take up a generation or more until men catch up and make an equal contribution.

Epic of Beowulf Essay - Symbols and Symbolism of Battle :: Epic Beowulf essays

Symbolism of Battle in Beowulf     Beowulf   Authors often use events and things to symbolize stages in someone's life. Symbolism is the practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing meaning of significance to objects, events, or relationships. In the anonymous epic, Beowulf, Beowulf fights Grendel, the monsters of the ocean and Grendel's mother. Beowulf's battles with theses three evils symbolize the youth and adulthood of Beowulf's life. The battle with Grendel represents the youth of Beowulf's life. The typical youth is very brave and fights for fame. Beowulf shows how the battle with Grendel is a representation of the youth of Beowulf's life by going to Hrothgar and asking him if he can fight Grendel for him and his people. Beowulf shows this trait when he says, Grant me, then, lord and protector of this noble place, a single request! I have come so far, oh shelter of warriors and your people's loved friend, that this one favor you should not refuse me. That I, alone and with the help of my men, may purge all evil from this Hell. (Beowulf page #). Another trait that a typical youth has is that they don't want to be outwitted. They also don't want people to think poorly of them. Beowulf shows this when he hears that Grendel does not use any weapons to fight and so Beowulf says that he will not use any weapons because he wants Higlac to think worthy of him. Beowulf shows this trait when he says, I have heard, too, that the monster's scorn of men is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none. Now will I. My lord Higlac might think less of me if I let my sword go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid behind some broad linden shield: my hands alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the monster (Beowulf page #).   The typical youth likes to brag about what they have done. Beowulf shows this third trait when he brags to Hrothgar about how he swam all the way over and killed all the monsters in the ocean. This is seen when Beowulf says, "I swam in the Blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one; death was my errand and the fate they had earned" (Beowulf page #).

Price Elasticity Essay

*** 1st November 2012 Examine whether the price elasticity of demand for rice is likely to be elastic or inelastic. Price elasticity of demand is the measure of how much of the quantity demanded changes in regards to a change in price. The PED is measured by the following formula: % Change in Quantity Demanded of the product/% Change in Price. If the PED is less than 1, the good is inelastic- indicating that there is a smaller change in quantity demand compared to the price change. When the PED is greater than 1, the good is elastic- meaning the quantity demanded will change significantly compared to a small price change.The price elasticity for rice could vary throughout several regions- but it can be argued that it is mainly inelastic because of the necessity of the product and the value the product holds in many households. However, in many regions, rice has proved to be elastic because of the number of close substitutes it has. The percentage change in price is greater than the p ercentage change in quantity demanded The percentage change in price is greater than the percentage change in quantity demanded To begin with, the price elasticity of demand for rice can be deemed inelastic.Clearly, various households consume rice on a regular basis. Research shows that rice is a staple good, or a main element in one’s diet, in â€Å"34 of the world’s countries. † With such a culture and mindset, households would unwilling to alter their demand for rice. Since rice is so commonly consumed, it is considered a necessity amongst households. Families of East-Asian descent, especially, are the largest consumers of rice- and eat rice in every meal. For instance, the price of a rice pack could be increased to $2. 50 from $2. 00; the change in price will be 25%.For a necessity product, the low reluctance of changing to another product would result in a smaller percentage change in demand- forcing the PED to be less than 1 and for rice to be inelastic. A lthough the necessity of rice does change from consumer to consumer and nation to nation, in a growing population in the East, rice has become more of a necessity than any other staple food. Since rice is engrained into cultural roots so deeply, a long-term substitute cannot be found- making the good inelastic in the short run and long run.In addition, the price elasticity can directly depend on the development of a nation. If the country is developed, and per capita incomes are high, rice will be inelastic. Since the price of rice takes up a very small proportion of the family income, the household is unlikely to change to an alternative- enforcing a lower percentage change in quantity demanded than percentage change in price. On the other hand, if the country’s economic development is low, or a low GDP per capita, the price of rice may have a significant portion of the average man’s income.As a consequence of a price change, then, the consumer will look for substitut es and alternatives for rice, as he or she will not be willing to pay that extra amount. In Bangladesh, for example, where rice is considered a staple food, the per capita income is $750USD. A bag of rice costing $24USD would be 3. 2% of an average Bangladeshi man’s salary- in contrast to an American who earns $48,450USD would spend 0. 05% of his salary in purchasing the same bag of rice. To summarize, a nation’s per capita income has a direct impact on whether or not a good such as rice is elastic or inelastic.As the price may decrease for rice, the quantity demanded might increase more significantly as buyers of the substitutes may start buying the product that has cut of its price. As the price may decrease for rice, the quantity demanded might increase more significantly as buyers of the substitutes may start buying the product that has cut of its price. However, rice can be considered elastic due to several reasons. Firstly, one particular brand of rice would have countless substitutes. There are bags of rice that are different in quality, different in quantity, different in flavor, different in place of growth, etc.When exposed to a change of price, a consumer will inevitably gain the inclination to substitute his or her initial product with an alternative that is priced lower to what the new price is of the previous good. Since the substitutes of rice are very similar to rice itself, if not the same product itself, people will be willing to change from one brand to another. The more substitutes there are for rice, in other words, the more elastic the PED will be, as the percentage change in quantity demanded will be greater than the percentage change in price.Quantity demanded, in other words, will decrease drastically if there are many substitutes, as consumers will shift from rice to the substitute product there is. If the price reduces, as well, many consumers will shift from the substitutes and consume the product that has cut of its p rice. In conclusion, although many substitutes can be found for rice, populations around the world eat rice incessantly. Since this continuous consumption has led to rice becoming a necessity, in most parts of the world a change in price will not affect the change in quantity demanded- making rice mostly inelastic.

