Women Leadership In the Student Movements

     In the developing of nearly 20 years in Taiwan, student movements play an important role in the democracy or economics process. In the student movements, women’s activities are never absent. Female members in student movements become more aggressive and active members in women right’s protest and keep their influence from school to the society. Though being a seemingly radical right’s protestor, they claim that struggle between men and women or discrimination have never declined on them. Through the four active female members of student movements from 1990, about the time of Wild Lily, there are women’s issue that still be questioned even nowadays.

     “We devote ourselves into protection of country or history, however in the meantime we cannot deal with the main problem as being a woman.” (Ho, 2014) Female members of student movements are easily be suspected as puppets, which are meant to be controlled by others or be forced to become a shadow of the issue (Ho, 2014). Rather than believing they stand for their own rights, people tend to think women are influenced by a bigger authority behind them, and especially men. Such condition show that no matter how high the status they have gained, as high as a leader member in the student movements, their identity as a woman is still be picked out and inspected spectacularly. Also, revolutionary for country or politics can easily gain resonance from the society, while women’s right are not. On the other hands, women’s issues are inside almost every kinds of class notion, such as labor, family, or gender, but there are seldom voices strong enough to truly shake the notice or break the myth and discrimination. For example, in 1990’s, the period of rapid progress of industry, most of the workers in factory are women. However, the personnels or main employers of the guild are usually men.(Ho, 2014) They also faced predicament inside their protest of women’s right, “If our movement are actually making women’s situation, not the men’s, even worse, that we must have been wrong.” (Ho, 2014)

     Just as they’ve said, the true issues, true problems of women are seldom exposed to the public. To my own opinion, when the power of maternal love, such as tenderness or inborn ability of taking care of others, are keep emphasizing by the society, or even women themselves, then women’s power would always be considered weaker and useless. Furthermore, if women’s issues are actually inside no matter what different kinds of composition of society, then we should make sure that the proper, or, a health notion of women, or the whole gender, such as equality and autonomy, should exist in every members of the society. At the meantime, we should ask people about respect the autonomy of women, no matter what they decide to do, and stop suspecting or inspecting their identity as a woman. 

Reference:

Jun-shing, Ho (2014, Sep. 20) Discrimination of Women in the Students Movement Retrieved from http://www.thenewslens.com/post/74634/

Women Leadership In the Student Movements

     In the developing of nearly 20 years in Taiwan, student movements play an important role in the democracy or economics process. In the student movements, women’s activities are never absent. Female members in student movements become more aggressive and active members in women right’s protest and keep their influence from school to the society. Though being a seemingly radical right’s protestor, they claim that struggle between men and women or discrimination have never declined on them. Through the four active female members of student movements from 1990, about the time of Wild Lily, there are women’s issue that still be questioned even nowadays.

     “We devote ourselves into protection of country or history, however in the meantime we cannot deal with the main problem as being a woman.” () Female members of student movements are easily to be suspected as puppets, which are meant to be controlled by others or be forced to become a shadow of the new requires of the issue ().The evidence is that no matter how high the status they have gained, as a leader member in the student movements, their identity as a woman is still be picked out and inspected spectacularly. Revolutionary for country or politics can easily gain resonance from the society, while women’s right are not. On the other hands, women’s issues are inside almost every kinds of class notion, such as labor, family, or gender, but there are seldom voices strong enough to truly shake the notice or break the myth and discrimination. For example, in 1990’s, the period of rapid progress of industry, most of the workers in factory are women. However, the personnels or main employers of the guild are usually men.() They also faced predicament inside their protest of women’s right, “If our movement are actually making women’s situation, not the men’s, even worse, that we must have been wrong.” ()

     Just as they’ve said, the true issues, true problems of women are seldom be exposed to the public. If women’s issue are actually inside no matter what different kinds of composition of society, then we should make sure that the proper notion of women, or the whole gender, such as equality and autonomy, should exist in every members of the society. At the meantime, we should ask people about respect the autonomy of women, no matter what they decide to do, and stop suspecting or inspecting their identity as a woman.  

