Reflexive anthroplology an Example of the Topic All Posts by

Reflexive anthroplology Introduction Anthropology is commonly understood as the study of allied features of human society in all its facets, be it cultural, historical or physical. Anthropological research is best undertaken through personal observations and examinations by researchers of a subject population. This facet of the subject combined with its being a study of the science of human nature, research in anthropology is said to be frequently influenced by personal proclivities. The aim of scientific research is objective observation; the personalisation of observations is feared to lead to dissonance. The initial focus as the science emerged into its own in the 19th Century was said to be objectivity. However this was found to be increasingly impractical and anthropologists seem to be influenced by their own preferences in all aspects of their research leading to the school of reflexive anthropology. Reflexivity is indicated to be a process of self reflection. Such a process should result in modification of belief s and consequently the actions which one undertakes. (Bilton, 1998). Davies (1999) on the other hand has defined reflexivity as a means of looking back upon oneself by self referencing. For the anthropologist, this creates a dilemma, as in case he subjects each observation to personal reference there is bound to be distortion. Objectivity is the essence of a scientific study; however reflexive anthropology deliberately accepts the significance of influence of the self on research. A study of its evolution and current predominance is thus considered essential. Need essay sample on "Reflexive anthroplology" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Understanding Reflexive Anthropology. Anthropology examines the bonds of social relationship between humans and how this has led to growth of societies and communities. Thus this is a vast field which has had significant impact on development of human society. It is a study of human social behaviour to include archaeological exploration as well as data from examination of the behaviour of non literate peoples. (Anthropology, 2003). The roots of anthropology as a science are relatively recent dating back to the 19th Century and have relied on other older sciences as archaeology, biology, psychology and even linguistics. (Anthropology, 2003). Philosophy has also had a major impact on anthropology in that it has led to a number of speculations about Enlightenment on the origins of human society. The interconnectivity of anthropology with its originating sciences thus provides it the rigour of scientific rectitude. Over the years there have been two broad divisions of anthropology physical and cultural. The physical anthropology as the name suggests includes dealing with the problem of human evolution to include palaeontology, the build of the body as well as the constitution. (Anthropology, 2003). Methods used in this form are anthropometry, physiology, ecology and even genetics. On the other hand the branch of cultural anthropology has indicated study of the cultures not just the present but also historical orientations including the prehistoric and extinct cultures, ethnography, archaeology and so on. Linguistics is also a major aspect of cultural anthropological study. (Anthropology, 2003). While there is limited scope for subjectivity in physical anthropology as it entails observation and recording of physical data, the study of cultural anthropology indicates that there is scope for differing variations based on subjective factors. It was thus natural that the initial studies in anthropology in the 19th Century were deeply concerned about objectivity in conduct of research including the means of collection and particularly about presenting the findings of research during which stage distortions arising from cultural inclination of the observer could have emerged. As these observations initially were done by travellers rather than scientists they were considered as distorted, biased towards their own culture and community. However gradually with researchers increasingly entering the field, greater objectivity came about and it was accepted that an anthropologist in his study should be free of a bias towards any race. Scientific societies such as British Association for Advancement of Science have also indicated as early as in 1874 that anthropologists should collect information which is not prejudiced. For this purpose in some cases even a set of pre written questionnaire and a format for notes was created. The objectivity school thus was predominant during this time. Over the years forward looking anthropologists also came to propose that the people who were being studied particularly subjects of colonialism were not a different race as such but only removed from western civilisations in terms of some generations. The trend of objectivity and equity was thus to lead to emergence of reflexive thought in anthropology. As anthropological research in many ways involves individual observation it is said to affect the researcher personally in many ways. It could be his own personal preferences, individual history and socio cultural environment in which he has operated earlier which may have an impact. As a researcher works closely with his chosen subjects, there develops a relationship between the two which also needs to be considered on the influence it will have on observations made. Reflexive anthropology envisages the likely impact of these factors on the researchers. At the same time it needs to be understood that this self reflectivity of the researcher is different from that of the subjects under scrutiny though both indicate that there has to be a context between the people being studied and those studying them. As more and more anthropologists were willing to examine their own cultural context and the perspective from which there had been conducting the research, the emergence of reflexive anthropology was inevitable. This is not necessarily a modern or post modern phenomenon and early anthropologists as Frank Hamilton Cushing who lived amongst American Indians in the later part of the 19th Century had propagated participant-observation as a method of close observation despite being accused by fellow scientists of being a savage for living amongst the subjects of study. (Hensley, 1981). However reflexive anthropology as a body of thought has only emerged in recent times. Factors Contributing to Change The emergence of reflexive anthropology is a result of the process of social as well as political changes that took place in the 1960s. Some explicate these to the processes of decolonisation where in having overcome the inhibitions imposed by the colonial era, anthropologists could frankly