Author: Andre Coleman

The term womens right refers to freedoms and entitlements of women and girls of all ages. These rights may or may not be institutionalized, ignored or suppressed by law, local custom, and behavior in a particular society. These liberties are grouped together and differentiated from broader notions of human rights because they often differ from the freedoms inherently possessed by or recognized for men and boys and because activists for this issue claim an inherent historical and traditional bias against the exercise of rights by women and girls.

Issues commonly associated with notions of women’s rights include, though are not limited to, the right: to bodily integrity and autonomy; to vote (suffrage); to hold public office; to work; to fair wages or equal pay; to own property; to education; to serve in the military or be conscripted; to enter into legal contracts; and to have marital, parental and religious rights. Women and their supporters have campaigned and in some places continue to campaign for the same rights as men.

Women in ancient Egyptian:

In ancient Egypt, women’s rights reached a level that has rarely been equaled in any civilization right up to modern times. This was unusual in the ancient world and led to condemnation from neighboring states.

Rather than being seen as the weaker sex, women were often portrayed as being just as violence as men. Queens are shown crushing their enemies; executing prisoners and firing arrows at male opponents in battle.

Women were also treated the same under criminal law and would suffer the same punishments as men for their crimes, including being executed if convicted of a capital offence. However if it was found the offender was pregnant then her execution was delayed until after the birth.

Although most official posts were given to men, women were known to hold high office. There were female overseers, governors and judges and at least one, Queen Hetepheres II, ran the civil service. Two women were given the role of vizier (prime minister), the highest administrative position and six even achieved the title of pharaoh.

Women from poorer families were also free to find work and were often employed in traditional female roles such as maids, nannies and midwives.

According to Joseph Perkins of Minnesota State University, some are known to have started small businesses out of their homes often considerably increasing the family income through making and selling products such as linen or perfume. Professional opportunities were also available to some women, such as director of dance and even physicians. Female doctors are known to have been skilled enough to perform caesarean sections and to surgically remove cancerous breasts.

The suffrage awarded to women allowed them to enjoy a high level of financial freedom. Possessions, property and debt acquired by a woman through labour or inheritance was seen as separate from her husband and if she became a widow, she was entitled to inherit one third of the property they jointly owned, with the rest divided between the late husband’s children and siblings.

Despite their freedoms, Egyptian women were most commonly bestowed with the title of ‘Lady of the House’ and were expected to run the home and bear children. For poorer families, large numbers of offspring were necessary to provide extra sources of labour and income but for the wealthy few. With both male and female servants to tend to daily chores and child rearing, richer women spent much of their time in leisure pursuits like listening to music, taking care of their pets, playing board games, eating good food and drinking fine wines.

It is as mothers, sisters, wives and daughters to pharaohs, that royal women were most influential to the state. Pharaohs also had a host of ‘minor wives’, who often were able to wield some influence and as succession did not necessarily go to the eldest son, they had the opportunity to become mother to a pharaoh.

Pharaohs would often have a host of women known as ‘Ornaments of the King’ who were chosen for their beauty and employed to entertain with singing and dancing. Although this seems more in keeping with treatment of women elsewhere, in Egypt, they were important participants in court life and were active in royal functions, state events and religious ceremonies.

Women often played a key role in the priesthood with royal women holding the title ‘God’s Wife’, a position of great political significance second only to the pharaoh, for whom they sometimes stood in. Female priestesses also played a significant role in the religious life of ancient Egypt, participating alongside men in rituals, earning a living as professional mourners and sometimes acting as funerary priests.

As warriors, intellectuals, priestesses, political figures and even rulers, the women of ancient Egypt enjoyed a large degree of suffrage. Many had the opportunity to advance themselves to an extent that was not achieved again until the twentieth century and a financial equality that many women still fight for to this day.

Women in Egypt now a day:

Rural and lower-class Egyptians generally believed that women were related to men. Women were expected to be under control of male relatives, to avoid contact with men who were not from the family, and to veil themselves in public. As children women learned to accept dependency on their fathers and older brothers. After marriage women expected their husbands to make all decisions. Early married life could be a time of extreme subordination and insecurity. The new wife usually lived with or near her husband’s family and was expected to help her mother-in-law in the house. A young wife was under pressure from her husband and his family until she gets pregnant. Barrenness was a woman’s worst possible misfortune, and not giving birth to a son was almost as bad. Women who had only daughters were called “mothers of brides.” Most families continued having children until they had at least one son. As the woman’s gets married, and her sons matured, her position in the family grew more secure.

The sexual behavior and reputation of the women of a line age were the most important components of a family’s honor. A bad reputation for one woman meant a bad reputation for the whole line age. Honor was essential to social life; without it even a minimal social standing in the community was impossible. Men were especially interested in maintaining honor. Women were always on their best behavior around men from other families because they were afraid of getting a bad reputation. A bad reputation could disgrace the men of her family. A disgraced husband could restore his status, however, through divorce. Most disgraced fathers and brothers in rural and lower-class urban families, however, believed that honor could only be restored by killing the daughter or sister suspected of sexual misconduct. Family members who murdered the women were prepared to accept legal penalties for their actions.