How Does Codependency Works with the Female’s Quality of Taiwanese Women

     “Codependency” is a mental sickness that acknowledged by psychology which consists of the following characteristics: depending highly on others, viewing personal values low, highly oppressing self-emotion and lacking of independence and a healthy relationship between others (Shu & Wu, 2004). Such characteristics can be strongly associated with the qualities that Taiwanese society usually expected on women, or even those women expected on themselves, such as obedient, passively, taking care of others, etc. As a result, researchers compare the ideas of codependency with women’s qualities above and try to discuss the coherence between the two and whether if our society tends to put sickness on the women with those qualities.

     In the research of department of Educational Psychology and Counseling in National Taiwan Normal University, they divided those women who are tested into four groups of sex character tendencies, which are having the qualities of female, male, both sides and neither. They pick of the tendency of female character and tested them with questionnaire so as to find out their intersection with the quality of codependency. According to the result of the experiment, in the four index of the qualities of codependency, which includes “seeing others as the focus point of life,” “endorsing the character of taking care of others,” “seeking values of life from relationship with others” and “lacking the ability of expressing emotion,” there are only two of the qualities that overlap with the women who tend to be more like a character of women. The two intersections are “endorsing the character of taking care of others” and “seeking values of life from relationship with others.” The other two qualities, however, are present even an opposite rate of the women’s qualities, that is, the more tendency to be like a woman, the less do they “seeing others as the focus point of life” and “lacking the ability of expressing emotion.”

     Whether if codependency can be equalized with women’s qualities under such result are remain question, however, we can find something worth discussing from them. For example, endorsing the character of taking care of others reflect a common notion in Taiwanese society, which is that in Chinese culture, we are used to value helping others as a great virtue, and especially demands highly on women to take care of others, family for instance (Shu & Wu, 2004.) However, it also presents women’s approval to themselves through taking care of others. In other words, we should not see this quality of codependency as a mental sickness, or negative characteristic, on women. Oppositely, we should consider it a behavior for women to exercise their autonomy, just as they decide to make any decision as well.

     Back to Taiwanese society nowadays, influencing by the value of self-improving from the Western culture, we tend to view more valuable on those women who aim to get success as men and consider them as index of improvement. However, we should not neglect those quality of seeing others important, as those are also approvals for some part of women. To sum up, we can say that autonomy for women is not only choose to get the equal status as men, but makes whatever decision by own mind.

Reference

Yi-jen, Shu. & Li-jiaun, Wu. (2004, Sep). Study of Relationships among Sex-role Orientation, Codependency and Self-esteem of Female Adults in Taiwan. Bulletin of Educational Psychology, 36(1) pp.85-107

Retrieved from http://ir.lib.ntnu.edu.tw/ir/retrieve/19448/ntnulib_ja_A0201_3601_085.pdf

Reflection(1)

     During the conference with professor, we have discussion on my topic of whether if I should keep focus on the change of politic in Iran and religion taboo of Islam, for that it seems too tough and complicated to me because of lacking the correct and objective notion about the international affair and history, also, it is kind of difficult for me to have a totally knowledge about Islam unless I read the Quran by myself in the original language. Also, my previous two annotations are commented as “too vague in topic or issue.” The reason why I received such comments may be that I just cannot see the point why I choose the women’s topic in Islam at the beginning, including what influence me about women’s problem in my growth, what do I really care of them and why. The responses from peers also have familiar opinions, that what the things I truly like to discuss is unclear, whether I would like to define whether it is good or bad that women in Iran have to live under strict Islamic rule, or if I want to fight for their right, or something else. There are also opinions about that it is too narrow to simply mention the problem of women’s right in Islam. Those responses also make me to think further of my topic.

     After the meeting with professor, and also consulting the responses from several peers, I decided to connect and compare with Taiwanese women’s situation and predicament in the present time. Writing about Taiwanese women seems to be more close to our society and my own condition. In short, I will keep focus on the topic of women, compare what are the differences and same portions, no matter on which aspects, such as family or work or traditional practices, between the two seemingly far and different cultures, and what are the reactions from each cultures women or others, and finally, what are the possible resolution.

     In the aspect of resources, I will consider to take on some interview of Taiwanese or Islam women, or women who are Islam in Taiwan, and ask about their opinions. Also, it is likely to talk with other opinion from some experts and professors. Resources from Internet are also available, and I will choose more clearly and particularly, for which research have stronger relationship with my topic.

