The effect of women have more autonomy(positive&negtive) - Essay Example

of the of the Concerned Management 10 December Women Autonomy: Pros/Cons Amongst all the hitherto marginalized sections of the society, it is women who have been able to accrue discernable levels of empowerment and autonomy. Hence the pros and cons of women autonomy ought to be analyzed in a global perspective. On the one side where the enhanced autonomy has facilitated women with multiple advantages, on the other side it is threatening the age old institutions like family and marriage. Women autonomy has enabled women to compete in a male dominated society by not only adhering to male competitive role models, but has also allowed them to carve out a professional space for themselves where they can operate as per their female specific abilities like consensus-seeking, caring and sharing, and collaboration (The Economist 2009).

Besides autonomy has enabled women to do away with the rampant gender stereotyping heaped on them like considering the role of women to be limited to homemaking and child rearing. It has increased the participation of women in education and workforce, all around the world (The Economist 2011). Autonomy has also enabled the women to enter the traditional institutions of marriage and family on their own terms and as per their choice and preferences (The Economist 2011). Yet, all do not seem to be good with the concept of women autonomy.

More autonomy to women is endangering the age old social institutions like marriage and family (The Economist 2011). A majority of the educated women choose to marry at a late age, when their reproductive abilities tend to be more compromised and constrained. For example, in affluent Asian economies like Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan, the mean age of wedlock for women is 29-30 (The Economist 2011). This trend is coming heavily on the social stability of the traditional societies by fast altering their demography.

The avoidance of traditional institutions like marriage and family by autonomous women is fast giving away to new trends like cohabitation and pre-marital sex, putting much strain on the coping ability of the Asian societies. In Japan in case of the women born in the 70s, almost twenty percent agreed that they resorted to cohabitation at some time in their life (The Economist 2011). Autonomy of women has shot up the divorce rates, as educated and independent women do not prefer to work hard on sustaining troubled marriages.

The Asian divorce rate that stood at 1 per 1000 people in the 80s now stands at 2 (The Economist 2011). This is also giving way to illegitimacy. Courtesy the women empowerment, the number of single women in the developing economies is fast rising. Three decades ago the proportion of single women in Asia was 2 percent (The Economist 2011). Today it is 20 percent (The Economist 2011). There is no denying the fact that every social change gives way to new developments that nudge the society to seek a new balance.

Women autonomy has certainly empowered the modern women. Yet, this development is also shaking the social balance, forcing the societies to come out with new institutions and mechanisms. Reference List ‘Womenomics: Feminist Management Theorists are Flirting with Some Dangerous Arguments’, The Economist, 30 December, 2009, viewed 10 December 2011, < http://www.economist.com/node/15172746/print>. ‘Asian Demography: The Flight from Marriage’, The Economist, 20 August, 2011, viewed 10 December 2011, < http://www.economist.com/node/21526329>.