Women have traditionally been preoccupied with household tasks and child rearing and have rarely had opportunities for contact with men outside the family. But since the 1952 Revolution, social changes, especially in education, have caused many women to spend time in public places among men who were not related to them. To limit women’s contact with these men, practices such as veiling and gender segregation at schools, work, and recreation have become commonplace. Furthermore, lower-class families, especially in Upper Egypt, have tended to withdraw girls from school as they reached puberty to minimize their interaction with men. Lower-class men frequently preferred marriage to women who had been secluded rather than to those who had worked or attended secondary school.

Egypt’s laws pertaining to marriage and divorce favored the social position of men. Muslim husbands were traditionally allowed to have up to four wives at a time in accordance with Islamic religious custom, but a woman could have only one husband at a time. A Muslim man could divorce his wife with ease by saying “I divorce thee” on three separate occasions in the presence of witnesses. A woman wishing to dissolve a marriage had to instigate legal proceedings and prove to a court that her husband had failed to support her or that his behavior was having a harmful moral effect on the family. The laws required men to support their ex-wives for only one year after a divorce, and the fathers gained custody of the children. A man faced few or no penalties if he refused to provide equal support to his wives or if he refused to pay alimony to his divorced wife. Divorce was much more difficult for Copts than it was for Muslims. Common law regulated the marriages and divorces of Copts.

A new law reversed many of the rights accorded to women in 1979. A woman lost her automatic right to divorce her husband if he married a second wife. She could still petition a court to consider her case, but a judge would grant a divorce only if it were in the interests of the family. If a divorce were granted, the judge would also determine what an appropriate residence was for the divorced woman and her children.

Since the early 1970s, women’s status has been changing, mostly because an increasing number of women have joined the nonagricultural workforce. According to government estimates, the number of working women doubled from 500,000 to 1 million between 1978 and 1980. By 1982 women accounted for 14 percent of all wage-earning and salaried employees throughout the country. Although substantial numbers of women were in the professions, particularly education, engineering, and medicine, most women held low-paying jobs in factories, offices, and service industries. Half of all employed women held jobs such as street cleaners, janitors, hotel and domestic servants, and hospital aides. In 1990 women accounted for more than 12 percent of all industrial workers; most female factory workers were in textiles, food processing, and pharmaceuticals.

Strategy and Proposal
1-Reasons for choosing the topic:

My main reason for choosing this topic to be my documentary because a lot of people didn’t know what is the women right and how the women in the ancient Egyptians having a very high position were and was much honored at that time. Today a lot of men are knowing that women having all their rights and even more than they deserve.

In addition, this documentary will be exposing the different between the women in ancient Egyptian which she was having all her rights and even more, and the women now a day in Egypt which she suffering and fight to get her minimum rights in living a good life.

Women were having their rights in the old ancient Egyptian era from 7000 years ago but now in the post modernity era the women still fighting and suffering to get their right.

If we compare us to other Arab countries, we are behind. Other countries are going forward like in Yemen has judges, Sudan has judges; the general prosecutor in Syria is a woman.

For that reason it’s important to discuss this topic to let all people from men women and teenagers know the rights for women and what could she do to asking for her rights.

2-Message of the documentary:

The main message from this documentary is to raise awareness of men about the women right to know how to treat them and may be trying to help women to get their rights. Also, to raise awareness of women and girls because they should know their rights which Qassem Amen and Huda Saharawi fight to gutted for them. Also, to know that women rights were settled from the great ancient Egyptian era not only when Qassem Amen wrote about it, in ancient Egyptian era women were having their all rights so all women and girls should take them their leaders and do like them or try to be like them and get their rights.

3-Target audience:

The main target audience related to this documentary is women , ages from 25 to 45who suffering from being treated badly or didn’t get their rights that they deserves.

The young girls, ages from 18 to 24, who are not knowing their history or their rights and they going to graduated and starting their carrier life. They should decide what they want to be like their great ancient Egyptian women or give up and don’t get their rights.

Also, men, ages from 25 to 45, they should know what women right is and to know how to treat women.

4-Expected interviews:

Random people’s opinion about women rights to know what they know about it.

People who are working in women rights to help us to know more about what women right is.

Egyptian writer wrote about women right in ancient Egyptian era to elaborate how they got their rights.

Interview with Mona Helmy an Egyptian journalist who wrote a lot of articles about women write now a day.

5-shooting places:

Shots for women infront of courts trying to get their rights.

Shots for Doctor Mona Helmy in her office.

Shots for seminars about women rights.

Shots for people in the streets.

