A Broad Definition of Terms
When the term ‘gender studies’ is mentioned, most individuals reflect on women’s suffrage. However, there are myriad facets of societal impacts and feminist history that describe gender studies. As depicted by a number of researches, gender study was a term that was previously used to refer to women’s studies. However, researches conducted by various international universities proved that the term turned students off thus changed it to gender studies. The use of gender studies enabled most universities particularly those in the United Kingdom and Mexico to legitimize the study of feminism and gender. From this time, the stereotypes about gender have continued to fade. Studies have proved that despite the many pre-conceived ideas regarding the issue of gender studies such as female history, feminism, and women’s role, global perspectives have greatly aided in changing the subject of gender studies (Ellen 47).
As defined by Kabeer, Naila, Stark, and Magnus (27), global perspectives refer to the collective voice of all the global academic communities on a given subject or topic. For instance, the way that the international academic community would explain the study of gender studies differently in the United States and in Spain. The reason is that women are viewed differently in the two countries since the two states have diverse status for women. Besides, the two countries depict their different expectations for females through cultural reforms and media. However, despite the difference in the American and Spanish views on gender studies, the perspectives can complement each other thus enabling researchers to develop new schools of thought. It is, therefore, apparent that global perspectives in this field have shaped new theories as well as raising new question.
How the Global Perspectives have Changed the Field of Gender Studies
As observed by Gerda Lerner, gender studies were previously generalized by a number of sub-topics that include; motherhood, power, family, ethnicity, law, work, social class, marriage, the state, and science (Lerner 13). However, the global perspectives have changed the field of gender studies by incorporating other complex sub-topics to enhance the understanding of the subject. Moreover, the global perspectives have also raised new questions about the topic such as marriage and divorce, female sexuality, economic struggles of the employed females, and the subordinate position of females. These questions have helped people to understand that though women have been largely victimized in the history; they should be addressed using the central themes relating to their thoughts, experiences as well as their roles in the society.
Additionally, the global perspectives have changed the field of gender studies by generalizing the women’s roles. Mass media and forms of literature generalize women’s roles. However, it is hard to separate women from their described roles and actual lives. Statistics have proved that despite the mass media being an essential part of life, it sometimes infiltrates divergent versions of reality thus shaping people’s opinion. For instance, the expectations of women in the society were essentially dictated by the female’s place as opposed to today’s life where the society has almost similar expectations of both men and women. The global opinion has also changed the gender studies in that they have led to racial inequalities (Mari 164). That is because gender studies concentrate more on women and neglect males. Despite the argument about gender equality, gender studies have led to women being given more power and favors. This has resulted in men being neglected since everyone is concentrating on empowering women.
Impacts of these New Perspectives
The new perspectives have greatly impacted on the way scholars think since most of them have started analyzing the subject of gender studies seriously. It has become apparent that instead of solving the issue of gender stereotypes, gender studies concentrate on women and results in gender inequalities. The reason is that as people work tirelessly to empower women, they start neglecting the males. Moreover, the new perspectives have made scholars to scrutinize the same sex marriage since some of them believe that they are as a result of gender studies. That is because gender studies empower women by arguing that they can do anything that men can do and, therefore, most women tend to undertake all men duties to prove they are equal with them.
The impacts of the new perspectives have made scholars to ask several questions such as; Is gender studies a topic that should be of concern internationally? Will gender studies help in abolishing gender stereotypes or creating new stereotypes? Should gender studies include even male studies so as to ensure that men are not oppressed as people attempt to empower women?
Conclusion
In conclusion, gender studies is a new field since it has not fully been studied. However, the field is changing everyday due to the global perspectives. It is apparent that the understanding of females evolves every time the international school of thought is incorporated in the studies. For instance, the public opinion has resulted in gender inequality where women are given more priority as compared to men as a way of empowering them. When the society is analyzed from a nationalized perspective, it depicts that there is so much to be studied in gender particularly race and class.
Works Cited
Carol Dubois, Ellen. "Three Decades of Women's History". Women's Studies 35.1 (2006): 47-64. Web.
Gerda, Lerner. Placing Women in History: Definitions and Challenges. Ann Arbor, MI: Michigan Publishing, University of Michigan Library, n.d.
Kabeer, Naila, Agneta Stark, and Edda Magnus. Global Perspectives on Gender Equality. New York: Routledge, 2008. Print.
Yoshihara, Mari. "Tackling the Contested Categories: Culture, Race, and Nation in American Women's History". Journal of Women's History 15.1 (2003): 164-166. Web.