     Finally, I am reminded of the correct writing style, including the right topic and the citation and reference again. As a punishment, professor said that there would be decrease of my points due to such writing errors. I will pay more attention on those mistakes, try not to make the same again.

The Declaration of Iran Government to the Women's Function in Family

     The passage I chose for annotation is the official statement of Iran government declaring the importance and irreplaceable status of women in family. The article mentions that women are the guidance and mainstay of family, and the functions of them are to steady and form the practice and traditional value of an Islamic family as to be a good mother and wife and daughter. They assume that women’s tribute to family is pure, sacred, and significant, also the inception and improvement to the society. Also, the statement declares that women’s activities in the family would not become negative affect for them to pursue success in the society such as education or occupation. However, whether if it is true is still remain unknown.

    Inevitably, the statement mentions about how the western notions of women go against all the purity and chastity of women. In their opinions, the western society often force women to become a sign of sexual tool or encourage them to abandon the importance to maintain a family or even to be single. They accuse that when such ideas are being spreading into Iran, they destroyed the most of their traditional notion of women’s function in the family, which is not allowed for them to happen. The alienation and objectification of women, to the Iran government, are the most damaging injure and insult to women, in their notions.

     Whether the declaration of women’s function in family or the accusation of positioning women in the state as a sign, we can say that most of our society is a mix of these two extreme ideas. Seeing Women as family-bounded animals is not strange idea for us, on the other hand, there are also lots of metaphor or symbols that put women in a particular way of being in the society conveying to us through media or celebrity. How to exactly position women, what is the exact function that women analogy are intractable questions in the more and more complicated world.  

Resource:

伊斯兰革命诠释女性在家庭和社会中的作用

http://chinese.irib.ir/2010-07-25-10-58-59/2010-07-25-11-02-05/item/37507-%E4%BC%8A%E6%96%AF%E5%85%B0%E9%9D%A9%E5%91%BD%E8%AF%A0%E9%87%8A%E5%A5%B3%E6%80%A7%E5%9C%A8%E5%AE%B6%E5%BA%AD%E5%92%8C%E7%A4%BE%E4%BC%9A%E4%B8%AD%E7%9A%84%E4%BD%9C%E7%94%A8

Revised Annotations(1)

     The article gives a general concept of the struggle between the protest of women right in Iran and the tradition values of the religion. In the article, it mentions the process of women’s practice of life and fashion style from the westernized Pahlavi dynasty to the Homeini authority which highly demands the women’s behavior in public, even to make a law to restrict them. There are both the offending side, which stands against the high- pressured government of the violation of women’s right, and also the defending side, that is, the official statement of the attitude toward their policies.

     The statements standing for the women’s right are relatively more familiar to us, that is, to improve world-wide women’s right. They also claim that improvement of women’s right is a necessary way for Iran getting their way to a developing country. On the other hand, the excuses of the government, are usually folded to outside. The government declares that they aim to protect the traditional values of the Islam, including the women’s function and status inside the family or outside the society. Furthermore, the government also denounces the imposition of the western values on the Islam women, as they are all devote willingly to their religion.In general, women’s right in Iran can be positioned into different aspects of viewpoints. It can be seen as jihad of Islam women to protest their right of freedom in amount of restrictions. As it has been changing since the authority of Homeini started, it can also been seen as an ideology of a single clique of a union of religion and politics party.

     As the different views of points flourishing more and more, there are also lots of questions worth discussing. Whether if the Iran government owns the power to invade women’s right in the excuses of religious values and taboo, or it is not proper for us to interfere or judge other culture by the system of values that is established by the dominant western society, is an important issue that need everyone to pay attention on it. Also, if we see back to our own society in Taiwan, we can still find some familiarity, though not so serious as in Iran, which somehow restricts women’s right. Although more and more improvement in the workplace, women are still usually family-bounded, and facing the glass ceiling phenomenon. So, perhaps the question if we have truly attained the equality between genders is also worth discussing

Reference:

Zou Chi (2014, May 20th) Controversy after kiss: the Islamic women’s right versus the pressure and restriction from religion and government. The News Lens. Retrieved from http://www.thenewslens.com/post/42301/

Annotations(1)

Resource: 伊朗女星一吻掀風波，黑袍底下覺醒的女權逃離不了宗教束縛

http://www.thenewslens.com/post/42301/

English definitions:

The Southern Paris: it refers to Tehran of the 1970’s during the Pahlavi dynasty due to the leading fashion and style of western in this period of time.

