Does the Development Process Simply Reinforce Gender Inequality Essay

Does the Development Process Simply Reinforce Gender Inequality - Essay Example According to Lemel and Noll, 1(2002) Gender inequality is widely regarded as being the unequal access to various material resources, privileges, power and status by women as compared to men. Gender inequality is commonly seen to have a number of various interactions with other inequalities such as age, class and ethnic based inequalities. This is seen to indicated that gender inequality happens to have a number of aspects which may include inequalities such as inequalities in wages and income, inequality as pertaining to there being differential access to a given labor market in addition to the labor market having a segregated structure2. Effects of Gender Inequality According to a recent IMF Global Monitoring report that sought to confront among other things the challenges of gender equality, gender inequality in resources, rights and voice can essentially be seen to surface in three key domains. These are in the household, in the society as well as in the markets and economy3. The report further indicates that while gender equality in the household between both women and men helps in changing the basic allocation of the house hold expenditures a factor that results in more resources being devoted to health and children’s education, gender inequality is seen to widely influence the general distribution of the various household tasks, this often results in a limitation of the women’s ability to not only work outside the homes but it also limits their control over fertility decisions. Gender inequality in the market is often seen to be largely reflected in there being unequal access to a number of resources such as labor markets, land, credit and new production technologies. Gender inequality in society is often expressed by there being a number of restrictions that are seen to actively limit women participation in not only civic but also political life. Globalization and the Reinforcement of Gender Inequality Although globalization in developing countries can arguably be viewed as having opened significantly more opportunities for women and has been key in providing women with paid employment in addition to creating a suitable channel that essentially serves to provide an avenue out of their currently restricted lives, it is the common belief of many that most of the work in the current new global economy is mostly exploitative, and in some instances, it actually tends to make life significantly more difficult as compared to before the surge in globalization was experienced. To further emphasize on this aspect Murray (2008)4 quotes a report from the Emory University that states that most critics happen to fear globalization as pertains to its integrati on of all countries into a common world society, the critics fear this will inevitably result in an exacerbation of gender inequality that might potentially harm women and especially so those in developing countries. A number of feminist researchers have managed to demonstrate that globalization is essentially not a gender-neutral process5. Globalization is seen to affect women and men differently under varying circumstances. According to Brock-Utne and Garbo, (2009)6, globalization tends to frequently reinforce the

DRED SCOTT WAS NOT A CITIZEN OF MISSOURI Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

DRED SCOTT WAS NOT A CITIZEN OF MISSOURI - Essay Example Thus, presently, the Supreme Court is the Court which most closely carries out the intentions set in the Constitution. Both the Constitution and the Supreme Court are federal institutions, and as such are ultimately respected by the citizens, the public officials and the law-makers of this country, within States, and by the people as a whole. Early in the development of the United States, though, this was not always the case, and a particular case, Scott v. Sandford, gave rise to a series of legal events which called into question both the US Constitution and the power and validity of the US Supreme Court. In fact, this case may even have primary importance in explaining the reasons for the Civil War. Perhaps the most significant social factor at work in the US in the late 1700s, and throughout the 1800s was slavery. This economic and social fact at work within society was considered, though, to be a political issue. Legal debates and decisions were largely made to enforce the Consti tutional acknowledgement of slavery, not to make rulings about slavery being right or wrong. Political solutions were sought to the question of slavery, rather than legal solutions. By 1787, slavery was recognized in the Constitution (Author, year p. ... ervice or Labor †¦Ã¢â‚¬  The Constitution went further, not to regulate slavery within States through Congress until 1808, but only to tax the movement of slaves into States, or between States up to that date (Art. I Sec. 9 Para.1). Slavery was, then, accepted as a fact which existed within States, and the federal Government restricted its involvement in the affairs of individual States. States made their own decisions about whether they were â€Å"Free States†, or whether they would allow slavery, and Congress respected those decisions. But the implication was that 1808 would be the year in which Slavery would be abolished. In 1819, Missouri appealed to be included in the Confederation as a slave-owning State. This appeal was met by much resistance from the Northern States – in which Abolitionism was dominant – and the Midwestern States – where economies without slave labor would struggle against the slave-owning State economies. But Missouri entere d the Confederation as a slave-owning State in 1819; Texas and Florida did likewise in 1845. By 1854, though, a Bill was passed to enable the building of a railroad system to cross the continent, and it expressed overtly that regions, and the people themselves, could decide on slavery issues, rather than the Federal Government. This trend continued and by 1856-7, Abolitionism in the Northern States was becoming more powerful as a political force. Still, though, the Courts tried to avoid the issue of Slavery. Nonetheless, some decisions were made in the Courts, related to this question. In 1824, for example, a case was heard relating to an 1803 Act of Congress preventing States from admitting persons of color. Arguments in the Gibbons v. Ogden case claimed that the rights of States to regulate slave traffic – the

