Thoreau and Transcendentalism Essays - 778 Words

Followers of the Transcendentalist movement stressed the religious, philosophical and ideological importance of life. Henry David Thoreau was a staunch supporter of the movement. Thoreau felt that a person lived a good life by following his conscience and instincts. He also felt that materialism was a sure way to distract a person from leading a good and moral life. Thoreau proposed for the government to be involved in as little of a citizens life as possible; he felt too much government control just complicated a persons life. Like most Transcendentalists, Thoreau believed there was a direct connection to God through nature. If a person appreciated nature he would gain a higher understanding of God. Finally, Thoreau encouraged†¦show more content†¦Instead, Thoreau built a simple but efficient cabin and furnished it with the basic necessity of a bed, table, chairs and desk. He also didnt waste his time and energy trying to keep up with the latest fashions; he wore co mfortable and long lasting clothes. Thoreau explained to his readers that this simplistic way of life decreased the dreariness of every day life and left more time to explore ones meaning of life and his role in the world. Freeing oneself from the economic race, Thoreau argued, allowed for individual to be inspired by nature and focus on the genuine concerns of life. In Thoreaus Civil Disobedience, he argues that when civil laws conflict with an individuals morality, the individual should follows his conscience. Thoreau like many Transcendentalists felt a less involved government was best. Thoreau wrote, That government is best which governs not at all. Obviously, Thoreau realized that he could afford to take this open opinion on government because of the American government. But he felt that governments authority should be limited to physical matters of the country, such as infrastructure and orderliness. He felt a government that become involved in moral matters such as sobriety and slavery was a government over-stepping its boundaries. Ultimately, Thoreau and other transcendentalists felt a utopian society would be the best.Show MoreRelatedThoreau And Transcendentalism1518 Words   |  7 Pagesmust be slaves† is a political statement that never lost its topicality during the Romantic era. Thoreau served as an important contributo r to the philosophical and American literary movement known as New England Transcendentalism. Nature and the conduct of life are two central themes that are often weaved together in his essays and books that were published in the Romantic era of literature. Thoreau brought these two themes together to write on how people ought to live a simplistic life throughRead MoreThoreau And Transcendentalism Analysis828 Words   |  4 PagesThoreau’s views on Transcendentalism and how he practiced it. If it has not become apparent thus far Emerson and Thoreau were close friends and lived with each other on occasion. Naturally because of their close friendship they influence each other’s work, but in most cases you can see Emerson’s influence in Thoreau’s works clearly. His is the main difference between the two writers however in their belief and writing patterns Thoreau loved nature. Thoreau’s love of nature can e explained here inRead MoreThe Ideas Of Tran scendentalism By Emerson And Thoreau1264 Words   |  6 PagesTranscendentalism, in response to enlightenment, was the redefinition and introduction of the ideas of self-dependence and spiritual guidance. Alongside these points, the complexity of our relationship with nature was explicitly explained, and the importance of stable morals was expounded. Transcendentalists, mainly led by Emerson and Thoreau, who were the literary leaders of that time, introduced a new way of thinking that implored the world around them to get in touch with their core and theirRead MoreEmerson And Thoreau : The Ideas Of Transcendentalism960 Words   |  4 PagesTranscendentalism started long before people can most likely remember. Transcendentalism is â€Å"a philosophy which says that thought and spiritual things are more real than ordinary human experience and material things,† (Webster). In this it explains that life is more than just physical needs. Life is about a whole other mental or conc eptual area. Not what you can touch or feel or even think, but what is behind all of the ideas. In the world, there are two boxes, there is the idea box, then there isRead MoreHenry David Thoreau And Transcendentalism1346 Words   |  6 PagesHenry David Thoreau was born and lived his life in Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau had always been an intelligent student and eventually began his study at Harvard University and graduated at the top of his class despite having to drop out on several occasions due to his financial struggles. Around the time when Thoreau was graduating,   America had been experiencing an economic depression resulting in the loss of jobs of many and work became harder to find. But because Henry Thoreau was a HarvardRead MoreThe Effect Of Transcendentalism : Henry David Thoreau1654 Words   |  7 PagesThe Effect of Transcendentalism: Henry David Thoreau Transcendentalism is the American literary, political, and philosophical movement of the early nineteenth century that was rooted in the pure Romanticism of the English and the German (Goodman). Ralph Waldo Emerson is considered the father of Transcendentalism because his literature is the first to praise the notable spirituality of nature. The basic belief of the movement is to live authentically; being true to oneself (Day). The movement itselfRead MoreTranscendentalism: Henry David Thoreau Essay1096 Words   |  5 PagesHenry David Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau grew up in poverty; his dad was unsuccessful and had trouble maintaining a steady job. Thoreau followed in his father’s footsteps, ultimately bouncing from job to job, scorned by society for his unconventional way of living and lack of income (Henry David Thoreau, Discovering Biography). Thoreau began to write with the guidance of Ralph Waldo Emerson who became one of the mos t important influences in his life. LivingRead MoreHenry David Thoreau : The Philosophy Of Transcendentalism1055 Words   |  5 PagesThe philosophy of Transcendentalism, according to the article â€Å"Transcendentalism, An American Philosophy† is believed to have been created and led by Ralph Waldo Emerson, which is why he is considered by many literary scholars and historians to be the father of Transcendentalism. Throughout the years, this philosophy attracted other artists and thinkers such as the American Romantic novelist Henry David Thoreau. These prominent and poetic individuals created an insight for this movement, believingRead MoreHenry David Thoreau And Chris Mccandless Transcendentalism1618 Words   |  7 Pagesadvised by people to start engaging in the concept of solitude. Henry David Thoreau and Chris McCandless were both transcendentalism that believes in the key fundamental idea that the human body should partake in such as solitude. Henry Thoreau was a tra nscendentalist that practiced the form of solitude throughout his life. He left society and moved into the woods to be removed from the confines of society. Along with Thoreau, a more modern-day transcendentalist was known as Chris McCandless. McCandlessRead MoreTranscendentalism : Henry David Thoreau And Ralph Waldo Emerson847 Words   |  4 PagesTranscendentalism relates to freedom in several ways. Freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau are two transcendentalists that have different views on freedom. Our project, representing freedom, shows a person how to live his or her life in a way of freedom shown by Emerson and Thoreau. Together, we did research on the transcendentalists: Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. We studied

“a Proposed Library System with Barcode Reader - 1521 Words

Introduction Now, in our society all over the world technology is the most important advancement, a necessity in bringing about progress as we move along in this computerized world. These changes in effect make man’s life easier and more convenient. The relationship between the library and computer is constantly changing that the use of computer contributes to the way man learns and communicates. It easy in this world to strive for changes and since library is no different from any firm and institution, considering the use of computer to perform a given task will be efficient. Librarians have the responsibility not only to know about the ways in which libraries will be managed using techniques of automation, but also to be aware of the†¦show more content†¦The focus of the study is to create a library system that is needed very much on filling, and arranging of library’s books information and borrower’s records. This system also focuses on the borrower’s so that the librarian will easily know who the borrower of the book is. Every book records will be stored and the file retrieval will be faster and comprehensive. The books are easy to find in the system by the use of search engine. The system can easily monitor the list of all books, the status and the availability that are presently stored in the system. By the use of bar code reader, the book s are easily recognized by the system so that less consuming of time to add books and to borrow books. In terms of returning of books, the system will compute the penalty for overdue books fine. The system will generate inventory reports. For the limitations, the proposed system will not include . It is not connected on the other department. Other matters that were not mentioned in this study are to beyond the control of the researchers and would definitely not be included. Importance of the Study In the fast development of Library System, computers almost conquer all aspect of the business. The proposed system â€Å"Library System with Barcode Reader† has a high standard, because it will help the librarian to manage all the records. The proposed system is significant for it can answer the problem of theShow MoreRelatedAttendance Monitoring System1617 Words   |  7 PagesAttendance Monitoring System. The implementation plan will be amended and updated as new actions are introduced and as developments are implemented to the system. The system tracks the performance of employees regarding their attendance on a daily basis. 1.2 System Overview Attendance Monitoring System provides a foolproof solution using fingerprint authentication with the use of a Barcode Scanner for input and affiliated with payroll system and human resource development system and provides efficientRead MoreComputerized Library System5320 Words   |  22 Pagesresearch is to realize that technology is advancing at an incredibly fast pace. Computers are not confined to being used for entertainment but its role in education is also vast. Library is derived from the old French term â€Å"librairie† which means â€Å"a collection of books.