Volume 1 (1999/2000)
Issue 1 (March 1999)
Issue 2 (Nov. 1999)
Issue 3 (Dec. 1999)
Issue 4 (Feb. 2000)
Issue 5 (March 2000)
Issue 6 (April 2000)
Issue 7 (May 2000)

Volume 2 (2000/2001)
Issue 1 (Sept. 2000)
Issue 2 (Oct. 2000)
Issue 3 (Jan. 2001)
Issue 4 (March 2001)
Issue 5 (April 2001)
Issue 6 (May 2001)

Volume 3 (2001)
Issue 1 (Sept. 2001)
Issue 2 (Nov. 2001)

Categories
Sport: 1 2 3
Lifestyles: 1 2 3
Commentary: 1 2 3
Review: 1 2 3
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Event: 1 2 3

I refuse to be a second class citizen

Martha Doyle
Dominican College, Wicklow

Before I started religion this year, I was under the impression that work was not really important if it was not paid for. I have left the class feeling the opposite. I even feel that unpaid work can be more important!

Women are a great example of this. As individuals, women have taken part in essentially all of the activities performed in human societies! But yet they are still identified with particular roles. These roles have been commonly linked to women’s physiology - childbearing and infant care.

Even in societies where women have been given greater opportunities, men still seem to dominate in the political life! When Ireland had its first female President, Ms Mary Robinson, many people couldn’t believe it, but yet she has influenced other women to greater things such as Mary McAleese!

Since World War II the position of women has changed greatly. Women gained most in politically progressive or economically developed countries, yet in no country, do women enjoy full political, legal, economic, social, educational and sexual equality with men. I hope with our generation we can change this! In highly developed countries women normally account for 30% - 40% of the labour force, but in less developed countries, with a large subsistence sector, they may constitute less than 10%, and even less than 5% in some Muslim countries. (Note: Figures are taken from The Universal Encyclopedia 1989/1990 - I’m presuming they have changed). Most women are in the lower paid jobs such as primary and secondary school teaching, service jobs and some clerical and sales jobs. Women continue to earn less than men for comparable work. There is also a lot of stereotyping involved in work for women. When I asked a group of my friends if they ever considered women in building and construction work most of the girls seemed to think that there would be nothing wrong with girls in building but none of them seemed to be interested in taking part in that! One reply from a girl was ‘Not being bad or anything, but isn’t that a man’s job, I mean you need muscles for that!!’

I then asked my male friends and all I got was laughter for ten minutes and then ‘you are joking, aren’t you Martha?’ When I replied that I was not joking they laughed even more so I didn’t really need an answer there!

When there is so much stereotyping out there then personally I cannot see too much of a change! It’s a depressing thought but women are not going to get any more equality unless something is done with our generation or even our children’s generation. I think a solution for this would be to bring in different subjects for women in school and to teach them to follow their dreams no matter what anybody says! My sister decided to ignore what everyone said and she joined the Wicklow lifeboat. She was one of the only women there apart from the tea ladies. By joining she encouraged other girls to join and there are now five or six women there, the most ever in this particular station! I am very proud of her for doing this!

Personally I want to be a teacher when I leave school. I even wanted to be a housewife, but there is no way I will let my children or my students judge women as ‘Mammies’ and nothing else. Hopefully I will teach these children about equality in the work place and also at home. That is a different subject. I feel quite strongly about equality in the home so I won’t get started on that topic quite yet!! So here’s to the Women of our Society, ‘Cheers!!’

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