Team Work Essay Essay Example for Free

Team Work Essay Essay Team work is defined as the process of working collaboratively with a group of people in order to achieve a goal. A successful team involves individuals who can work well together, trying their best in any circumstance to achieve that one main goal that they have set out to achieve. Teamwork means that people will try to cooperate, using their individual skills and providing constructive feedback, despite any personal conflict between among themselves. In every team, all members should possess qualities such as honesty, dependability and accountability. Team work may sometimes be challenging because every team has their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (S.W.O.T), but for team work to be effective, each team should aim for S.M.A.R.T, this means they should aim at goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic and spend time to perform the tasks necessary for the success of that team’s goal. Teams that possess individuals who are honest, dependable and accountable are teams that are more likely to strive. Team members should be honest towards their colleagues, because honesty is a good key characteristic of a good team member, being honest can only uplift a group, same goes for being able to accept constructive criticism. Honesty builds trust and strong bonds among team members allowing for them to be able to work together in a friendly environment. Dependable team members have a strong sense of responsibility, being dependable means that you should be available and reliable. Any individual whom is unable to provide the work they are selected to do by their due date, is classified as an individual who is not dependable, it therefore means each team member should be proactive and consistent. If you cannot depend on a team member all of the time, you cannot depend on them any of the time. Having the ability to take responsibility for your own action, rather than blaming others is one quality that many persons whether in or outside of a team should learn, accountability. Being accountable means that you acknowledge your mistakes and decisions, who will be held accountable for any mishaps or failures? The best teams hold themselves accountable, every single team member and not just the leader. Every team should create S.M.A.R.T goals in order to achieve optimal success. Having specific goals are easier to achieve than general ones, to know if your  goals are specific they must answer the six â€Å"W† questions, these are who, what, where, when, why and which. Measurability involves the team’s effort to measure their progress, to stay on track, they need to make dates on which they will complete a specific task and ensure they meet those target dates. Goals that are measurable answers the questions of how much, how many and how will I know when it is accomplished. It is possible for teams to plan for something that is unattainable as such team members should think about whether are not their goals can be achieved if they work hard enough taking in consideration the time that they have to achieve something. In order to set attainable goals they must also be realistic, a realistic goal is based on your abilities, interests, needs, and desires they should be attainable and it should be something you really want to achieve. Never leave work to last minute, time management is key, as such every project should have been completed before hand to be checked and corrected if needed, it therefore means that a time frame should be established for team members if there is no time frame set then there will be no efforts to get the work done. S.W.O.T is what is used to describe a group’s internal and external aspects, with strengths and weaknesses being internal and opportunities and threats being external. There is always going to be strengths in every team, what someone might be strong at in one category may be weak in another and as such, this leads to team members doing specialized work, meaning every team member can contribute to the final work by doing what they are good at doing. As well as strengths there is weaknesses also, not everyone will be able to do what each member is expected and as such it is the team’s duty to allocate a task to that individual in which he/she can manage. It is not the team’s duty to complain and discourage their team members, instead help and encourage. Opportunities include the chance for progress or advancement, this means if members are given the chance to improve the work given then they should take it and make the best use of it. If one group member is given a task and has the opportunity to add to the work aside from what he/she was given to do or decided to do, then he/she should take the initiative to do so. In many cases there will be threats to the work or to team members that could cease the process of completing the work or temporarily stopping the completion of the work which will defeat the purpose of being time-bound. In such a case the thing or person that is  likely causing danger or damage should be discussed among team members and each should come up with a conclusion as to how best to deal with the situation and how to execute their work differently. The success of every team is dependent on individuals who have the drive to achieve the same goals. Team work requires everybody’s efforts and time to plan S.M.A.R.T goals and stick to those goals. Teams need to be grounded on trust as such honesty is always the best policy, colleagues should be there for their team members as best as they can and be able to be held accountable for their own mistakes. Team work should be less about ‘me’ and more about ‘we.’ Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses and as such team members should make it their responsibility to uplift and encourage each other. Through multiple personalities teams can enhance great ideas and everyone’s opinions and views must be respected. Threats are always a problem in team work but with communication that can be defeated.