question the impact that their personal beliefs had on their study of the subject. The key as per Asad (1973) arose from an ethical concern amongst the researchers that by neglecting the reflexive aspect of their research they may have perpetuated many erroneous deductions about the people who had been colonised. This underlines the acceptance that Western colonial studies of subjects did not take into account the differing and alternative views of the principals under study and believes these to be perfectly rational. Thus there was a transformation from the structural-fundamentalist view of a rigid approach which had separated the researcher from the subject of study. The cultural interaction be came more sympathetic rather than antagonistic or to say the least objective. The removal of the boundaries of colonialism also freed researchers from its context and thus the earlier inclination of the researcher primarily observing, subjects from a position of authority disappeared. Anthropologists increasingly were aware of their own role in colonising and this self awareness also led to what can be called as reflexive anthropology. The other factor of significance in growth of reflexive anthropology is the large number of researchers who entered this field in the modern and post modern eras, thus there was greater debate amongst the researchers as also the research they had carried out. In this process it was but natural that a researchers inclinations were discussed along with his conclusions. The tendency to analyse the research itself led to greater need for reflection by the researchers on their conclusions contributing to development of this relatively new field. A dilemma was also posed due to validity of a perspective in the post modern era. Thus if findings of one researcher were considered to be true, then these have to be placed in perspective. Frequently such a perspective was seen to be narrowed down to the researchers own reflexivity rather than an objective interpretation of his findings. In the process all anthropological research came to be viewed as relativist in which all perspectives were seen to be relatively relevant. (Caplan, 1986). The other aspect is that of acceptance of the preconceptions of the observer as an integral part of the research. This also led to a school which indicated that having accepted the inclinations of the researcher, it was possible to be objective; however the reflexive school remained predominant. The complexity of anthropological research can be understood most appropriately by a shift in perception with the personal changes in the lives of researchers. This is exemplified by the example provided b y Caplan who found that there was a shift in perspective as she herself progressed from being a single woman to a married one and also a mother with children as she made anthropological observations on Swahili women in all these various stages of her own life. (Caplan, 1986). However this dilemma is not new and is prevalent in some other fields of research as well. Advantages and Disadvantages of Change The advantages of the change to reflexive anthropology have been considerable. It has placed the entire debate of research based on personal observation into perspective. Since anthropology is a subject which involves human dimension rather than the physical context of other sciences, there is no doubt that an element of subjectivity would creep in even in a highly objective research. A researcher cannot be expected to consider his subject in total detachment. Thus by valuing the personal context of the researcher it has brought in more objectivity to the research. The next advantage accrued is that its having established an evenness in power relationship between the researcher and the researched which had assumed a superior subject relationship earlier in some ways. By placing the researcher also in the bounds of scrutiny a semblance of order seems to have been obtained. The disadvantages of the change and focus on reflexive anthropology are also not far to seek. These primarily relate to self obsession that comes about in researchers. Thus in some cases anthropologists came to write more about themselves than the societies or people which were being examined. Some researchers as Lawless (1992) have indicated that since the subject being studied is analysed, there is a need to allow him to respond, thereby what has emerged is a long winded account of relationships between two individuals, rather than about the evolution of the subject in its various forms as was expected from an anthropologists study. Thus such research assumes a general rather than a focused anthropological perspective. Though a number of researchers as Fabian attempted to tone down their own role in the narrative as done in examination of Tshibumba, a Zairian artist who is allowed to present the history of his country in the way he interpreted it, this has resulted as per Fabianss own admission to his personal impact in these narrations in many ways. (FAbian, 1996). These and other reflexive researchers could some times be accused of attempting to manipulate the narrative rather than merely indicating their own role in the research. Conclusion There is a common acknowledgement amongst anthropologists that true objectivity cannot be achieved in a research which is involving two or more individuals and where deductions have to proceed through observation. While resorting to formal questionnaires and notes for the sake of objectivity, anthropologists were devoid of the advantage of recording natural observations and thus the quality of research was seen to suffer. On the other hand reflexivity perhaps went to the extreme where researchers tend to give prominence to their own reactions in equal if not actually greater measure than that of the subject of study. Reflexive anthropology is seen to continue to attempt to draw a mean between total objectivity and a personalised approach to the study of human behaviour. References Bilton, Tony et al. 1996. Introductory Sociology, 3rd edition. London, Macmillan. Anthropology. 2003. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopaedia, Sixth Edition .Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. Caplan, P. 1988. Engendering Knowledge: The Politics of Ethnography, Part 1, Anthropology Today, 4 (5), Oct 1988. Lawless, E. 1992. I was Afraid Someone like You. An Outsider would Misunderstand: Negotiating Interpretive Differences between Ethnographers and Subjects. The Journal of American Folklore, 105 (417), Summer 1992. Fabian, T. 1996. Remembering the Present: Painting and popular history in Zaire, 1996. Hinsley, C.M. 1981. Savages and Scientists: The Smithsonian Institution and the Development of American Anthropology, 1846-1910. Smithsonian Institution Press.