† Reading materials in school are stored in libraries. Library is a place in which books and related materials are kept for use but not for sale. It is also organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution or a private individualRead MoreComputerized Identification System4622 Words   |  19 PagesCHAPTER 1 Introduction A computerized identification system is used to verify the identity of a person. The data is stored in a database of a server. An identification card is a card giving identifying data about a person, as full name, address, age, and color of hair and eyes, and often containing a photograph: for use as identification at a place of employment, school, club, etc. There are various types of identification systems available and implemented across the globe. These are BiometricRead MoreRfid Tags And The Checkout Counter Have Rfid1662 Words   |  7 Pagesanimals, etc...) wirelessly within a specified range. Although RFID technology dates back to WWII, it has not been used commercially until fairly recently, when Wal-Mart began using it for inventory management. In an attempt to fully integrate the RFID system, thereby substantially saving on logistics and manpower costs, streamlining in-store automatic product management procedure, and raising the company overall operating efficiency Wal-Mart demanded that its top 100 suppliers to affix a RFID tag ontoRead MoreLibrary System with Barcode Reader5867 Words   |  24 PagesCHAPTER I THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND Introduction A library is a collection of books, resources, and services, and the structure in which it is housed; it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. The term library has itself acquired a secondary meaning: a collection of useful material for common use, and in this sense is used in fields such as computer science, mathematics, statistics, electronics and biology. This researchRead MoreAutomated Vehicle Surveillance System Using Qr Code1591 Words   |  7 PagesAutomated Vehicle Surveillance System Using QR Code Nikhil J. Adsure1, Tanmay N. Kubde2, Umesh J. Patil3 Information Technology Department, Sinhgad Institute of Technology, Lonavala, India1,2,3,4 Abstract: Automation is the use of machines, control systems and information technologies to optimize productivity in the production of goods and delivery of services. The correct incentive for applying automation is to increase productivity, and/or quality beyond that possible withRead MoreAttendance Monitoring with Payroll System8274 Words   |  34 PagesATTENDANCE MONITORING WITH PAYROLL SYSTEM FOR CYCLEMAR CALOOCAN CORPORATION A System Analysis and Design Project Presented to Quezon City Polytechnic University San Bartolome In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology by: Tahum, Marilyn T. Desuyo, Gilbert D. Co, Joseph Darwin C. Lim, Tom Angel L. Professor : Mary Joy D. Vià ±as Professor : Elimar Ravina October 2011 SAD COORDINATORRead MoreOffice Computerized Equipment Borrowing System6949 Words   |  28 Pagesprovides these essential equipments for our students. A certain process involving the proper reservation and borrowing has been implemented to avoid discrepancy and to maintain orderliness as well as safety of these equipments. This is where my proposed system attempts to improve upon. Since we are already dealing with computers anyway the proponents decided, why not this manual process become automated. 1.2 Background of the Project San Sebastian College – Recoletos Manila, is a Catholic institutionRead MoreThe Impact Of Radio Frequency On The Health Care Industry And Libraries2211 Words   |  9 Pagescapability to identify obsolete and slow moving items. Asset visibility is another benefit of RFID. The health care industry and libraries are two other industries that utilize RFID as a method of visibility. Hospitals use the technology to track medicine as well as patient services and billing. Libraries use RFID to facilitate a self-service book check in check out system as well as an anti-theft device. Radio Frequency Identification is cutting edge technology that gives its user the ability to trackRead MoreStudent Registration System8250 Words   |  33 PagesStudent Registration System of AMA Computer Learning Center (ACLC) College - Ormoc A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the AMA COMPUTER LEARNING CENTER (ACLC) COLLEGE of ORMOC In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements of the Degree BACHELOR OF SCIENCE in COMPUTER SCIENCE Submitted By: Albert Christian Celeste S. Capote Jobelle G. Espina Anthony Florence S. Rosal 2011 BACHELOR OF SCIENCE in COMPUTER SCIENCE RECOMMENDATION FOR ORAL EXAMINATION In partial fulfillment of the requirements

Analytical Techniques

Introduction A research on a subject has some objectives to fulfill, especially from statistical research analysis the major objectives are to find the description of the data using summary statistics, it is common for the data to include dependent as well as independent variables. Generally for business and market related studies the data is generally found to be multivariate consisting of many dependent and independent variables. So it becomes a necessity to choose which of the independent variables are more suitable for the data analysis. Here our topic is regarding multicollinearity of the data, why it emerges and how can it be controlled. The discussion followed the article by Jeeshim and Kucc (2003), Multicollinearity in Regression Models (sites.stat.psu.edu, 2003). Therefore all the discussions will be considered on the basis of this article. Review of the Article Multicollinearity is a problem in case of regression and must be checked before final prediction. The topic gives a complete reference to multicollinearity in different independent variables. It also gives a detailed process with respect to the data with which we can check for multicollinearity between the variables. Different data results has been used as examples for proper explanation. From the correlation matrix it can be often observed that there is a strong