There are lot many women who struggled for their nation to bring freedom from the Britishers. Some of them didn`t fight but donated their life in social services.
Women`s Role in History:
Throughout history, most societies have held women in a lower status compared to that of men. From the earliest times, the fact that women were the child bearers helped establishes division of tasks between women and men. The division of labour between women who worked mainly in the home and men who worked outside the home gave men economic superiority. The two also differ physically. Women are on average small and less powerfully muscled. Machinery, however, cancelled out the advantage of male strength and birth control gave women means to regulate their child bearing. But women continued to have barriers to entering many occupations.
The rise of women`s movement: Several developments during the late 1700s and early 1800s set the stage for the rise of women`s movement. The thinks of the age of Reason stressed the important of reason, equality and liberty with reference to the status of women.
Impact of women`s movement: Contemporary women movements have had an impact on several levels of society and have change people`s views about male and female roles. These changes have affected the work place, the family and the family and the way they lived their lives. Women are increasingly accepting all types of careers. But when we compare the conditions of women all over the world, we find the majority of women`s work opportunities still remain confined within a narrow range of occupations, such as nursing, teaching, retail sales and secretarial work. Furthermore working women throughout the word continued to be the primary homemakers while holding jobs.
Attitudes and values: But it has to be admitted that certain broad cultural changes have taken place that reflect new attitudes towards the roles of men and women. They also point to a growing equality between the sexes. Several women have held the highest political office in their countries including Indira Gandhi of India, Golda Meir of Israel, Carazon Aquino of the Philippines and Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom.
The final outcome of these of these changing has yet to be seen. But it appears likely that the distinction between women`s and men`s roles and the trend towards greater equality will continue.
Female Philosophers:
Ayn Rand (1905-1982)
A controversial Russian novelist and philosopher who moved to the US in 1921 and developed a philosophy of individualism she called objectivism (a philosophy for living on the earth).
She was born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1905. Her family was devastated by the communist revolution of 1917. As her father`s pharmacy was confiscated by the soviets, the family moved to Crimea. Later they returned to St. Petersburg where Rand attended the university.
At university, she was repelled by the dominance of communist ides and tactics that suppressed free thinking and discussion. Hiving studies Americon history and politics in university she became an admirer of America`s individualism, its vigor and its optimism. After graduating from the university, she moved to the US in 1925 with permission from Soviet authorities.
There in the US she wanted to become a screen writer. With the help of a leading director and a great action, she held a variety of jobs until in 1932 she was able to sell her first screenplay Red Pawn`. In1936 her first significant novel we the living was published. Rand`s second novel The Fountain Head, after being rejected by many publishers, was at last published in 1943.it became a best seller. But Rand`s most ambitious novel Atlas Shrugged was published in 1957. It provides a complete expression of her literary and philosophical vision. She believed that self-interest properly understood is the standard of morality. Moral legitimacy of self-interest implies that individuals have to their liberties, their property and the pursuit of their own happiness and the purpose of the government is to protect their rights.
Rand believed that our capacity for reason enabled us to survive and flourish. The policies a person should adopt are called virtues. One such virtue is rationality. To act according to reason is the virtue of rationality. One`s life depends on knowing and acting in accordance with facts. Independence and integrity are also core virtue on Rand`s list of core virtues is pride, the policy of moral ambitiousness. This means the policy of being committed to shaping one`s character to the highest level possible.
Gertrude Elizabeth Margaret Anscombe (1919-2001):
She has been described as the pre-eminent British philosopher of the 20th century. She was born in 1919 in Ireland. She graduated from the University of Oxford. During her first undergraduate year she converted to Roman Catholicism and remained a lifelong devout Catholic. After graduating from the Oxford she had her postgraduate from the Cambridge. As a student and friend of Wittgenstein, she produced the translation of his philosophical works.
Her Intention (1957) is considered to be the founding document of modern `action theory`.
She wrote on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of action, philosophical logic, philosophy of language and ethics. Her monograph Intention is recognized as her greatest and most influential work.
She defended Roman Catholic Church`s opposition to contraception in the 1960s and early 1970s. later in life she was arrested twice while protesting outside an abortion clinic in Britain after abortion had been legalized(with certain restrictions).Anscombe was elected Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge University in 1970, where she served until her retirement in 1986.
Anscombe was the first to clearly spell out that actions are intentional under some descriptions and not others. In her famous example, a man`s action (which we might observe as consisting in moving an arm up and down while holding a handle)may be intentional under the description `pumping water`, but not under other descriptions such as `contracting these muscles`.
Reformers:
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910)
Florence Nightingale was an Italian born nurse who laid the foundation stone of trained nursing as a profession. She is not an unfamiliar name when we talk of reforms introduced in nursing.
She was born on 12 may 1820 to wealthy British parents. At the tender age of 16, she realized that she was born to fulfil something special in her. Much against the wishes of her family, she joined the Institution of Deaconesses, a training school for nurses by Protestants in Kaiserswerth in Germany. She also studied in Paris and at the young age of 33, she assumed the post of superintendent in a women`s hospital in London.
Nursing during Crimean War (1853-1856)
In 1854, the secretary of was asked Florence Nightingale to take charge of nursing the wounded soldiers in Crimea. On reaching there, she realized that her job was not going to be easy as the hospital was ill equipped. An old Turkish barrack had been turned into a hospital and the place was infested with rats and flies. There were several other problems like shortage of beds, mattresses, bandages and no washbasin, towel or soap. Another problem was water shortage. The water allowance was one pint per head, per for all purposes. She decided to improve the situation and took the matter in her hands. Her first job was to employ few men, who were in better condition, to clean the place. She formulated a proper schedule for care, kitchen and diet.
During night, she took long rounds in corridors with lamp in her hand to ensure the wounded soldiers were properly taken care of .soldiers were so touched by her care, love and effort that they called her as `Lady with Lamp`.
She prepared reports giving account of the situation and wrote letters asking for supplies. Initially officials and doctors detested it and could not handle what they regarded as female dictatorship. However later they understood her and eventually supported her. When faced with financial constraints, she even used her own money to buy supplies. When the condition of the hospital improved, she even started classes for teaching illiterate soldiers. Her tireless effort and dedicated work met success at Scrutari hospital. This success story spread far and wide and she given the charge of all army hospitals in Crimea.
Nightingale`s report to British War Department proved to be a hung success and led to the formation of Royal Commission on Health of the Army in 1857. She also successfully led to the setting up of Army Medical School and a sanitary department in India. She is also credited for founding training school for midwives and nurses in infirmaries and work house. In 1907, she became the first woman to be awarded the order of Merit.