Student:

Professor:

Course:

Date:

Role of Women in Society

The discussion on the role of women in any society is one of the most intense debates, mainly due to the contrast between the modern-day and the medieval era perception of women's role. The historical view of women's role was that they were to perform basic household activities without any significant requirement to take an active part in the community's development; as such, women were limited to roles such as caring for children, cooking, feeding their husbands, among others. In some repressive communities, women were also viewed as objects to entertain men and providing them their sexual needs. However, these views have significantly changed over time. Over time, women have been increasingly incorporated in the development of the community, mainly due to their increasing potential to contribute to the economy and decision-making. Additionally, in the contemporary world, women have developed critical and essential skills, such as management and leadership skill, that have positioned them to contribute to communal development. This research paper examines how women's role was perceived in Kinston's essay and the Wallace story.

First, women were perceived as people who had no choice on matters of male partners that they kept. According to Kingston's essay, sex was never discussed in the community portrayed. In this case, when women were discovered to have participated in sex outside wedlock, they were exposed to the humiliation that entailed the destruction of properties. This situation shows how women did not have a voice in their love affairs. When an auntie got pregnant while his husband was outside the country, the narrator indicates that ruthless actions were meted on her. The author shows that a group of villagers approached the woman's home, and "at first they threw mud and rocks at the house. Then they threw eggs and began slaughtering our stock” (Kingston 438). This indicates the community's perception of the matters of women deciding the types of love relationships to keep. Despite being in the last semester of her pregnancy, villagers were willing to do anything to punish her.

Additionally, the role of women was considered to be subjective. They were not only expected to obey but failure to do so led to extreme punishment. In Kingston's story, the woman who slept with an outsider was punished through assault, as an illustration that the society had a full mandate to keep the behaviors of women in check. For example, narrating the ordeal that the women portrayed in the story, the authors indicated that angry men and women "ripped up her clothes and shoes and broke her combs, grinding them underfoot. They tore her work from the loom” (Kingston 438). This evidence indicates women were subjected to extreme societal oppression as a part of their role to their men and the community at large.

Third, the theme of women's role in society is depicted through how they were used as sex objects in the community. Kingston's essay has a critical recount of what happened to women during...