14.4 Changes in Private Life
Private life: marriage, family, gender roles, and sexuality have changed dramatically as the world underwent new economic and technological variations.
Some have felt these changes to be a liberating force, while others felt them to be against the traditional way of things. This controversy has sparked political debate.
Modern processes, including innovation, industrialization and urbanization, and globalization and migration, have all fundamentally changed personal life in the West and Japan when they industrialized, but now the Global South.
Changes in family dynamics since the Industrial Revolution:
Industrialization and urbanization shifted family jobs and economic functions from the home farm or workshop to large institutions like factories, offices, and large-scale agricultural enterprises.
Education shifted from being the task of parents to the one of state-run schools.
Students primarily shifted toward being full-time students, rather than workers.
Families grew increasingly focused on providing emotional and financial security in a turbulent world.
Modern families became smaller as children were seen as economic burdens and as men and women married later in life.
Family structure saw variance as single-parent families, unmarried couples, blended families, polygamous families, and gay families emerged.
Global diversity and culture in family life:
Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America maintained high reproductive rates and lower divorce rates compared to other regions, like the U.S. and Europe.
Cultural and legal differences influenced family structures, with polygamy remaining legal in parts of Africa and the Middle East.
In contrast, same-sex marriages have reached a measure of acceptance in some cultures recently.
Most marriages are decided by mutual attraction, whereas many families in India still arrange marriages for their children.
Changes in Sexuality:
Technological advancements in contraception, including condoms and the birth control pill, allowed many to separate their sex lives from reproduction, especially in a modern world in which having children is economically taxing.
Since the sexual revolution of the 1960s, these advancements contributed to a new kind of sexualized culture in many parts of the world.
Evidenced by the rise of a global pornography industry, and the rise of sex tourism in developing Asian and Latin American nations.
Sex education and sexual topics like premarital sex, homosexuality, STDs, birth control, abortion, teen pregnancy became openly implemented and discussed.
Rise of premarital sex in many parts of the world.
Controversy and opposition from religious institutions like the Catholic Church and conservative groups in the Middle East led to legal action and discrimination against premarital sex and LGBTQ individuals in some nations, especially in Africa.
Nazi Germany:
Implemented eugenics policies, including sterilization and execution of those deemed undesirable, and encouraged large families in order to bolster an Aryan population.
Apartheid South Africa:
Legally prohibited sexual relations and marriage between whites and nonwhites to maintain racial segregation.
Soviet Union:
Limited access to all contraception in an effort to rebuild the population.
Implemented measures for women's equality: legalizing divorce and abortion, and promoted women’s participation in the workforce.
The Zhenotdel Women’s Department aimed to promoted equality for women in the 1920s with conferences, publications, and education.
Ataturk’s Modernization in Turkey:
After Turkey had emerged as an independent state after the Ottoman Empire was abolished, leader Kemal Ataturk pushed a new emancipation of women.
Emphasized women’s freedom to be crucial for the developing nation’s progress and modernization
Abolished polygamy, granted women equal rights in divorce, inheritance, and suffrage, and encouraged Western clothing and social practices.
State-directed feminism responsive to Ataturk’s views, rather than the demands of women themselves.
Khomeini’s Iran.
Following the Iranian revolution…
The new Islamic government, led by Khomeini, imposed strict Islamic restrictions on women’s rights and freedoms while condemning Western feminism.
Islamic government enforced traditional dress codes, gender segregation, and limitations on women’s education and marital rights.
Despite restrictions, many women supported the Iranian revolution and received rights supporting their strides as students and workers.
China’s One-Child Policy:
Enforced population control through financial incentives, penalties, and coercion.
Led to mass sterilizations, forced abortions, and implantations of IUDs.
Demonstrates a state-led intrusion into the private lives of people.
Emerging in the 19th century West, it became a global movement in the 20th century
Evolved with changing agendas, addressing women’s concerns beyond suffrage to employment, education, and a stand against patriarchy.