Study On The Life Of Hijras In India Sociology Essay

Study On The Life Of Hijras In India Sociology Essay This dissertation explores the lives of eunuchs, the third gender, in contemporary India. It aims to bring out the several misconceptions harboured about this community and suggest measures to improve their living conditions. One day our descendants will think it incredible that we paid so much attention to things like the amount of melanin in our skin or the shape of our eyes or our gender instead of the unique identities of each of us as complex human beings. Anonymous Over the years, the hijra or eunuch community has occupied an extremely marginalized position in Indian society. By and large, their presence has provoked mixed feelings of fear, awe and contempt from the general public. Over the last two decades, the community has captured the western scholarly imagination as an idyllic case in the transnational system of alternative gender sexuality. When it comes to these type of analyses, as Rosalind Morris states, the hijra becomes either, an interstitial gender occupying a liminal pace between male and female or a drag queen who is a hero(ine) in a global sexual resistance Yet there exists a very different reality from that suggested by these theorists a reality based on rejection by family, cultural and societal isolation as well as neglect. Their identification as a uniquely positioned third sex becomes a lot more complicated when the hijra lifestyle is discussed with respect to this contemporary reality, instead of historical or mythical representation. The community has been subjected to vicious abuse or a lack of empathy, on a mental or physical level from different sections of society at various levels. These sections include the lay person, law enforcers and worse, their own biological parents and relatives. Lying at stake is the fundamental human right to be different, the right to recognition and choice of different pathways of sexuality, in other words a right to sexual orientation, a right to immunity from the oppressive and repressive derogatory labelling of despised sexuality. Expressed in the form of narratives that were penned down after listening to a number of Hijras, this piece of work, at a very primary level, captures the lives of a few of the people from the community that we all choose to shun, despise or simply not bother about. It brings out and analyzes the many stereotypes and superstitions associated with this community. The testimonials of the Hijras and Kothis with whom I interacted bring alive the unimaginable and gruesome violence they are subjected to, especially, at the hands of the police. This dissertation also aims to bring out and deride the atrocities the hijras are subjected to, the injustice that has been meted out to them in various spheres of life and suggest developmental measures in this regard. Above all, this piece of work is dedicated towards creating a little more sensitivity and empathy for this community, that so far does not enjoy most of the basic human rights that we, the normal people, take for granted. THE HIJRAS: WHO WE ARE The hijras are generally considered to constitute a third gender, neither male nor female. Even in their own narratives, the hijras view themselves not simply as neither man nor woman, as the title of Nandas(1990) ethnography on the hijras suggests, but also as deficient in terms of masculinity and not completely feminine. Instead of taking a place outside the female-male binary, the Hijras have created a life somewhere in between, one that is restricted by deep-rooted cultural constructions of femininity and masculinity. Largely, the community expresses a feminine gender identity, coming closest experientially to what would be referred to in the West as a transsexual, that is, a female trapped in a male body. It is a socio-religious construct marked by extreme gender nonconformity in the sense that there is no correlation between their anatomical sex and gender identity. In India, there is a widespread belief that hijras often pick up or kidnap infants and castrate them in order to increase the population of the community, but there are no statistics or factual evidences to support the same. Most hijras in India live in groups that are organised into seven houses, known as gharanas, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad being the more populous centres. Each house is headed by a nayak. This persons job is to appoint spiritual leaders or gurus who train their chelas ( wards who are lower in rank) in badhai- the well known singing, dancing and blessing ritual. The gurus responsibility is furthered to act as a protector of his chelas, both from within as well as outside the community. Any quarrels amongst hijras are decided within the community by the nayak and senior gurus acting as law makers, the punishment ranging from imposing fines and expulsion from the community, if the offences were of a higher degree. According to popular religious practice, they are believed to be endowed with special powers to confer fertility on newlyweds or new born children. According to tradition, they are expected to sing and dance at weddings as well as childbirth functions, and in lieu of their services they are rewarded with money, clothes, jewellery etc. Singing and dancing has a respectable status in the Hijra community; it gives them a sense of power as it reaffirms the fact that the people who asked them to sing and dance during the childbirth or any other functions, believe in their powers. The custom of hijras being called for dancing in weddings and childbirth is more prominent in the north, and therefore, sadly, the number of Hijras in the south who take to prostitution to earn money are much more than those in the northern parts of the country. One of the more common Hijra complaints in the form of public appeals to the government is the non availability of decent jobs for them, hence they do not have any choice but to take to prostitution to earn their livelihood. The Kothis Kothis like hijras are transgender persons who identify themselves with the feminine gender. The kep difference lies in the fact that hijras usually settle into a fixed gender role after the castration process, whereas kothis display an ambiguous dual gender identity that swings between the masculine role of the husband demanded in the marriage relationship and the feminine role in the same-sex relationship outside. In simpler words, a kothi can be described as a male homosexual who takes a feminine role in sex with other men. They, largely and essentially belong to a non-English speaking lower middle-class background and feel marginalized in all contexts, whether in terms of economic status, language, education, or sexuality. Due to the pressure extended by family as well as society to conform to normal