Homeini: the leader of Shia sect of Islam who rebel the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. Under his authority, women are demanded strictly on the appearance and behavior in public.

     The article gives a general concept of the struggle between the protest of women right in Iran and the tradition values of the religion. In the article, it mentions the process of women’s practice of life and fashion style from to the westernized Pahlavi dynasty to the Homeini authority which highly demands the women’s behavior in public, even to make a law to restrict them. There are both the offending side, which stands against the high- pressured government of the violation of women’s right, and also the defending side, that is, the official statement of the attitude toward their policies.

     The statements standing for the women’s right are relatively more familiar to us, that is, to improve world-wide women’s right. They also claim that improvement of women’s right is a necessary way for Iran getting their way to a developing country. On the other hand, the excuses of the government, are usually folded to outside. The government declares that they aim to protect the traditional values of the Islam, including the women’s function and status inside the family or outside the society. Furthermore, the government also denounces the imposition of the western values on the Islam women, as they are all devote willingly to their religion.

     In general, women’s right in Iran can be positioned into different aspects of viewpoints. It can be seen as jihad of Islam women to protest their right of freedom in amount of restrictions. As it has been changing since the authority of Homeini started, it can also been seen as an ideology of a single clique of a union of religion and politics party. As the different views of points flourishing more and more, there are also lots of questions worth discussing. Whether if the Iran government owns the power to invade women’s right in the excuses of religious values and taboo, or it is not proper for us to interfere or judge other culture by the system of values that is established by the dominant western society, is an important issue that need everyone to pat attention on it.

Issue Paper: Women Right in Islam: Tradition or Improvement?

Although gradually accelerate the ecnomics and improvement of nation, the enormous inequality between men and women of Islam is still an inevitable problem not only domestic but also a universally concerned issue.  After World War Ⅱ, objection exercises of invasions of human rights are more and more widely and passionately spreading around the world. Women right activities are certainly not exception. Thus, it is always pretty incomprehensible and astonishing for us when we realize how tough and miserable dilemmas are the Islamic women suffering. Lots of bans to women are familiar to us, from demanding strictly on women’s clothing or autonomy of bodies, not allowing them do lots of affairs such as driving, voting or photographing. Among all the women policies, perhaps the most controversial one comes to the penalty to women when being considered “guilty’ by the patriarchy government. For example, in 2010, an Afghanistan woman was cut down her nose because of her escaping away from her violent husband. Also, in 2006, an Iranian woman was killed by rocks throwing as a penalty for her crime of “improper relationship with man’.

Instances of such circumstances never stop showing on the front page of international’s news, neither do the criticism from all over the world. It seems that the Islam official attitudes toward women build an obstacle itself that make foreigner flinch when tourism, which means appealing foreigners is one of their main industries. However, while women’s right is universally acknowledged, the Islam governments also have excuses and insistence to defend the pressure from outside. In their declaration, not only do they devote to maintain the purity and chastity of Muslin which asked by the Koran, but also are they struggle to withstand the western culture and practices, headed by America, strongly and aggressively. Such manifesto can be traced back to 1980’s, when the leader of Shah Islam, Khomeini, rebelled the contemporary government and establish his own authority. In his concept, or say, the main position of Shah, is that in the land of Islam, there should be no values of foreign, especially the western, that influence the pure religious belief of Muslin. The Koran must be the supreme law of any other rules. It is these concepts that change and influence the notion and situation of Islam women. As a result, we may say that the women’s suffering of misery is namely because a political transformer, or an ambition of an opposite politician.

Women right in Islam can be seen as a corrupt practice of old time in a relatively improved world, on the other hand, it is also necessary for us to think of whether we should interfere or judge the tradition of other culture. Although feminism is spreading and developing more and more mature and flourishing, whether the Islam government should keep guarding the traditional values or catch up the path of western countries is a vital issue for the improvement-pursuing Islam countries. 




Resources: 

伊朗女星一吻掀風波，黑袍底下覺醒的女權逃離不了宗教束縛