linear association between two independent variables like the area of the plot of the house and area of a house. These two variables represent the same thing , i.e. one variable can be significantly predicted from the other variable. This is when the problem of multicollinearity arises. We can then just take any one of the variables i.e.,replace one variable by another variable. Analysis and Discussion If multicollinearity is faced at a very low level then it is not a major issue but for variables whose correlations are very strong can make problems in predictions of the regression equation. The values of the variances or standard errors of the independent variable can be much more than usual. Another implication can be the p value which will be insignificant at times. As earlier stated there will be inevitably large correlation coefficient between the variables . Again if the data are modified to a slight extent the resulting coefficients will be changed largely. If the problems of any of these is evident from the data then it it could be a problem of multicollinearity and must be checked beforehand otherwise the regression will provide spurious estimates (Fekedulegn, 2002). The indications specified above only gives a hint of multicollinearity, like although two independent variables are highly correlated we cannot call for sure that the variables are having multicollinearity, neither can we confirm it from the significance level, standard error and coefficients of the independent variables. As to say there is no specified limit from which we can refer for sure occurrence of multicollinearity, however some measures like the tolerance value and the vif can be calculated besides regression and hence infer about multicollinearity to some extent. The tolerance value is 1 - R square value : which is the amount of the dependent variable that can be predicted via the independent variables. A low value of R square can be considered as a matter of concern. I/R square gives the VIF, a large value of VIF is a matter of concern but the exact cutoff value is not standardized. In this analysis the analysis is run in SAS where to calculate multicollinearity three measures have been used : the tolerance value, VIF and the Collin analysis. The dependent variable considered is expenditure within independent variables age, rent, income and inc_sq. Therefore the regression equation is used to predict the value of expenditure from the values of the variable age, rent, income and inc_sq. The regression model as run in SAS and from the value of the anova table it is seen that the regression equation is a good fit as the significance value is .0008 which is much less than the desired significance level. The value of R square is .2436. Age and inc_sq shows negetive association while rent and income shows positive association with expenditure. The values of the standard errors are very large. From the tolerance value it is seen that both income and inc sq have a very low tolerance level of .061 and .065 and thereby very high variance inflation of 16.33 and 15.21, show ing that the variability of both the variables are more than usual. Therefore these two variables have multicollinearity. Again from the collinearity diagnostics carried out in SAS the association between the variables is checked by the factors eigen value and the conditional index. Very small eigen values shows more collinearity . Conditional index is the square root of the eigen value having greatest value divided by the corresponding eigen value. Large values of conditional index indicates the problem of collinearity. From the table in the article it is seen that the eigen values of income and income squared are very close to zero and thus are collinear. Again from conditional index column it is seen that both of these variables have high values, the variable income squared show a value greater than 20. Also the proportion of variations table generated by SAS which shows the proportion of variation generated by the variables. The variable showing more proportion of variation compared to the Eigen value is considered to have multicollinearity (Neeleman, 1973). Thus it has been verified from all aspects that the variables income and income squared show multicollinearity. The major problem faced due to multicollinearity is that it reduces the rank of the correlation matrix and a matrix without having full rank will give false solutions and results and interpretations will be in vain. Apart from factor analysis principal component analysis could be used to reduce the size of unwanted variables. But it must be assured that there are some space for data reduction like in this analysis we verified that the variables income and income_sq show multicollinearity. In the principal component analysis the original matrix with dimension n is divided via n eigen vectors and n eigen values and a diagonal matrix where the sum of the diagonal matrix equals to 1. The eigen vectors and the eigen values are useful ways to infer about the variance of a variable (Jolliffe, 1986). To every eigen vector there exists an eigen value. The principal components are de cided from the eigen values and the eigen vectors. Before making calculations from the new matrix it is verified from the values of earlier regression results and also from the vif values the factors or variables showing multicollinearity. Here also from the articles it has been verified from the VIF values the variables showing multicollinearity. A transformed matrix is formed by multiplying the old matrix by the eigen vectors. Final regression is again carried on the transformed variables. Dimension is reduced for the variable having least eigen values