norms like marriage and reproducing, many kothis marry and raise families , but continue to have same-sex relationships outside, often under hidden and covert circumstances. Economic problems within families as well as non acceptance of this abnormal member within the family drives many other kothis to sex work. Sadly, even when they do make an effort to seek employment in more decent professions, both hijras and kothis are very often subject to sexual harassment at the workplace which makes it impossible for them to continue working there. There exists a visible, symbiotic relationship between hijras and kothis that is strengthened in the face of oppression, due to the lack of support systems for kothis in cities and towns. This has led kothis to depend upon hijra subcultures for both assistance and support emotional as well as otherwise. Hence due to the existence of such a relationship, there is a constant, perpetual exchange of languages, behaviour, mythologies between the hijra and the other homosexual subcultures. The early years, the young transgender confused; and the attitude of parents: Typically, when they are young and born into so called normal families, initially the parents humour the boy child if he behaves like a girl. But as he grows up, once he turns eleven or twelve, the parents start getting irritated at the childs behaviour. By the time he is in his teens, the father typically starts abusing and beating the child. Such an attitude displayed by the parent is more pronounced in villages and small towns since here awareness is less. The transgender child himself does not realize the reasons behind his behaviour; he cannot understand why he feels like a female inside, and gets more frustrated with the constant chastising by the parents. Soon he runs away, usually with the aid of a sympathetic elder in the village, who directs him to a hijra community in some other village. The hijra community and the first signs of awareness by the individual about his own biology: When he reaches there, the hijra community welcomes him and explains to him the reasons behind his so called queer behaviour. They give him the option of becoming a part of their community after the conversion process into a transsexual, castration followed by surgical regeneration of the vagina, or to remain as he is and explore the world by himself. In most instances, the individual at that moment decides to stay as he is, and goes into the village to seek employment opportunities. As most hijras testify, very soon the transgender individual is then raped, in most cases by policemen who arrest them on the supposed grounds that they are homosexual. It is tragic to know that the law enforcers are usually the ones who sexually violate these individuals first. After being abused multiple times, sexually as well as physically, the broken individual returns to the hijra community and asks for acceptance into their family. The castration process is never smooth in nature, usually carried out without the aid of modern anaesthesia or antibiotics. The operation costs for the surgical reconstruction of the female biological organs (such as the vagina) range from a minimum of seven thousand rupees (no anaesthesia) to a high of fifty thousand rupees. Since most of these individuals are poor, they settle for the operation that requires lesser costs. Depending upon the money, the expertise, and the success of the operation, the surgical reconstruction varies from being partially to fully complete. In many cases, if the surgery goes wrong, it might lead to blockage in the urinary passage and this could be terribly painful for the individual. The hijra family: A hijra family comprises daughters, sisters and mothers no males. After being rejected by their own biological families, the hijra family becomes the first and only source of emotional support. They are strong, close knit and provide safety and security for the abandoned people. However, due to poverty, discrimination, lack of education and skills, many of them have no means of earning money. So, they engage in commercial sex work and begging. Most hijras do not think twice about joining the sex trade, what with being abused physically and mentally multiple times. Transgender, Transsexual and Intersexual: At the most basic level, we take a look at the meanings of terms, transgender, transsexual, intersexual and androgyne. A Transgender is a person who is assigned a gender at birth based on his/her genitals, but feels that the assigned gender is a false representation of himself/ herself. Such a persons identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender roles, but combines or moves between these roles. Gender-queer, third gender are also names given to transgender individuals. According to The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health (ICD), Trans-sexuality is a need that certain individuals have to live and be acknowledged as a member of the opposite sex, usually accompanied by a sense of discomfort with ones ones current sex, and a desire to have hormonal and surgical treatment to make ones body conform as much as possible with ones preferred sex. On the removal of the sexual organs he/she was born with, a transgender becomes a transsexual. In simpler words, Transsexual men and women desire to establish themselves permanently as a member of the gender with which they identify, often using medical help for the same. One out of every two thousand births is an intersex child, and usually the birth leaves the parents of the child frustrated, confused and depressed. It also leaves them with a dilemma as to which gender the child belongs. Intersexed individuals do not have all the regular combinations of physical features; they have some chromosomal, genital anomalies. In simpler terms, such individuals may have biological characteristics of both males and females, i.e, these individuals have some parts of males and some of females. In some cases, an intersex person might look unambiguous sexually, but internally the sex anatomy is mixed, i.e he may have AIS complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome and therefore, even though he has a Y chromosome and testes, the individual is otherwise completely female on the outside. Thus the fundamental difference between an intersex individual and a transgender is that unlike an intersex individual, a transgendered person is born with the conventional male or fe male anatomy. All the same, unlike other normal humans, he feels himself/herself to be a gender different from the one he/she born as. Discrimination against hijras: Education, health, employment The highly populated country that India is, with several different castes, religions, languages, the hijra community becomes an almost invisible minority. Biases against hijras are prevalent in our society in all walks of