Woman and Society
WOMEN AND SOCIETY
MOTHERHOOD, COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT CULTURES
Seminar Paper
Presented to
Mrs Kitty Triest
Work done by
Sarah-Jeanne Dubé Mercure
Clara Garcìa Vidal
Manar Ben Massoud
Joris Maurelet
Maria Zepou
The Hague University of Applied Sciences
European Studies
November 2nd 2012
Table of Contents
1. Laws and programs 2.1. Public programs for maternity and parental leave for women and men 2.2. Public programs for kindergarten
2. Consequences of having a child for women in society 3.3. Consequences for women’s careers 3.4. Discrimination at work and economic consequences; economic dependence 3.5.
Women and motherhood, comparison of different cultures
Give birth to children, be available for loving, feed, heal and educate them appear to have been for a long time the only real social contributions expected from women. It was their only identity. Religions, cultures, family, and politic have valued family life as a woman's primary role, while neglecting to consider their role in the public sphere. Women have always been subject to this division and have suffered the consequences. Those ideologies were reinforcing the exclusion of women in society and were justifying economic dependence. Over the years, the traditions, rules, and norms have defined maternal function differently. At different times in history, women rebelled against that unique model of femininity that societies were offering them. This evolution is still relevant. Even today, gender equality is still not achieved in developed countries. Our aim will be to study the various laws and programs that exist in different countries. We will conclude by examining the gender discrimination that persists in these countries in relation to motherhood.
1. Laws and programs
Maternity is the period during pregnancy and shortly after childbirth (Oxford Dictionary, 2012). According to the Eurofound Council, a maternity leave is
MOTHERHOOD, COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT CULTURES
Seminar Paper
Presented to
Mrs Kitty Triest
Work done by
Sarah-Jeanne Dubé Mercure
Clara Garcìa Vidal
Manar Ben Massoud
Joris Maurelet
Maria Zepou
The Hague University of Applied Sciences
European Studies
November 2nd 2012
Table of Contents
1. Laws and programs 2.1. Public programs for maternity and parental leave for women and men 2.2. Public programs for kindergarten
2. Consequences of having a child for women in society 3.3. Consequences for women’s careers 3.4. Discrimination at work and economic consequences; economic dependence 3.5.
Women and motherhood, comparison of different cultures
Give birth to children, be available for loving, feed, heal and educate them appear to have been for a long time the only real social contributions expected from women. It was their only identity. Religions, cultures, family, and politic have valued family life as a woman's primary role, while neglecting to consider their role in the public sphere. Women have always been subject to this division and have suffered the consequences. Those ideologies were reinforcing the exclusion of women in society and were justifying economic dependence. Over the years, the traditions, rules, and norms have defined maternal function differently. At different times in history, women rebelled against that unique model of femininity that societies were offering them. This evolution is still relevant. Even today, gender equality is still not achieved in developed countries. Our aim will be to study the various laws and programs that exist in different countries. We will conclude by examining the gender discrimination that persists in these countries in relation to motherhood.
1. Laws and programs
Maternity is the period during pregnancy and shortly after childbirth (Oxford Dictionary, 2012). According to the Eurofound Council, a maternity leave is