and high conditional indices. As evident from the data in the analysis the variables income and income squared show the maximum amount of variation. But a confusion is created regarding the variable to be removed from the data to get proper predictions. For this reason a correlation matrix is created to check the association between the data. As expected the correlation between income and income square is very strong with a correlation of .963. to clarify which among these two variable must used for reduction in dimension two graphical plots are conducted one age versus income and the other income versus income square. It is evident from the graph of income of income_sq about their strong collinearity, but income can be considered as an important variable it has its effects with other variables,i.e. it not only affects the prediction itself also plays a major role in predicting the data with association to other variables like age. It is known that in regression it is not always the individual effects of the variabes but also a combined effects of the variables that could help in proper prediction. Therefore income is seen as an important variable which can be in no case removed from the prediction. Income_sq represents almost the s ame thing as income and thus repeating a variable of same usage twice is of no use for prediction. Also the variable being square of income creates unnecessary confusion and weightage to the data. Therefore the income squared variable was decided to be included for dimension reduction (Neeleman, 1973). This concept of dimension reduction is the concept of principal component analysis including only the factors or variables that account for maximum variance in the data through the Eigen values. There principal component analysis is an important aspect for reducing the unwanted variables by including only the variables that are needed for data prediction by using the variables that makes the data to differ by different aspect and excluding the variables that has no part in this prediction and acts as an extra baggage : intuitively this variables are often seen to be those variables that makes the same representation as the other variables. Therefore variables like this must be removed beforehand. There are some conditions for conduction of the principal component analysis. Only numerical variables are to be included and also Uncorrelated variables cannot be part of the principal component analysis. Again there must be proper data collection or sample collection implemented otherwise the analysis would be in vain. Before computing the principal component analysis it must be checked via other sources of calculation that there are some variables included in the data that show multicollinearity. PCA analysis nay not always be significant if there is a strong problem of outliers. Conclusion After the variable income squared was removed from the data, a regression was carried out with the other variable so check whether the data was a good fit. However from the first regression analysis the significance level was found to be .0008 and this time the significance level is seen as .001 therefore an increment in the p value is seen from which it can be said that the equation was a better predictor with the variable income squared being included. But since the equation is still significant predictor at 5% level of significance it can be used as a predicting equation. But again previously the value of R squared was .245 and this time the value of R squared has reduced to .198. Therefore less amount of the dependent variable can be explained by the independent variable after the reduction in the data. This proves that reducing the variable was of no use to the analysis. The coefficients, standard error , t values of the variables were calculated. Now to check whether there is a ny further space for multicollinearity again the VIF values and the conditional indices are calculated. From the VIF value and the values of the conditional indices it may be concluded that there exists a further chance of multicollinearity. Principal Component analysis is a well known procedure for data reduction and selection of relevant variables in the data. But unfortunately with this data the results dont prove completely justified. Therefore there may be other methods that could be used like new variables with importance to expenditure that is having strong relations with expenditure can be adopted. Sometimes if the variables are transformed then it may show relevant significance however this is not the case in income and income squared since both represents almost the same feature. If a variable is transformed then it could be transformed back to its original form by conducting the same transformation steps but in a reverse direction, therefore in many cases transformation can be very useful which is also used in principal component analysis to transform the variables back their older forms. Thus inclusion of more variables is the possibility and then their significance can be easily judged by factor analysis whi ch is a very important analysis to get a good prediction equation with variables that are genuinely important with respect to the dependent variables. References Fekedulegn, B. (2002). Coping with multicollinearity. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. Jolliffe, I. (1986). Principal component analysis. New York: Springer-Verlag. Neeleman, D. (1973). Multicollinearity in linear economic models. [Tilburg]: Tilburg University Press. sites.stat.psu.edu, (2003).Multicollinearity in Regression Models. [online] Available at: https://sites.stat.psu.edu/~ajw13/SpecialTopics/multicollinearity.pdf [Accessed 16 Jan. 2015].