Of Mice and Men Theme essays

Of Mice and Men Theme essays Through the novel Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, I have acquired many valuable lessons about life. This novel has numerous themes: the beauty of a dream, friendship, and loneliness, and about people feeding on to a weaker target. However, the foremost theme of this novel is that a dream, no matter how impossible it is to obtain, can build a friendship and grant significance to life. George and Lennie dreamed of owning a little farm of ten acres, with a windmill, a little shack, a garden, and animals. Their dream keeps them going and lightens the load of their work. It also solidifies their friendship. Former singer Aaliyah, admitted on having to go through some horrible, tiring, and pointless things, however, while doing those things, she constantly reminded herself about her fans, and that made whatever she was doing, easier and worthwhile. A lawyer who is working really hard and putting all off his time into case, will tend to get extremely stressed out at times, however, when he reminds himself of the big paycheck he will get at the end of the case, his work doesnt seem so stressful to him any longer. Another piece of information that I gain knowledge of from this novel is an essential lesson about the nature of human existence. Nearly all of the characters, including George, Lennie, Candy, Crooks, and Curley's wife, admit, at one time or another, to having a intense sense of loneliness and isolation. Each character desires the comfort of an acquaintance, yet, they will settle for the compassionate ear of an outsider. Curley's wife admits to Candy, Crooks, and Lennie that she is unhappily married, Sure I got a husban. You all seen him. swell guy aint he? Spends all his time sayin what hes gonna do to guys he dont like, and he dont like nobody. Moreover, Crooks tells Lennie that life is no good without a companion to turn to in time ...

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), had beginnings based in both scientific pursuit and the military. Lets start from the first days and see how the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) started. After the Second World War, the Defense Department launched serious research push into the fields of rocketry and upper atmosphere sciences to ensure American leadership in technology. As part of this push, President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved a plan to orbit a scientific satellite as part of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) for the period from July 1 1957 to December 31 1958, a cooperative effort to collect scientific data about the Earth. Quickly, the Soviet Union jumped in, announcing plans to orbit its own satellites. The Naval Research Laboratorys Vanguard project was selected on September 9 1955 to support the IGY effort, but while it enjoyed exceptional publicity throughout the second half of 1955, and all of 1956, the technological requirements in the program were too big and funding levels too small to ensure success. The launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957 pushed the U.S. satellite program in crisis mode. Playing technological catch-up, the United States launched its first Earth satellite on January 31, 1958, when Explorer 1 documented the existence of radiation zones encircling the Earth. Next page NASA History - The Formation of NASA Page 1, 2, 3 One law for the investigation of the problems of flight within and outside the Earths atmosphere, and for other purposes. With this simple preamble, Congress and the President of the United States created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on October 1, 1958, a direct result of the Sputnik crisis. The fledgling National Aeronautics and Space Administration body absorbed the former National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics intact: its 8000 employees, an annual budget of $ 100 million, three major research labs - Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, Ames Aeronautical Laboratory, and Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory - and two small test facilities. Soon after, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) joined other organizations, including the space science group from the Naval Research Laboratory in Maryland, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory managed by the California Institute of Technology for the Army, and Army Ballistic Missile Agency in Huntsville, Alab ama, the laboratory where Wernher von Brauns team of engineers were engaged in the development of large rockets. As it grew, the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), established in other centers, and today has ten located around the country. Early in its history, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was already seeking to put a human in space. Once again, the Soviet Union the U.S. beat to the punch when Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space on April 12, 1961. However, the gap was closing as on May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard Jr. became the first American to fly into space, when he rode his Mercury capsule on a 15-minute suborbital mission. Project Mercury was the first high-profile program of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), which had as its goal placing humans in space. The following year, on February 20, John H. Glenn Jr. became the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth. Following in the footsteps of Project Mercury, Gemini continued NASAs human