A Look at the Roles of Women in Society

Women have been the epitome of life and birth since the creation of this world. Since time immemorial, a woman has been the lifeline of the home, raising the kids and holding the family together. Today, the roles of women in society have changed for the good. From a homemaker to being the president of a nation, they do it all with utmost grace.

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If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these together ought to be able to turn it back and get it right side up again

— Sojourner Truth, American abolitionist

With several societies together amalgamating into one world, a womanly touch is what makes it warm and liveable, filled with joy. While life always presents women with various roles and responsibilities, it is upon them to let every role be played beautifully. Be it in shaping society or their homes, their roles are of paramount importance.

Before we understand the roles of a woman in the society, it is important to understand the timeline of changes surrounding them.

Women’s Role in Society: Past and Present

With time, women have broken the shackles of the patriarchal society and have ventured into every sphere of society. Let us take a dive into how the responsibilities of a woman in the society have changed over the years:

Women in the past:

• Travelling back to ancient times, women were majorly confined within the walls of the house. The man of the house was the only source of income and the woman was merely a caretaker. Their sole role was to raise children and take care of the family

• Every woman had the ideas and wants in herself, but no mouth to speak it out. She lived for others, while the stereotypes lived for her. Covered body, shame on her face, fewer words, and care for the household- the only expectations from her.

• Women and girl children, back then were prohibited from education. Moreover, they had no voting rights.

• Female foeticide, child marriages, dowry, harassment and the innumerable crimes committed against women clearly portray the inhumane lives that they faced back then.

Roles of Women in Society Today:

• Today’s women are still the person who nurtures the family. But in addition to the family inside the house, it is the society outside as well. A broad change has finally arrived, that has broadened women’s responsibilities from within the house to within the Milky Way Galaxy.

• Being independent, becoming the voice of the unheard, challenging and changing society for the better and also the finance powerhouse – these are some of the countless components that make up the roles of women in society today.

• There is a queen who hails the world because, according to her, a queen is never afraid to fail. She is the first woman who is a billionaire and is black-skinned. Surprising? Not anymore. Not in today’s world. With her famous show, she brought a revolution and spread positivity in American life. Still could not recognize her?
  
  The show is called The Oprah Winfrey Show. And, her name is Oprah Winfrey! Yes, an influential name in today’s world.

List of Roles of a Woman in the Society

Charity begins at home. By the same token, social responsibility begins at home too. Women take several roles in their journey from indoors to outdoors, to shape a better society. That being said, let’s take a look at the list of roles of a woman in the society.

The different roles of women in society can be summed up as follows:

• Mother and Wife – The selfless caretaker
• Role of a woman in the family: housewife inside, a worker outside
• Role of a woman in life: an educator to educate all
• The Economist
• The Health Officer
• Activist

Mother and Wife – The Selfless Caretaker

A woman is a pivot that balances the whole family and keeps the family members together. She takes birth in a family, learns the cultural and moral values, and gets married to be a part of another family.

Undoubtedly, she has the biggest responsibility of passing her learning to future generations.

In this journey, she becomes a partner to the man. She stands as a shield for him. The wife absorbs all of her husband’s stress and shares all her joys with him.

She is a selfless wife now who strives to give her husband complete care, love and peace.

And of course, the most beautiful part – Being a mother. A woman carries a baby in her womb for 9 months and sows in the child, the seeds of good behaviour and character. She gives birth and teaches the cultural, and social values to the child.

Mother is always the first teacher. She protects her child from even the littlest harms of life and prepares him/her for a better future. This upbringing works as the steering for the vehicle of society, which again points out the importance of the roles of a woman in the society.

For her child, a mother becomes a doctor, a teacher, a friend, a chef, and the perfect guide who, selflessly, forever. This duty as a caretaker is not only limited to the family. A woman is a perfect nurse providing shelter to the homeless, orphans, old aged and animals.

She is the one who could take charge of the needy and serve them by making them feel like a part of the same society.

Role of a woman in the family: housewife inside, a worker outside

As mentioned, she is a caretaker. Inside the home, she takes care of the décor of the house, keeps it organized, cooks food, cleans the house, and keeps the grocery and bills in check.