life. They are not granted education in schools, colleges or universities. Over ninety percent of the hijras have not even completed their secondary education. Hence, they do not get jobs, and in the rare occurrence that they do get employed, the salaries they receive are minimal. Due to the harsh economic conditions, they resort to sex work and begging. Hygienic activities are not practiced by those who are in the flesh trade. Even though the usage of condoms is insisted by them to protect themselves as well as their clients from HIV/STD, the people involved in this trade are still prone to getting other diseases like skin diseases due to lack of hygienic and safe practices. Even in hospitals and clinics, many transgender and transsexual people are discriminated ag ainst, and not given the respect or dignity that every human being deserves. Most of the transgender and transsexual people live in slums. Even if they have the monetary power to rent a house, due to the misconceptions about their lifestyle, most people refuse to give them a house on rent. Contempt, hatred and fear form a major part of the general impression about this unfortunate third gender. Even in public places like bus stations, railways stations, theatres, temples, offices, malls, even in public toilets, hijras are abused. A LOOK THROUGH HISTORY: Most hijras believe their origins to date back to the period of the Mahabharata. In it, Arjuna has to hide himself for a year. He decides to dress up as a woman as this is completely opposite to his till then great warrior status. During this period when he is a drag, he is a dancer in the kings court, and also a wedding singer. Then later, during the Kaurava Pandava war, the pandavas want to make a human sacrifice, believing that it would ensure victory in the war. No one is ready to volunteer, till finally, Aravan, the son of Arjun comes forward and offers himself for sacrifice. He has only one condition, that, he should enjoy one night of marital bliss before the sacrifice. This proves to be a difficult situation since no king is willing to marry his daughter to Aravan, knowing fully well that she would be widowed the next day. Finally, Lord Krishna takes a female form and spends one night of marital bliss with Aravan. Aravan is duly sacrificed the next day. The story has become more and more popular through the ages and now, every year, in the village of Koovagam in Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu, there is a temple festival and thousands of hijras travel through the breadth of the country to attend it. Aravan is the temples main deity and thousands of hijras pay homage, or in a mock ceremony get marri ed to his idol, and in the process become Aravanis. One night before the festival ends, the hijras enjoy a night of marital bliss with their lovers and the next day, a massive effigy of Aravan is taken through the streets of Koovagam and then the body is set to flames. There is a passage in Zia Jaffreys book, The Invisibles: a tale of eunuchs in India, that talks about the Ramayana. According to legend, when Rama went to the forest, many people followed him. Rama then asks all the men and women to go back. The hijras, being neither men nor women stay put and wait for Rama to return for fourteen years. On Ramas return, he is touched by their devotion and blesses them for their loyalty by sanctioning them the power to grant blessings on auspicious occasions like childbirth, marriage, and other functions hence the custom of badhai, in which hijras sing, dance and confer blessings. The hijras also worship Bahuchara mata. As legend goes, a woman, Bahuchara was travelling through a forest in Gujarat. She is accosted by some dacoits who threaten to rape her. She cuts off her breast and offers it to them, in exchange asking them not to touch her. She then dies and becomes an earth goddess. During the conversion process, i.e, the castration process, a hijra midwife cuts a coconut to see if the process should continue. If Bahuchara mata agrees, the coconut will slice into two clean halves. The hijra who is undergoing the castration process, mutters mata mata mata until the process is complete. As legend goes, Bahuchara mata appears in front of impotent men and orders them to cut off their genitals and become her slaves. If they do not agree, they would become impotent for the next seven generations. According to another popular legend, a king in Gujarat fell madly in love with Bahucharimatha, a beautiful goddess who rode a peacock. The king wanted to marry her, but she was not ready to have a sexual relationship. When he continued to persist in his endeavours, she relented but told him to first have a bath in a pond. On coming out of the pond, he was aghast to discover that he was emasculated, and would not be able to consummate his union with the goddess. The goddess pacified him by saying that he would soon find a community of people who would voluntarily castrate themselves in his honour. Around the world Eunuchs were a part of the Egyptian court, during the time when the Assyrian empire was ruling the country. In Rome, Emperor Constantine had a number of eunuchs tending to him for haircuts, baths, dressing and other functions. In the Byzantine royal court too, there were a number of eunuchs employed to handle domestic and administrative work. The Ottoman Empire had two categories of eunuchs taking care of the harem. The black eunuchs served the officers with maids of lower ranks, whereas the white eunuchs (those brought from the Balkan states) served those who were recruited in the Palace school. In India, eunuchs were employed by kings to take care of the ladies palaces, serve as guards and messengers for the royal ladies. LITERATURE REVIEW After getting a general understanding of the hijras, the categories, their lives, their history, I would now proceed to examine the literature that has been devoted to them. The Invisibles: A tale of Eunuchs in India is a bold, beautifully written, thought provoking book about the hijras of India by Zia Jaffrey. In the book, Anita, a hermaphrodite is handed over to the hijra community by her parents when she is just four years old because they cannot accept the fact that they do not have a normal child and are crushed by what they see. Another character, Kamal, born as a male, believes herself to be a female and castrates herself, while a third character Jagoman is kidnapped in Delhi, drugged and then castrated against his will. In the book, Jaffrey takes us on a journey throughout the country to find out who the hijras really are, why the subject has not been researched on much and why is it taboo, and why their history was never recorded. The book gives a detailed description of the lives, practices, culture and history of this unfortunate gender; raises pertinent questions about societys attitude and in