Women and Political Life

Introduction Historically, women have been on the wrong side with fewer political and legal rights as compared to men. Even in career opportunities, women have failed to secure high positions due to male dominance.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Women and Political Life specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is as if these women still live in the colonial world. However, as compared to the colonial woman, today’s woman has achieved significantly rights that they never had or participated. Traditionally, the society viewed women as people with low intellectual power and weak to perform muscular tasks. They therefore subjected them to motherhood and wifehood. Nonetheless, the dawn of the 20th century saw women assume some roles that men described superior to women. In fact, during the colonial times, women could note even vote to elect a leader. Voting was a prerogative of men. Some nations prohibited women from schooling and instead, assigned them household cores. Since the dawn of the 20th century, women in some nations gained their right to vote, started attending schools and colleges to get education and some even acquired big jobs including political seats. This did not happen just by chance. Women had to fight in order to gain such rights. It was not easy to change a society deeply rooted in traditionalism and traditions that segregated women to accept ‘feminization’. In order to gain political and legal rights, women had to convince the society to reevaluate its traditional views on women. The current society not only views women as a creative foundation of human life, but also, equal with men. In the past, the society considered women intellectually inferior compared to male. In addition, the society that mainly constituted male dominance considered women as the spring of evil and enticement. For instance, in the ancient Greek mythology, a female by the name Pandora, opened the forbidden box and from there came despondency and plagues that continues to invade human beings even up to today. On the other hand, in the Roman world, the society enacted laws that portrayed men as children, perpetually lesser to men. Surprisingly, even the then theological teachings condemned women as a spring of all evil and wickedness (DinKin, 1995, pp. 1-12). For example, St. Jerome who served Christian Church as a Father in the fourth century wrote that women were like the gateway of the fiend, the conduit of impiety, serpent’s sting, and overall, a dangerous object. Other theologians also had their own way of describing women. Thomas Aquinas in one of his theological sermons said that God created women to act as assistants to men, and that their main role was to conceive.Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More He went further to say that if men need ed assistance, only other men will assist them. In Asia and particularly in the Middle East, the society was fair towards women. In countries like India, women had the right to own property and exercise other freedoms. However, after 500 BC, Hinduism evolved and set out new dimensions regarding women. According to Hinduism, women had to respect men and always be obedient towards men. In addition, the religion prohibited women from walking in front of men. Moreover, the religion disallowed women from owning property and prohibited widows from remarrying. In general, the society valued a male child more than a female child. The paper examines the roles of women during colonial times. Further, the paper will examine how the roles of a colonial woman have changed to fit the modern environment. In the past, women participated in roles different from the contemporary. The paper will analyze the past and present roles of women and as to whether these roles befit women. Even with the change d roles, women still face enormous challenges. Yes, it is true there are opportunities for women all over the world, but the society continues to delegate minor responsibilities to women. History has shown that if societies grant women personal and intellectual freedoms, women can achieve great things. For example, history portrays women as hardworking when it comes to political and legal matters aimed at changing the society that all of us live in. in the Middle Ages, women who participated in church activities as nuns, performed imperative roles that later shaped religion in Europe. The aristocratic women performed vital societal roles emanating from the reputation and authority they had. From one era to another, women rulers influenced generations towards achieving success. For example, women rulers like Queen Elizabeth who ruled England in the 16th century remains an icon even up to today. On the other hand, the political lives of Catherine the Great of Russia and Victoria of En gland remain great inspiration to women around the world who aspire to be political leaders (Elaine, 2005, pp. 13-41). Role of Colonial Women in Political Life During the colonial period, women had few roles to participate. This is because the society did not value women much and instead, it delegated household responsibilities to women. These and many other legal injunctions ensured women never participated politics and other public sphere cores. However, during American Revolution, perceptions about women started changing slowly. Women had to fight to have a say in political life and other freedoms. In United States, men dominated the public space of both politics and occupation. Thus, women had to fight in order to join their male counterparts in political life. They instigated liberation fronts to demand the denied freedoms. Little they know that the struggle had to take more time than expected. Nevertheless, they never got discouraged easily but instead, increased their determi nation and strength to achieve the denied freedoms.