She is preferably the ‘Home Minister’ who not only handles every tantrum of the family members but does all the household chores.

When she steps outside the house, she is a worker. In her professional life, she presides over meetings, implements and executes ideas and works for the betterment of her workplace.

Also, in this way she becomes another source of income for the family, thus breaking the notion of the man being the only source of income. This double role helps to maintain the balance of the workflow in society.

Role of a woman in life: an educator to educate all

As a teacher, a woman ensures the long-term success of society and tries to uplift the standards for women in society with education. If the woman of the house is educated, the whole family receives the education without any gender bias.

A teacher explaining and imparting the concept of education to her pupils leads towards a more educated society, which in turn helps to reduce other social challenges.

The Economist

When a nation goes through a recession, economists play a huge role in managing the finance of the country. In the same manner, women manage the income of the house. They prepare monthly budgets and do the purchases according to their needs. Generating savings is their main duty. During times of crisis, it is their intelligent minds that manage the monetary operations within the family.

In 2019, the global labour force participation percentage of women was 47.7%. This shows that women’s workforce could lead to a better economy for a nation.

Not just the home, if we speak about women’s role in development of a society and a nation as a whole, history is witness to the glaring examples of true women leaders in the economic sphere of the likes of Nirmala Sitharaman and Gita Gopinath.

The Health Officer

A woman, be it a mother, a sister or a wife, knows every little thing about the allergies, health problems and medications of her family.

She takes care that her family members receive more nutritional and healthy food and adopts healthy habits. She is always concerned about keeping her family healthy and providing them with the best of everything. Healthy families lead to the development of a healthy society.

In the professional fields, women as nurses, doctors, and healthcare staff work day in and day out to serve us and protect us. Whoever has ever been admitted to a hospital can relate. Nurses, with their utmost care, leave no stone unturned in taking care of and healing the patients.

The pandemic of 2020 – COVID-19 has shown us the role of women in the world. Doctors, nurses, and all other healthcare staff, both male and female have treated the COVID-19-affected patients, even while risking their own lives.

Activist

Women know the loopholes of society very well because they are the ones who are the victims of it. Thus, it should be them who should fill in those holes.

They can bring social reforms and have the ability to make society aware of the monsters that reside in them in the form of harassment, taboos, and violence. The #Me Too movement was a big hit to address harassment issues.

In the field of activism, yet another powerful name is Greta Thunberg. Even while she was a teenager, this Swedish girl was the one who drove the world’s attention towards climate change and became one of the finest climate activists.

Activism could be of anything. Be it for climate, women’s safety or equal rights. The truth is that women are born leaders and know how to rectify these societal errors.

Conclusion

Men and women are like the two pans of the beam balance that are important to maintain the equilibrium of society.

Be it Florence Nightingale to cure the wounded soldiers during the Crimean War, Mother Teresa to nurse the dying people in the slums of Calcutta or Kalpana Chawala to make the dream of touching the stars a possibility for millions, women have always set the foundation of the different pillars of the society.

Therefore, the roles of women in society are such that they are immeasurable and priceless. The importance mentioned above is just a small portion of their immense number of responsibilities.

With time, these roles will get more refined and more defined. And society would climb the stairs of improvement, holding the hands of our mothers, sisters and women all over the world.

FAQs

1) What is the role of a woman in society?

The roles of women in society can be summed up as:

• Nurturing the family and taking care of their child
• Community building and leadership
• Imparting education and knowledge

2) What are the modern roles of a woman?

The modern roles of a woman are manifold including being a mother, a successful leader, a health professional, a legal advocate, an administrator of a state or nation, a teacher, an economist and so on.

3) What is the role of women in Indian society?

The role of women in Indian society includes maintaining and caring for the family, imparting education to pupils as a teacher, upholding justice as a legal advocate, diagnosing diseases and saving lives as a healthcare professional and so on.

4) What are women’s responsibilities in society?

The responsibilities of a woman in the society are:

• Mother and Wife – The selfless caretaker
• Role of a woman in the family: housewife inside, a worker outside
• Role of a woman in life: an educator to educate all
• The Economist
• The Health Officer
• Activist

Written by: Shradha Tiwari

To download the Roles of Women in Society PDF, click here.