many ways illuminates not just the grim world of the eunuchs but also that of India, itself. Neither Man, nor Woman: The hijras of India is an astounding piece of writing by Serena Nanda. Initially, it aims at correcting the common misconception that all hijras are men who undergo a ritual castration, thereby removing their genitals and becoming hijras. The book informs us that the hijras might have come from various sexual ambiguous backgrounds some may have been born as intersex, while others would have been born as male or female but failed to develop at puberty, or males who continued living as hijras without ever getting castrated. Nanda goes on to make comparisons of Indian hijras with other alternative gender roles belonging to other cultures, such as the transsexuals living in many Western societies and also with the Berdache of native North America. What is intriguing but all the same extremely interesting to note is that although most societies, especially the Asian, accept the ambiguity of gender by creating a third gender role, Western society seems extremely ad amant on the theory that a person can be either male or female only. In fact, even the homosexuals and transsexuals in these societies are considered to be a member of either of the two above genders. Transgender Rights, as the title suggests, is a book on the transgender rights movement that started in the United States of America thirty years back and is still going strong. The book assesses the victories and failures of the movement, the future challenges as well as opportunities. The movement fought for the rights of transgenders and transsexuals. The book is, in essence, a collection of articles that covered the rights movement, offering new perspectives and it examines important topics like employment opportunities, public health, economics, and grassroots organizing. This path breaking book is an essential resource in the fight for the freedom and equality of those who cross gender boundaries Changing Sex and Bending Gender, edited by Alison Shaw and Shirley Ardener is a compilation of nine essays about the cultural and historical construction and deconstruction of sex and gender. The initial chapters speak about the definitions of sex and gender; and that even though sex is based on biological characteristics and gender on social classifications, the definitions do not stand fixed across cultures. The next two chapters discuss the cultural pressures in the sex classification when a child is born. With 1.6 percent of children all over the world being born with ambiguous genitalia, the book offers several examples of the response to this, across cultures. As expected, the reactions do not vary much across cultures. The final three chapters deal with the lay mans interpretations and misconceptions about other alternative genders. The objective of the book is to bring out the fact that sex and gender are not fixed concepts and what happens when individuals push these two con cepts beyond the point that society has defined as permissible. The book is an excellent read, especially for people who want to pursue anthropology or gender studies. The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer is one of the most popular and widely read books on feminism. Published in 1970, it became an international bestseller and was translated in over ten languages. It is a passionate, almost furious, hard hitting book on the present standing of women as compared to men, in the world. The book, at that time, served as a wakeup call to all women. It contends that sexual freedom is the key to womens liberation. It compares the psychological differences resulting from years of social conditioning, with the biological differences that are present between men and women. A section has been attributed to society, of its origins, its development over the years and where it currently stands. Through this book, Greer exposes the nature of inequalities that exist when it comes to gender rights and issues, and suggests strategies that could help improve the situation, if anyone chose to do so. The Autobiography of a Sex Worker by Nalini Jameela is an extremely personal, honest account of the life of Nalini. The book gives deep insights about the life of sex workers, and the circumstances in which they make their choices. Brought up in an Ezhava family, in her early years, Nalini works in the clay mines. Through the course of the book, we notice the slow yet gradual changes in society. Being extremely poor, and having children to support, she decides to resort to commercial sex work to earn money. The story goes back to the dark days of Emergency, when the police used to routinely arrest and torture innocent people, most of them who were poor and whose voices could not be heard. She recounts her interactions with the police in a chillingly, honest manner. Over the years, with the advent of organizations that worked for social rights, gender rights etc, the situation improved even though there were still innocent people who were jailed. The account is neither cynical, nor do es it have any traces of self pity. Nalini understood that to take care of her children, she would need to sell her body. The love that she displays for her daughter is heart warming. The book is an important read, one that helps us to understand that society can be exploitive, unforgiving and it has multiple layers, many of which are hidden to the naked, believing eye. KNOWLEDGE GAP: At the most basic level, there exists a lack of knowledge amongst the lay man about hijras. The first step, therefore, should be to create basic awareness in the minds of people, to sensitize them, to reach a stage where hijras can also expect a life of dignity. There are too many misconceptions and stereotypes related to hijras. This has led to a lot of social stigma being attached to this gender. Lack of opportunities, be it education, employment, health. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: The objective of my research methodology would be to illustrate the social marginalization of eunuchs by pointing out, statistically and otherwise, their absence in social, legal and political organizations. This will be done through, Analysis of secondary data A review of works on the subject by authors, academic as well as non academic literature, news reports, blogs and websites. Primary Research Taking interviews of hijras, first-hand accounts to verify conclusions derived from the secondary data. Also, conducting interviews of individuals working in social organizations, devoted to improving the conditions of hijras. Empirical Observations EXPECTED CONTRIBUTION: My thesis does not claim to have a tangible and substantial measurable contribution but adds to the domains of human sensitivity, sensibility and conscientization. A postmodern condition, such as the one we claim to have arrived at, cannot be complete unless all its participants have equal access to what constitutes a minimum life of dignity However, the objective of my research, studies and thesis, does comprise suggesting measures that, if implemented, would ensure that the hijras can enjoy a life with certain rights that every human being deserves. These would include sustainable and feasible proposals for employment, education and healthcare opportunities. THE CONTEXT OF MARGINALIZATION: Indian society is deeply divided along the lines of gender, caste, religion, class, language, education, all of which intersect with sexuality to create deeper divides and oppressions. While hijras are despised and treated with contempt in most societies, they are supposed to have a sanctioned place in Hindu society (especially in weddings, births and festivals) as a recognized third gender, accommodating gender variation, ambiguity and contradictions. There is an arguement that says that unlike other sexual minorities such as bisexuals, gays and lesbians all that largely remain closeted, the hijras overall are a visible force , and part of an organized community. Despite this supposedly elevated status amongst the sexual minorities, reality is starkly harsh. All over the country, in any part where the Hijras reside, their lives are physically, mentally and emotionally scarred by experiences of shame, dishonour and gruesome violence. In the contemporary scenario, its not just the ambiguous gender but also the class dimension of the hijra and kothi community that has a severe impact on issues which the upper class so conveniently take for granted, such as access to education, employment etc. The violence that they suffer on a daily basis is something that no other community in this country faces. Imagine yourself in a situation where practically the entire world looks down upon you, a mere look at you is met with contempt, imagine a world where you do not even enjoy basic privileges like education, a job, a life. Imagine a world where not even your parents and siblings can accept you for who you are and choose to hate you for no apparent fault of yours. Imagine being beaten up every day by random men. Imagine being penetrated physically, mentally every day by random men. Imagine crying every day. Welcome to the world of Hijras. In most of South India, the hijras do not even have the cultural role that their counterparts have in the northern parts of the country. Most employers are not ready to hire them for available jobs. Often, they resort to hiding their gender identity but if found out, in most cases, they are thrown out from their positions. Therefore sex work becomes, in most cases, the only form of employment. They usually run bath houses, also known as Hamams. The Hamams are generally visited by working class men and the police. Of course, most of these men are married. It is an extremely dangerous profession, as they are often subjected to the sadistic whims, fancies and atrocities of cruel customers. Narrated below are the testimonies given by some of the hijras I had the privilege of meeting and speaking to. As is clear, kothis and hijras take up sex work for a variety of reasons. One reason involves the pragmatic consideration of supporting the family. There is also the pride which comes from being able to support the family. Another reason has to do with the self-acceptance of being a hijra and with the related discovery of a certain kind of freedom that living in the hijra community can provide. Many hijras and kothis fiercely assert that there is nothing disreputable about being a sex worker and it is as legitimate a piece of work as any other. BIBLIOGRAPHY Journals Publications Peoples Union for Civil Liberties, Karnataka(2000).Human rights violations against sexuality minorities in India report (first edition).PUCL KARNATAKA. Peoples Union for Civil Liberties, Karnataka(2007).Human rights violations against sexuality minorities in India report (second edition).PUCL KARNATAKA. Bodies That Dont Matter: The Discursive

The Evolution of C++ as a Programming Language Essay -- Information Te

The Evolution of C++ as a Programming Language C++ is a very useful programming language. Many educational curriculums will include either C or C++ as the tool entry-level programmers will use to learn the syntax, semantics, and data structures key to effective programming that is required of computer scientists. C++ is such a diverse language, one cannot help but wonder how it became the popular language it is today, and this paper is going to demonstrate just that. Introduction to CPL Cis the great-grandfather of C++, designed in 1963. It is short for â€Å"Combined Programming Language.† Many features within CPL are from, or are largely based on, Algol 60, which was a programming language developed in the early 1960’s. It was designed jointly by members of the University Mathematical Laboratory in Cambridge and the University of London Computer Unit. CPL was designed to be not just a mathematical calculation tool, but had support for uses in many non-mathematical applications as well. One of the biggest differences between Algol and CPL was the attempt to improve upon Algol’s precision with mathematical calculation. Algol commonly generalized different types of data in order to provide ease of manipulation, especially with simulation, but its precision suffered as a result. CPL is generally made up of definitions, different kinds of data types and expressions, and commands, which manipulate that data. Code is split up into sections called blocks, made up of one or more definitions and one or more commands, which was a feature directly drawn from Algol. Numerical and non-numerical data types were referenced through index registers using names, either a single lower-case character or a series of upper-case alphanumeric ch... ... retrieved 10/12/04 from http://www.cplusplus.com/info/history.html Thompson, K. 1996. Users' Reference to B, retrieved 10/12/04 from http://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/who/dmr/kbman.html Ritchie, D.M. 2003. The development of the C language. Bell Labs/Lucent Technologies. Retrieved 10/12/04 from http://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/who/dmr/chist.html Martin Richards's BCPL Reference Manual, 2002. Published in1967. Retrieved 10/12/04 from http://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/who/dmr/bcpl.html Barron, D.W; Buxton, J.N; Hartley, D.F; Nixon, E; Strachey, C. 1963. The main features of CPL. The Computer Journal. Volume 6, Issue 2, pp. 134-143. Cambridge, UK. Retrieved 11/20/04 from http://www3.oup.co.uk/computer_journal/hdb/Volume_06/Issue_02/060134.sgm.abs.html Stroustrup, B. 1997. The C++ programming language, 3rd edition. Published by Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, in 1998.