What Is a Double Major and Is It Right for You

To double major or not? Its a question facing many college students. While pursuing two degrees at one time sounds like an efficient way to get school out of the way, it does mean more work and a tighter schedule. Before you decide to become a double major student, its important to know what it entails and how it can affect your college life. Definition of a Double Major Getting a double major usually means one thing: youre studying for two degrees at the same time. The details of exactly what that looks like during your time in school will vary. Its a good idea to talk to your advisor about the specifics for your school and the programs youre interested in. If you graduate with a double major, you get to list two degrees on your resume. Say, for example, that you majored in both  psychology and sociology. On your resume you can list the following: B.A., Psychology, ABC UniversityB.A., Sociology, ABC University However, earning a double major is much easier said than done. In order to graduate with two degrees, you need to do a lot more work than students graduating with just one major. What Is Involved in a Double Major? Fortunately, you can often use many of the same classes toward both majors if you choose to. If you need, for example, one year of a language to earn a degree at your school, you can use the Spanish class you took as a freshman toward both degrees. This can lighten your  class load, as you wont have to take the second year of language studies. Once you get to upper-level courses, things get more complicated. You may not be allowed to use upper-level courses for both majors. These classes may include those that are not among general education requirements and classes that require prerequisites. Depending on your school or program, you may also be limited to how many classes you can use toward both degrees. For example, you might only be allowed to have four of the courses you took for your psychology degree count toward the ten courses required for your sociology degree. The Challenges of Double Majors While it can open up your career opportunities after graduation, there are definitely some challenges with double majoring. You need to decide to double major early in your college career to take all the classes you need for both majors.You wont have a lot of space in your schedule for electives or classes that you find interesting if they dont count toward your degrees.You can expect to have a very difficult schedule your junior and senior years because nearly all of your classes will be upper-level courses with heavy workloads. The Benefits of Double Majors There are obvious benefits, too. You graduate with two degrees and will have a wealth of information about two fields you (hopefully) love. Considering the pros and cons of double majoring is much easier when you fully understand exactly what a double major looks like at your school. Be sure to discuss your options with your advisor. If youre willing to put in the extra work, you will reap the extra rewards. For the right students, it is well worth the effort.