Second-wave feminism:
Feminist movement in the 1960s that demanded for women’s equal economic participation and autonomy; this objective was developed beyond the suffragists.
Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique” and Simone de Beauvoir’s “The Second Sex” were works that helped spread this movement for equal rights, with an emphasis on employment and education rather than voting rights.
Women's liberation movement aimed at dismantling patriarchy as a system of domination.
Roots of Intersectional Feminism:
Women of color criticized mainstream feminism as irrelevant to their experiences.
Black women emphasized solidarity with black men against racism and viewed family different than white middle-class feminists.
Feminism in the Global South:
Feminist movements in Asia, Africa, and Latin America faced distinct challenges and priorities.
Socio-political issues like colonialism, racism, poverty, and political oppression were also of focus.
African feminists criticized Western feminism as culturally imperialistic and overly focused on sexuality and the individual.
Activism in various contexts:
Women’s movements mobilized globally, addressing a wide range of issues.
In Kenya, a major form of this was the “women’s group” movement: some 27,000 small associations of women expanded to empower each other and provide communal support in times of need.
In Morocco, there was a centrally directed and nationally focused feminist movement;
Targeted the oppressive Family Law Code and reinstated it, allowing for women to be recognized as equals and have more personal autonomy.
In Chile, a feminist movement emerged from the grassroots struggle against Pinochet.
Feminists organized a new movement that promoted economic involvement and the support of a national protest for Chile’s democratic governance.
International Applications:
Feminism reached the U.N. as a global issue, and the organization declared 1975 as International Women’s Year
By 2006, 183 nations ratified a UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, aiming to promote women’s equality and increase their economic and political involvement.
Became a global phenomenon in the 21st century.
Criticism and Opposition:
Feminism faced backlash from conservative groups, like the Vatican, opposing its agendas, viewing them as threats to traditional family values and order.
Opponents in the Islamic world rejected Western-style feminism, advocating for restrictions and traditional gender roles.
Private life: marriage, family, gender roles, and sexuality have changed dramatically as the world underwent new economic and technological variations.
Some have felt these changes to be a liberating force, while others felt them to be against the traditional way of things. This controversy has sparked political debate.
Modern processes, including innovation, industrialization and urbanization, and globalization and migration, have all fundamentally changed personal life in the West and Japan when they industrialized, but now the Global South.
Changes in family dynamics since the Industrial Revolution:
Industrialization and urbanization shifted family jobs and economic functions from the home farm or workshop to large institutions like factories, offices, and large-scale agricultural enterprises.
Education shifted from being the task of parents to the one of state-run schools.
Students primarily shifted toward being full-time students, rather than workers.
Families grew increasingly focused on providing emotional and financial security in a turbulent world.
Modern families became smaller as children were seen as economic burdens and as men and women married later in life.
Family structure saw variance as single-parent families, unmarried couples, blended families, polygamous families, and gay families emerged.
Global diversity and culture in family life:
Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America maintained high reproductive rates and lower divorce rates compared to other regions, like the U.S. and Europe.
Cultural and legal differences influenced family structures, with polygamy remaining legal in parts of Africa and the Middle East.
In contrast, same-sex marriages have reached a measure of acceptance in some cultures recently.
Most marriages are decided by mutual attraction, whereas many families in India still arrange marriages for their children.
Changes in Sexuality:
Technological advancements in contraception, including condoms and the birth control pill, allowed many to separate their sex lives from reproduction, especially in a modern world in which having children is economically taxing.
Since the sexual revolution of the 1960s, these advancements contributed to a new kind of sexualized culture in many parts of the world.
Evidenced by the rise of a global pornography industry, and the rise of sex tourism in developing Asian and Latin American nations.
Sex education and sexual topics like premarital sex, homosexuality, STDs, birth control, abortion, teen pregnancy became openly implemented and discussed.
Rise of premarital sex in many parts of the world.