Physics of Fiber Optics :: physics light fiber optic wire

History Of all the pioneers of this industry, none stand out as the primary leader of discovery or development. This competitive environment was an integral part of this field's progress. Not all discoveries were harbored as proprietary. There was a great deal of information that flowed amongst the leading scientists developing this technology. Here are some of the key players and some of their contributions: Claude Chappe, French Engineer invented the Optical Telegraph, which used a series of semaphores mounted on towers to relay messages between towers Alexander Graham Bell,patented an optical telephone system in 1880. Not a very practical invention that was superseded by wired communications, which were more effective at the time. Daniel Collodon and Jacques Babinet were able to show that light could be guided along jets of water. John Logie Baird (ENG.) and Clarence W. Hansell (U.S.) patented the idea of using arrays of hollow pipes or transparent rods to transmit images for television or fascimile systems. Heinrich Lamm was the first person to demonstrate image transmission through a bundle of optical fibers. Holger Moeller applied for a Danish patent on fiber-optic imaging, but was denied based on other research Abraham Van Heel and Harold H. Hopkins presented imaging bundles in the British Journal Nature at separate times.Van Heel later produced a cladded fiber system that greatly reduced signal interference and crosstalk between fibers Brian O'Brien American physicist who inspired and collaborated with Van Heel on the cladding concept. C.Wilbur Peters, physician Basil Hirschowitz and Lawrence Curtiss developed glass clad fibers while pursuing the development of the endoscope for inspecting the stomach. Alec Reeves invented digital pulse-code modulation, which was an integral part of optical communications. He further theorized that higher frequencies were possible for fiber optic communications. Stewart Miller's group at Bell Labs worked to develop gas lenses to focus laser beams along hollow waveguides for long distance communications Charles K. Kao focused his study on fiber attenuation and the ability to reduce the signal losses. He theorized that the eventual loss of signal could be reduced to less than 20 db per kilometer. At that time, the average loss was about 1000 db per kilometer. With this published position the industry embraced this challenge and were able achieve this attenuation threshhold within four years or so. Physics Of Optics While investigating the use of fiber optic technology, it is important to understand the fundamental rules of optics. Some of the leading scientists of their time viewed light from two main perspectives.

Community Teaching Plan: Community Teaching Work Plan Proposal Essay

The RN to BSN program at Grand Canyon University meets the requirements for clinical competencies as defined by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), using nontraditional experiences for practicing nurses. These experiences come in the form of direct and indirect care experiences in which licensed nursing students engage in learning within the context of their hospital organization, specific care discipline, and local communities. Applying what you have learned thus far, develop a community teaching proposal designed to address the needs of your community. Select one of the following as the focus for the teaching plan: Primary Prevention/Health Promotion Secondary Prevention/Screenings for a Vulnerable Population Bioterrorism/Disaster Environmental Issues Complete the â€Å"Community Teaching Work Plan Proposal.† This will help you organize your plan and create an outline for the written assignment. After completing the teaching proposal, review the teaching plan with a community health and public health provider in your local community. Request feedback (strengths and opportunities for improvement) from the provider. Complete the â€Å"Community Teaching Experience† form. While APA format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and references should be presented using APA documentation guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment. You are not required to submit this assignment to Turnitin, unless otherwise directed by your instructor. If so directed, refer to the Student Success Center for directions. Only Word documents can be submitted to Turnitin.