spaceflight program to and expanded its capabilities with spacecraft built for two astronauts. Geminis 10 flights also provided NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) scientists and engineers with more data on weightlessness,perfected reentry and splashdown procedures, and demonstrated rendezvous and docking in space. One of the highlights of the program took place during the Gemini 4 on June 3, 1965, when Edward H. White, Jr. became the first U.S. astronaut to perform a spacewalk. Next page NASA History - NASA Crowning Achievement Page 1, 2, 3 The crowning achievement of NASAs early years was Project Apollo. When President John F. Kennedy announced I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth, NASA was committed to putting a man on the moon. The Apollo moon project was a massive effort that required significant expenditures, costing $25.4 billion, 11 years, and 3 lives to accomplish. On July 20, 1969, Neil A. Armstrong made his now famous remarks, Thats one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind as he stepped onto the lunar surface during the Apollo 11 mission. After taking soil samples, photographs, and doing other tasks on the moon, Armstrong and Aldrin rendezvoused with their colleague Michael Collins in lunar orbit for a safe journey back to Earth. There were five more successful lunar landing of Apollo missions, but only a failed one rivaled the first for excitement. All totaled, 12 astronauts walked on the Moon during the Apollo years.

Meteorology HW 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Meteorology HW 1 - Assignment Example It is also the ultraviolet rays that cause sunburn and has a lot of energy since it comes from the sun. On the other hand, longwave radiation contains less energy and comes from the Earth. Longwave radiation exits the planet as infrared rays. 3. Based on the graph, it can be observed that the CO2 from 2006 to present went up only to drop the following year. The only break is seen from 2009 to 2010 when the CO2 increased for each year. However, it went back to its up-and-down movement from 2010 to 2013. In my opinion, the trend of atmospheric carbon dioxide for Mauna Loa may be affected by the overall effect of the people’s activities and nature as the data is a representation of â€Å"human activities and (by) natural processes.† (Tans) For seasonality, the trend stays the same, increasing, although it is affected by the corrections made to the data as the â€Å"black curve represents the seasonally corrected data.† (Tans). Thus it can be said that for seasonality human error may be a reason for the change in CO2. 4. Albedo is a small part of the energy from the sun that is on Earth and reflected back into space. It comes from the Latin word albus which means white. An average of about 4% of the incoming radiation from the sun is reflected by the Earth (Budikova). Since original forests have a higher albedo, it would that little of the sun’s energy is absorbed by the earth. If the earth is already too warm, a higher albedo would be ideal to avoid further increasing the surface temperature. 5. Based on the data, it can be observed that the warmest year was in 2007 (1.0857) while the coldest year was in 1884 (-0.5941). I have to say I see some global warming in the data. Even if there are years from 1988 where the numbers declined, the trend in the graph show a dramatic increase starting from 1985. This period also reflects a direct contrast from when the data was first compiled which showed very cold

Property in South Korea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Property in South Korea - Essay Example An investment requires a medium of exchange and that is usually money. Money is a deteriorating asset in itself and loses value constantly. It is, for this reason, it is exchanged for property which is expected to retain its value. Here is the fallacy that in fact, property achieves a higher value on the fall of the value of money, or rather its purchasing power. Therefore the value of the property is increased due to the fall of the value of money. It is illogical to believe that property has obtained a higher value. But such is the force of the human mind that this has become an accepted belief. The main reason for this belief lies in another fact; that due to the constant expansion of markets the needs of the people increases. While the money supply can be expanded, the supply of physical property remains the same. This mismatch is the real reason why property prices increase due to increase in demand. Morgan Stanley has decided on an astonishing investment in the commercial property previously owned by Daewoo. It has bid a handsome amount of $ 1 billion for this office tower located near the railway station in Seoul, S. Korea. The demand for quality space located in prime business districts is increasing and existing land parcels are extremely difficult to consolidate, leading to unimagined high prices. This deal is no big surprise as Morgan Stanley has a large portfolio of property investments of even larger figures, and has the intention to acquire more properties around the world for its valued clients. The movement of economic liberalization that commenced some thirty years ago is now maturing and covering vast areas and countries, previously considered under-developed, are fast catching on to this progress. This has had multiple effects all around the world. International barriers to trade, movement, and communication are being removed or eased to facilitate free movement of capital and human resources.  

