Our GroupMarleenHi, I’m Marleen Huurman, I’m the groupsleader. I’m 14 years old. My hobbies are dancing, listening to music and reading books. Every friday I am doing zumba, at a sportclub. I really like that. My ambition for later is doing someting with people and help them.
|
AmberHello, my name is Amber Reuvers and I’m 14 years old. My hobbies are dancing, horse riding, playing tennis, drawing and cycling on my one-wheel bike. I like to be medical examiner or psychologist in the future. That’s because I really want to get to know things about people and I want to help people.
LisetteHey, I’m Lisette Idzerda and I’m 14 years old. My hobbies are reading, drawing, listening to music and walking/playing with my dog. My ambitions for later are to become a teacher and to become happy. I want to be a teacher at a primairy school with children who have special needs.
|
AnnemijnHi, I’m Annemijn Vlaming. I’m also 14 years old. I love horses and I really like riding on a horse and helping on the horse riding school. I would like to help children with special needs by horses.
Division of tasksMarleen: She’s the groupleader. She will lead the project and divide the tasks.
Lisette: She is an editor, she will check the texts that we wrote. Amber: She is also an editor, she has the same tasks as Lisette. Annemijn: She is going to check all the photos and videos we will make. We will make our articles together and we all have our own tasks, the tasks won’t be the same in every article, we will put in the article what our tasks are. |
Family Values
A. What does women empowerment mean?
In many countries women aren't treated equally like man. They don't may decide things, went not to school and may not work. It's very important for them to learn and work. Some cultures and religions treated women not fair, also in the Netherlands. We don't can change that, because that are their rules, but we can make it better for them. In the Netherlands there is such an changement since 1919. There was an feminist Aletta Jacobs and she has many women that support her. Now almost 100 years later it's very good for women to live in the Netherlands. They are equal to men.
B. How do women feel about education and traditional knowledge?The most women prefer education because they want their children to learn something new. For example: A woman wants her daughter to learn something she can go to an university, that she can become a teacher or something else. But there are also women who want their children to stay at home so they can learn them how to cook, clean and sew. Later they can take care of their own children and learn them how they can cook, clean and sew.
C. What is important for their daughters to learn?I've asked a three mothers what their opinion was on this question and they answered this:
Amber's mother: 'I want my daughter to have self-esteem and to be modest, because I want her to know that she is worth it without exaggerating it. I also want her loving herself and the people around her, I want her to give and receive love. She has to be able to forgive, so she won't be filled with revenge. I want her to learn how to be independent and how to cope with that. It is also very important that she'll be able to choose an education she wants and she needs to be independent.'
Mrs. R.: 'I think it is important for my daughters to be financially independent and to have a good lead-up. I also want my daughters to be confident and strong, independent women. Because I want my daughters to be able to live independently in the future.'
Lisette's mother: 'I think my daughter should be respectful so she will be respected too.'
D. What are the advantages and dis advantages of being employed? For the women, the family, the children, her husband and the relationship.For women who have jobs, it is an advantage that they can be independent, they don't necessary need a man to take care of the in financial ways. A disadvantage is that she maybe doesn’t get a lot of time to see her family.
As I have already said, a disadvantage is that the family probably won't see the woman a lot.
For the children it's an advantage that they have more freedom. Because the parents are not at home so they can do whatever they want. It's a disadvantage that when they don't know what to do, they might not be able to reach their mom very quickly.
Her husband should do more in the household, that could be a disadvantage. An advantage is that he doesn't have to look after his wife a lot.
And finally the relationship. A disadvantage would be that they could grow apart because it might be the case that they don't see each other so often. But you can also look at it as an advantage. Not seeing each other the whole day could be good for the relationship.
E. Who makes the decisions on who is doing the household?
In the Netherlands women can make them own decisions and think about what they are going to do and what. Many years ago all the women do the household. Some women works but that are also work in the household but by other people. Or they babysitting. When women did the household men are going to work. Now there are many women who have a good paid job, some men are housemen or they work both a couple of days. That's much in young families. I've asked everyone in our class 'Who is doing the household at your home?' 10 people said his/ her mother, 11 people said both. There are also 3 people who said the have an maid.
In many countries women aren't treated equally like man. They don't may decide things, went not to school and may not work. It's very important for them to learn and work. Some cultures and religions treated women not fair, also in the Netherlands. We don't can change that, because that are their rules, but we can make it better for them. In the Netherlands there is such an changement since 1919. There was an feminist Aletta Jacobs and she has many women that support her. Now almost 100 years later it's very good for women to live in the Netherlands. They are equal to men.
B. How do women feel about education and traditional knowledge?The most women prefer education because they want their children to learn something new. For example: A woman wants her daughter to learn something she can go to an university, that she can become a teacher or something else. But there are also women who want their children to stay at home so they can learn them how to cook, clean and sew. Later they can take care of their own children and learn them how they can cook, clean and sew.