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Women and Political Life specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although they did not achieve all of their rights, women assumed new responsibility termed â€Å"Republican Motherhood† that improved their accessibility towards educational prospects and gave them a chance to take part in public roles. Ironically, women did not achieve full lawful egalitarianism and voting citizenship (Compton New Media Incorporation, 1995, p.1). In America, there were three types of women with different roles. These included African, Native Indians and Europeans. These women had specific roles that they performed within their societies. In most cases, these roles were traditional in nature. For example, preparing meals was the role of women. Women also wove clothes, took care of children and taught them how to be good citizens. When colon ial masters entered America, they got appalled with the way women performed these household chores. They especially goy mesmerized with the manner in which women stayed around homesteads raising children, doing artistry works, cultivating farms. Men engaged themselves in hunting, building houses and doing fishing. Consequently, the colonies established commercial companies and employed men to work for them. However, with time, the colonial masters wanted to instigate permanency in their mining and tobacco firms. Therefore, they decided to employ women. The roles of women did not change because they got involved in farming for the colonial masters. Life was not easy for them in colonial farms. In fact, some of them even died of diseases, while the few who survived got married to rich men (Brown, 1996, pp.70-82). Women never participated in politics but helped men in making political rights. The fact that women never voted is a surety that women were mere creatures in political decisi on-making. In fact, the society required women to get married before they reach 25. Any woman who was not married above this age became a social misfit. Surprisingly, as soon as they got married, the laws considered them dead. It is this particular law that prohibited them from participating in politics and instead delegated them household chores. Moreover, women had no control over family earnings, land or property acquisition and never appeared in legal courts to give evidence. These curtailments became obstacles for women to participate in politics. Thus, their political life was doomed and reduced to hearsay rather than actively participating in it (Kamensky, 1995, p. 41-43). Changed Roles Women have fought tirelessly to gain political status. For example, since 1920, American women participate in election through voting. Nevertheless, they still have long way to go as their political roles are quite minimal.Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For example, up to today, no woman has served United States presidency. In United States, women serve in senate and governor posts. Until recently, Hillary Clinton, the wife of former President Bill Clinton, served as the senator of New York. She is currently the chief diplomat of United States serving as the Secretary of State in Obama Administration. In Africa, the president of Liberia is a woman while is Asia, the sitting president of Philippine is a woman. Today, most nations allow women to elect their leaders and women have the right to vie to vie for political seats. Thus, the contemporary woman has the role of electing leaders she wishes. Major constitutional amendments all over the world have awarded women parliamentary seats and in some governments, women get automatic percentage of seats to serve either in the public service or in politics. Today, women have the right to own and inherit property (Eileen, 2009, pp. 8-43). Historical versus Contemporary Roles of Women The hi storical women engaged themselves in household chores leaving prestigious roles to men. This is because the society considered women inferior to men in all spheres of life. For instance, in past, women could not participate in politics, practice medicine, preach or become lawyers leave alone appearing in court to give evidence. However, with long struggles coupled with civilization, women now enjoy varied positions in politics, medicine, teaching, writing, teaching and many more. It is important to note that the political gear termed â€Å"feminization† contributed greatly during the women movement in America and Europe. They instigated reforms that saw men change their attitudes towards women. In the colonial era, the societies disallowed women from schooling. As a result, many women did not know how to read and write. At a snail’s pace, major political reforms in many countries for example, United States saw acceptance of girl child education. In 18th century, women could acquire professional education but limited to medicine. The few medical schools present trained women on obstetrics only. However, a century later, women started training in other medical field like nursing. Research done in 1890 showed that about five percent of doctors in United States were women ninety years later, the percentage increased to 17 percent. (Compton New Media Incorporation, 1995, p.1) In the past, women could not even give evidence in court. However, this has changed where women can now take law as a profession, previously regarded as a man’s job. Statistics reveal that by 1989, there were as many as 22 percent women lawyers and judges. In addition, women serve in other professions like engineering previously dominated by men. However, there is still a challenge as women regard themselves inferior to men. That has seen many women take simple careers like teaching art subjects leaving science and engineering fields to men. Research shows that there