Gender Equity Issues in Antigone compared to present day gender equity issues Essay

Gender Equity Issues in Antigone compared to present day gender equity issues            Equity is upheld by the idea that people should be treated in an equal way in where people are not treated differently than others.

Gender is referred to as attributes such as: biological, physical, psychological, etc. that are associated with a certain specific sex. When put together, gender equity is when people from both sexes are treated in a fair manner. This kind of equity between the two sexes, however, has hardly ever been accomplished, not in literature nor in real life. Gender equity is not only apparent in books, but is also proposes as a significant problem in our everyday lives.            In literature, Antigone, a character in Sophocles’ play is a very good example of a symbolizing the role of feminism.

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She has respectable qualities such as having great courage and respecting the gods. Antigone is a role model for the society. She proves herself as a woman, showing the great responsibility that she has when power is entrusted to her, instead of being cooped up at home. Antigone wants to bury her brother because she feels that it is her right and duty to do so, however, because Antigone is a woman, Creon chooses to give her irrational and hard punishments because of this. Creon does not want to look weak in letting Antigone do this without receiving some sort of harsh punishment.

            Antigone, being a woman, has a major effect on the action that she wishes to take. Greek women had a limited amount of freedom, with more and extra restrictive rules and laws. Antigone’s rebelliousness is viewed as a threat, upsetting gender roles and the positions of hierarchy. By not giving in to what she is told, she is pretty much flipping around the rules of her culture. It is also evident that there is a great difference between the two characters of Antigone and Ismene. When put in a situation that is unjust, Antigone does not just sit back, she does something about it, while Ismene does nothing.

Antigone is probably the only person in the play that follows her fate. She puts her family number one, even before the law. Antigone, opposing all the opposing cultural and societal views, buries her bother , Polynices,  because according to her, it was a sign from the gods to her.            The issue of gender equity is not ony apparent in literature, but also in everyday life. Often times, it is seen in sports. There are also many instances that occur in other daily activities where men and women are involved.

Throughout the past and the present, men and women have not sharef equal rights and opportunities Men have been viewed as the superior, even though women can fulfill and are qualified to do the same positions and the things men can do. Many times, women also do not get paid like men do, they get paid less.            Society appoints certain expectations concerning the certain appropriate values, beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, actions, etc. that are different for both men and women.

Females are usually expected to behave in a more gentle and delicate manner. On the other hand, men are supposed to have more aggressive behavior.            It is extremely diffigult to grasp the great distinction between the rights that men have and those rights that women should have. This is not only a problem that is evident in the difference of salaries that men and women receive, but this gender equity problem is also very evident in other areas of the society, such as today’s media.

Different cultures from different parts of the world suggest a very stereotypical characterizarion that men are better and superior to women. An example would be that the man and husband is the head of the family, otherwise known as a patriarchal family. Men are seen as the more intelligent ones, where they are more talented, and are able to fulfill and do things in a more proficient way in and out of the house. On the other hand, women are viewed as the inferior one in the family, in where they are not able to do anything.            Family is important and is the fundamental basis where people learn, grow, and experience the path that leads them to adulthood. Values that are taught in each family vary, but almost each will emphasize the meaning and things that happen in the world and how each person should interact with other people in the world. Gender roles are the underlying foundation of a family, where the father is seen as the head of the house and the family, while the mother is supposed to be responsible for taking care of the house and the children. This however, gender roles, can be compared to prejudice instead of family values.

Gender role is like prejudice, instead of judging by color, it is judging people by whether they are male or female. Gender role places individuals into a position of what other people want them to be, instead of what that person wants or can be.;