Age of Innocence :: essays papers

Age of Innocence Chapter One Summary: The play opens at the opera. Newland Archer enters his opera box and looks out across the theater to see his girlfriend, May Welland, touch the lilies he had given her. While dreaming of their future together, his thoughts are interrupted by gasps from the gentlemen sitting with him. They are whispering about a fashionably dressed woman who has just sat down in the box with May. Sillerton Jackson gasps, "I did not think they would have tried it on," which means, he can ¹t believe the Mingotts would allow the woman to come and sit in their box at the Opera. Analysis: This is a book about the conventions of "Old New York", New York City in the 1870 ¹s. Wharton loves contrasting the old against the new. She begins these contrasts in the very first paragraph. Here she describes the new Opera theater that is going to be erected in the "remote" forties. We can assume that the forties have been built up since then and people reading her book in the 1920 ¹s (when it was published) would enjoy hearing about how New York has changed. Along these lines, there is also a description of the old people versus the "new people, whom NY was beginning to dread and yet be drawn to." Also important in this first chapter is Wharton ¹s discussion of fashionability and propriety. We can tell from the way that Newland Archer, Lawrence Lefferts and Mr. Silverton Jackson are introduced (all are so concerned with what is "moral" and "the thing") that Wharton will spend a lot of time in the novel discussing and perhaps critiquing these concepts in the book. Of note, as well, is the great attention to detail that Wharton has. The way she describes clothing and interior decoration with much detail has led many to dub this book a "costume novel". We will have to see for ourselves if the book develops beyond being a "bodice ripper" sort of book. May Welland will be one of the most important characters in the book. She is holding Lillies of the Valley. In the 1870 ¹s the lily of the valley was the flower of chastity and of the names Cynthia and Diana. Later in the book, May is often compared to Diana, the Greek goddess of the hunt.

India and women Essay

INDIA and WOMEN Women empowerment is a moot subject. At earlier times, women got unprejudiced status with men. But the post-Vedic time was a difficult period when many were treated as slaves, a commodity earned by the man, a mode of produce kids. From the early twentieth century (national movement) their statuses have been slowly and gradually undergone changes. In this regard, we may mention the name of the English people. After then, independence of India, the constitutional makers and national leaders strongly emphasized on equal social position of women with men. Today, we have seen the women occupying the respectable positions in all walks of the sphere. Yet, they are not absolutely free from discrimination and harassment of the society. A few number of women have been able to establish their potentialities. Therefore, each and every one should be careful to promote the status of women. Women constitute approximately 50% of the world’s population, but India has shown disproportionate sex ratio whereby female’s population has been comparatively less than that of males. As far as their social status is concerned, they are not treated as equal to men in all the places. In the Western societies, the women have got equal right and status with men in all walks of life. But gender disabilities and discriminations are found in India even today. The paradoxical situation is such that, she is sometimes portrayed as a Goddess and at other times merely as slave. It is now that the women in India enjoy a solitary status of equality with the men as per constitutional and legal provision. But the Indian women have come a long way to achieve the present positions. First, gender inequality in India can be traced back to the historic days of the sacred Sanskrit poem, Mahabharata, when Draupadi was put on the dice by her husband as a commodity. History is a witness that women were made to dance both in private and public places to please the men. Secondly, in Indian society, a female was always dependent on male members of the family until a few years ago. Thirdly, a female was not allowed to speak in a loud voice in the presence of elder members of her in-laws or move around without covering her head and in some cases, the face in the presence of other elder or male members of the family. In the family, every faults had gone to her and responsible. Fourth, as a widow her dependence on the male members of the family increased but that was better than performing ‘sati’ where the widow  was burned alive during the cremation of her dead husband. In many social activities, she was not permitted to meet with other members of the family. A woman whether a widow or not had very little share in political, social and economic life of the society and had to vote for the party the family supports, even if she had her views against it. The early twenty century was rise of the National Movement under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi who was in favor of removing all the chains tied to a