are m any women working as elementary school teachers than other levels of learning like high schools, colleges and universities. The few who teach colleges and universities handle disciplines like home economics, sociology, art subjects and nursing. In other positions of work, women serve as less involving positions like secretarial, bookkeeping, typing and other service jobs that do not require much energy. During the Second World War, women had the opportunity to serve in the Army just like their male counterparts but as secretaries, nurses and typists. However, they contributed significantly in the war through resisting underground movements. In other countries like Israel, women are almost equal with men where both male and female recruited in the force participate in full combat training. Thus, it is clear women can perform chores initially preserved for men. Unlike in the past where women only performed household chores and farming, the contemporary woman can do diverse jobs includ ing working as a civil servant or serving people in politically. In United States alone, women constitute about 45 percent of working Americans. Unlike in the past, women are now assuming managerial positions ranging from managers to head of private and government institutions. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 saw women start earning the same salary like their male counterparts. Thus, women are now in a position to own property. With money, women can engage in active politics and compete with their male counterparts for political seats. Despite these major changes, the contemporary woman still participates in historical roles performed previously by the colonial women. For example, the contemporary society still believes that women should perform household tasks like washing, cleaning and cooking. It is quite hard to find a man involving himself in any of these tasks. Research indicates that majority of women perform household cores in addition to raising children. Nevertheless, some men a re now involving themselves in these activities especially in homes where both the husband and wife work as employees. Challenges facing women Poverty Poverty remains an issue affecting most households. In most cases, women from poor backgrounds lead a poor political life. Many of them do not participate in choosing their leaders. Poverty-stricken women are prone to human rights violation. Many of them do not have accessibility to basic needs and clean water. These are many other inadequacies violate women’s human rights. In some countries, women fail to secure employment due to sex discrimination. They end up leading a poor life. In some situations, women receive less pay as compared to men. Traditional practices that prevent women from inheriting property and land remain a major challenge to women ailing from uncivilized communities. If the society denies women right to education, those women will remain ignorant and live a wretched life. Institutions and Electoral Laws In many countries, institutional and electoral laws prevent men from participating fully in the political arena. These laws contain some element of exclusion that locks out women from exploiting their political ambitions. For example, in Europe, the uninominal voting system has prevented women from acquiring political seats as many view it as an acme of individualizing the process of competition. The system supports famous women who might be holding other constitutional offices hence making them double office holders. Such scenario becomes detrimental to the ordinary women, as it tends to maintain the political class through feminization. This feminization enters government level and showers it with oligarchic manners to continue developing self-replicating elites (Council of Europe, 2003, pp. 23-26). Opportunities for women Gender Equality Once imposed, gender equality will earmark a new era in the political lives of women, as they will favorably compete with their male counterparts m inus favoritism. For a long period, politics has been the preserve of men. However, women can use their numbers and trespass this perception. Gender equality break fundamentalism of any kind, discard male superiority and promote competition. In addition, countries that have successfully imposed gender equality have empowered women and instilled gender hierarchy in their system of governance. Parity Democracy This great opportunity will make women shine politically if fully adopted. Under parity democracy, both women and men represent a certain institution. Some researchers call it a mechanism of rethinking democracy even as people continue to deliberate on it. Parity democracy leads to social partnership between male and female hence forming a social contrast. Where there is democracy, women do not exist on paper, but they actively participate in politics to promote democratic edifice (Council of Europe, 2003, p. 23). Reference List Brown, M. (1996). Good Wives, Nasty Wenches Anxio us Patriarchs.   The University of North Carolina Press. Compton New Media Incorporation. (1995). Women’s History in America. Retrieved from http://www.wic.org/misc/history.htm Council of Europe. (2003).The Participation of Young Women in Political Life. Strasbourg: European Youth Centre. DinKin, R. (1995). Before Equal Suffrage: Women in Partisan Politics from Colonial  Times to 1920. Westport: Greenwood Press. Eileen, M. (2009). The Motherless State: Women’s Political Leadership and American  Democracy. University of Chicago Press Elaine, C. (2005). Elite Women in English Political Life c.1754-1790. Oxford University Press. Kamensky, J. (1995).  The Colonial Mosaic 1600-1760.   Oxford: Oxford University Press. This research paper on Women and Political Life was written and submitted by user Sarahi T. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.