C. What is important for their daughters to learn?I've asked a three mothers what their opinion was on this question and they answered this:
Amber's mother: 'I want my daughter to have self-esteem and to be modest, because I want her to know that she is worth it without exaggerating it. I also want her loving herself and the people around her, I want her to give and receive love. She has to be able to forgive, so she won't be filled with revenge. I want her to learn how to be independent and how to cope with that. It is also very important that she'll be able to choose an education she wants and she needs to be independent.'
Mrs. R.: 'I think it is important for my daughters to be financially independent and to have a good lead-up. I also want my daughters to be confident and strong, independent women. Because I want my daughters to be able to live independently in the future.'
Lisette's mother: 'I think my daughter should be respectful so she will be respected too.'
D. What are the advantages and dis advantages of being employed? For the women, the family, the children, her husband and the relationship.For women who have jobs, it is an advantage that they can be independent, they don't necessary need a man to take care of the in financial ways. A disadvantage is that she maybe doesn’t get a lot of time to see her family.
As I have already said, a disadvantage is that the family probably won't see the woman a lot.
For the children it's an advantage that they have more freedom. Because the parents are not at home so they can do whatever they want. It's a disadvantage that when they don't know what to do, they might not be able to reach their mom very quickly.
Her husband should do more in the household, that could be a disadvantage. An advantage is that he doesn't have to look after his wife a lot.
And finally the relationship. A disadvantage would be that they could grow apart because it might be the case that they don't see each other so often. But you can also look at it as an advantage. Not seeing each other the whole day could be good for the relationship.
E. Who makes the decisions on who is doing the household?
In the Netherlands women can make them own decisions and think about what they are going to do and what. Many years ago all the women do the household. Some women works but that are also work in the household but by other people. Or they babysitting. When women did the household men are going to work. Now there are many women who have a good paid job, some men are housemen or they work both a couple of days. That's much in young families. I've asked everyone in our class 'Who is doing the household at your home?' 10 people said his/ her mother, 11 people said both. There are also 3 people who said the have an maid.
F. Has there been any change in women empowerment lately? How? Where? And why? Is everybody happy with the change?Lately there have been more women at higher work positions, for example in politics. That is really nice for them, because they can get more money and they could get even more appreciated. The law also says that women shouldn't be discriminated because of their pregnancy. Employers shouldn't refuse women a job just because they are pregnant. It is also prohibited. The employers may not treat women badly, because they are pregnant. This is good for the pregnant women, if the employers don't do it. When the employers do, the women can contact people who can help them.
I couldn't find further information about the change in women empowerment lately.
G. What are women’s own properties? Degree of decision making and control over own landed property.In the Netherlands the most women have their own properties. For example an own house, car etc. If women are married they can share their properties or keep it for her own. Women may decide what they want to have and what not. Sometimes she debate it with her men, but that are big decisions. In some cultures there are men who decide for women what they may have.
H. Equal treatment for men and women at the work place. Are women equally treated and paid at the workplace?In 1968 the government made the emancipation policy. The state secretary, mostly women, had to ensure that men and women were treated equally. In 2003 the emancipation policy was abolished. They thought they had reached their goal, but that wasn't true. There was changed a lot, men and women should get the same salary and women don't have to stop working after they are married. Besides that women and men weren't treated equally.
Also after 2003 our government made laws for how people should treat each other at the workplace. The employer shouldn't judge you because of your sex, when they are job interviewing you. Employers may not discriminate or (sexually) abuse you. Also at the workplace, men shouldn't lower women, because men think that they are better or they think that women can't do something. But women shouldn't do that too.
I. Wat are the opinions of the individual group members on equal rights for men and women.Lisette: I think women and men should have equal rights on everything, for example voting on the new president or minister. I also think that the household could be done by men also. I know it isn't like that in every country, but I think it should be that way. I like to make my own decisions without a man who interferes in my choices. I can imagine all the women would like that.
Amber: I think that in the Netherlands women and men are almost treated equally. For example at the work place some women are still not paid or not treated the same as men. Luckily the women are treated better and better lately, at the work place or on the streets or at restaurants.
I think it is unfair to say that women are less than men, because I think that women and men are equal and have to be treated that way. Men should realise that they are equal to women. Not the same but equal.
Marleen: I think every women wants treated equally, and that is almost everywhere in Holland. If women and men treated equally girls may go to school and may work. That’s important for them but also for the Netherlands, by some work women are required. For example by the economy, without women we don’t have such a good economy we have now.
Conclusion
In the Netherlands women and men are treated equally. Almost everyone in the same function have the same salary, they can vote for the new president or minister and men and women are both doing the household. There would be always exceptions, because there are cultures and relegions that thinking the men is better than the women. There are organisations trying to stop that, but that not work out everywhere.