Controversy and opposition from religious institutions like the Catholic Church and conservative groups in the Middle East led to legal action and discrimination against premarital sex and LGBTQ individuals in some nations, especially in Africa.
Nazi Germany:
Implemented eugenics policies, including sterilization and execution of those deemed undesirable, and encouraged large families in order to bolster an Aryan population.
Apartheid South Africa:
Legally prohibited sexual relations and marriage between whites and nonwhites to maintain racial segregation.
Soviet Union:
Limited access to all contraception in an effort to rebuild the population.
Implemented measures for women's equality: legalizing divorce and abortion, and promoted women’s participation in the workforce.
The Zhenotdel Women’s Department aimed to promoted equality for women in the 1920s with conferences, publications, and education.
Ataturk’s Modernization in Turkey:
After Turkey had emerged as an independent state after the Ottoman Empire was abolished, leader Kemal Ataturk pushed a new emancipation of women.
Emphasized women’s freedom to be crucial for the developing nation’s progress and modernization
Abolished polygamy, granted women equal rights in divorce, inheritance, and suffrage, and encouraged Western clothing and social practices.
State-directed feminism responsive to Ataturk’s views, rather than the demands of women themselves.
Khomeini’s Iran.
Following the Iranian revolution…
The new Islamic government, led by Khomeini, imposed strict Islamic restrictions on women’s rights and freedoms while condemning Western feminism.
Islamic government enforced traditional dress codes, gender segregation, and limitations on women’s education and marital rights.
Despite restrictions, many women supported the Iranian revolution and received rights supporting their strides as students and workers.
China’s One-Child Policy:
Enforced population control through financial incentives, penalties, and coercion.
Led to mass sterilizations, forced abortions, and implantations of IUDs.
Demonstrates a state-led intrusion into the private lives of people.
Emerging in the 19th century West, it became a global movement in the 20th century
Evolved with changing agendas, addressing women’s concerns beyond suffrage to employment, education, and a stand against patriarchy.
Second-wave feminism:
Feminist movement in the 1960s that demanded for women’s equal economic participation and autonomy; this objective was developed beyond the suffragists.
Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique” and Simone de Beauvoir’s “The Second Sex” were works that helped spread this movement for equal rights, with an emphasis on employment and education rather than voting rights.
Women's liberation movement aimed at dismantling patriarchy as a system of domination.
Roots of Intersectional Feminism:
Women of color criticized mainstream feminism as irrelevant to their experiences.
Black women emphasized solidarity with black men against racism and viewed family different than white middle-class feminists.
Feminism in the Global South:
Feminist movements in Asia, Africa, and Latin America faced distinct challenges and priorities.
Socio-political issues like colonialism, racism, poverty, and political oppression were also of focus.
African feminists criticized Western feminism as culturally imperialistic and overly focused on sexuality and the individual.
Activism in various contexts:
Women’s movements mobilized globally, addressing a wide range of issues.
In Kenya, a major form of this was the “women’s group” movement: some 27,000 small associations of women expanded to empower each other and provide communal support in times of need.
In Morocco, there was a centrally directed and nationally focused feminist movement;
Targeted the oppressive Family Law Code and reinstated it, allowing for women to be recognized as equals and have more personal autonomy.
In Chile, a feminist movement emerged from the grassroots struggle against Pinochet.
Feminists organized a new movement that promoted economic involvement and the support of a national protest for Chile’s democratic governance.
International Applications:
Feminism reached the U.N. as a global issue, and the organization declared 1975 as International Women’s Year
By 2006, 183 nations ratified a UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, aiming to promote women’s equality and increase their economic and political involvement.
Became a global phenomenon in the 21st century.
Criticism and Opposition:
Feminism faced backlash from conservative groups, like the Vatican, opposing its agendas, viewing them as threats to traditional family values and order.
Opponents in the Islamic world rejected Western-style feminism, advocating for restrictions and traditional gender roles.