woman. At the same time, Raja Ram Mohan Rai, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar and various other social reformers laid stress on women’s education, prevention of child marriage, withdrawals of evil practice of sati, removal of polygamy etc. The National Movement and various reform moveme nts paved the way for their liberations from the social evils and religious taboos. After independence of India, the constitution makers and the national leaders recognized the equal social position of women with men. The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 has determined the age for marriage, provided for monogamy and guardianship of the mother and permitted the dissolution of marriage under specific circumstances. Under the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956, an unmarried women, widow or divorce of sound mind can also take child in adoption. Similarly, the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961 says that any person who gives, takes, or abets the giving or taking of dowry shall be punished with imprisonment, or fine or with both. The Constitution of India guarantees equality of sexes and in fact grants special favors to women. These can be found in three articles of the constitution. Article 14 says that the government shall not deny to any person equality before law or equal protection of the law. Article 15 declares that government shall not discriminate against any citizen on the ground of sex. Article 15 (3) makes a special provision enabling the state to make affirmative discriminations in favor of women . Article 42 directs the state to make provision for ensuring just and human conditions of work and maternity relief. Above all, the constitution regards a fundamental duty on every citizen through Articles 15 (A), (E) to renounce the practices derogatory to the dignity of women. The concept of empowerment flows from the power. It is vesting where it does not exist or exist inadequately. Empowerment of women would mean equipping women to be economically independent, self-reliant, have positive esteem to enable them to face any difficult situation and they should be able to participate in development  activities. The empowered women should be able to participate in the process of decision making. The government of India has ratified various international conventions and human rights instruments committing to secure equal rights to women. These are CEDAW (1993), the Mexico Plan of Action (1975), the Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies (!985), the Beijing Declaration as well as the platform for Action (1995) and other such instruments. The year of 2001 was observed as the year of women’s empowerment. During the year, a landmark document has been adopted, ‘ the National Policy for the empowerment of women.’ For the beneficiaries of the women, the government has been adopted different schemes and programs i.e. the National Credit Fund for Women (1993) , Food and Nutrition Board (FNB), Information and Mass Education (IMF) etc. But is all this actually working is what everyone wants to know. Are women actually empowered ? Or is all this only in papers and even in the 21st century women fear leaving their houses alone? Do they fear wearing clothes they want to wear ? Well I feel that the answer to this is a big YES. In the 21st century, where India is an emerging super power the women are not confident that they will return home safely. But why is it so? Some say that because ‘boys are boys’ and they can do whatever they want to or maybe because the kind of clothes a woman wears instigates men to look at her with those greedy eyes and lay their dirty hands on her? Well NO ! Did that women in a burqa who was raped while going back home in her own car provoke anybody? Or the 5 year old girl who was studying in school provoke her teacher? But boys will be boys who make mistakes. For once forget about the boys, they will defend themselves but when the head of the Mahila Vibhaag (women’s association) says that the mistake lies in the girls, don’t you believe it? I don’t. I think it is time for every girl to take a stand for herself and for every other girl in this world because it is not just India where women are not treated equally, a study conducted in the US in 2012 says that about 14% of women who were fired from their jobs was because the boss wanted something more than a normal boss and employ relationship. Also a study conducted in London in 1998 says that about 33% of divorces happen because the man is not willing to let the wife go out for a job or to pick up the kids because she might just have an affair. It’s also time for every parent stop telling their daughters to wear longer dresses and tell their sons to respect girls  because nobody should be judged by the way they dress. It is said that if a man is educated he will earn bread for the entire family but if a woman is educated then she will make sure that the entire family is educated. To sum up, women empowerment cannot be possible unless women come with and help to self-empower themselves. There is a need to formulate reducing feminized poverty, promoting education of women, and prevention and elimination of violence against women.