6-Sequence of the documentary:

The documentary will start by showing some footages for ancient Egyptian women queens and gods

Then some other footage for women in Egypt suffering infront of courts trying to get their rights.

Then an Egyptology will talk about how the women in ancient Egyptian getting their rights

Then the documentary will then proceed giving people’s opinion about women rights now a day.

Then the Egyptian Dr Mona Helmy will discuss the women rights now a day.

Finally, will telling the people how to try learning from our Egyptian civilization and let the women get their minimum rights.

7-Visual list:

The documentary will include some footages of

8-Question of the documentary:
Random people in the street:

What did you know about women rights?

Do you know any thing about women rights in ancient Egyptian era?

Did you think women take all her rights?

Do you think women could be a judge or not and why?

Random women infront of court:

What is your case?

Did the low help you in getting your right quickly?

Did you think you have all your rights?

Dr.Mona Helmy:

What is your opinion about women today in Egypt?

Did she get all her wrights?

Did your article about women rights do something for women?

In your opinion, what should the Egyptian women do to get all her rights?

9-Script of the documentary:

video

audio

Situation Analysis
1-Background of the topic:
Women in ancient Egyptian:

An exception to most other ancient societies, Egyptian women achieved parity with Egyptian men. They enjoyed the same legal and economic rights, at least in theory, and this concept can be found in Egyptian art and contemporary manuscripts. The disparities between people’s legal rights were based on differences in social class and not on gender. Legal and economic rights were afforded to both men and women.

Egyptian women’s rights extended to all legally defined areas of Egyptian civilization. Women could manage, own, and sell private property, which included slaves, land, portable goods, servants, livestock, and money. Women could resolve legal settlements. Women could conclude any kind of legal settlement. Women could appear as a contracting partner in a marriage contract or a divorce contract; they could execute testaments; they could free slaves; women could make adoptions. Women were entitled to sue at law. This amount of freedom was at variance with that of the Greek women who required a designated male, called a kourios, to represent or stand for her in all legal contracts and proceedings. This male was her husband, father or brother.

An Egyptian woman could acquire possessions in many ways. She could receive it as gifts or as an inheritance from her parents or husband. Or she could receive it from purchases with goods which she earned either through employment, or which she borrowed. A woman had claims to up to one-third of all the community property in her marriage.

Women’s legal rights:

The Egyptian woman’s rights extended to all the legally defined areas of society. From the bulk of the legal documents, we know that women could manage and dispose of private property, including: land, portable goods, servants, slaves, livestock, and money (when it existed), as well as financial instruments (i.e., endowments and annuities). A woman could administer all her property independently and according to her free will. She could conclude any kind of legal settlement. She could appear as a contracting partner in a marriage contract or a divorce contract; she could execute testaments; she could free slaves; she could make adoptions. She was entitled to sue at law. It is highly significant that a woman in Egypt could do all of the above and initiate litigation in court freely without the need of a male representative. This amount of freedom was at variance with that of the Greek woman who required a designated male, called a kourios, to represent or stand for her in all legal contracts and proceedings. This male was her husband, father or brother.

Women’s property rights:

There were several ways for an Egyptian woman to acquire possessions and real property. Most frequently, she received it as gifts or as an inheritance from her parents or husband, or else, she received it through purchases–with goods which she earned either through employment, or which she borrowed. Under Egyptian property law, a woman had claim to one-third of all the community property in her marriage, i.e. the property which accrued to her husband and her only after they were married. When a woman brought her own private property to a marriage (e.g., as a dowry), this apparently remained hers, although the husband often had the free use of it. However, in the event of divorce her property had to be returned to her, in addition to any divorce settlement that might be stipulated in the original marriage contract.

A wife was entitled to inherit one-third of that community property on the death of her husband, while the other two-thirds was divided among the children, followed up by the brothers and sisters of the deceased. To circumvent this possibility and to enable life to receive either a larger part of the share, or to allow her to dispose of all the property, a husband could do several things:

1) In the Middle Kingdom, he could draw up an imyt-pr, a “house document,” which was a legal unilateral deed for donating property. As a living will, it was made and perhaps executed while the husband was still alive. In this will, the husband would assign to his wife what he wished of his own private property, i.e., what he acquired before his marriage. An example of this is the imyt-pr of Wah from el-Lahun. 2) If there were no children, and the husband did not wish his brothers and sisters to receive two-thirds of the community property, he could legally adopt his wife as his child and heir and bequeath all the property to her. Even if he had other children, he could still adopt his wife, so that, as his one of his legal offspring, she would receive some of the two-thirds share, in addition to her normal one-third share of the community property.

A woman was free to bequeath property from her husband to her children or even to her own brothers and sisters (unless there was some stipulation against such in her husband’s will). One papyrus tells us how a childless woman, who after she inherited her husband’s estate, raised the three illegitimate children who were born to him and their female household slave (such liaisons were fairly common in the Egyptian household and seem to have borne no social stigma). She then married the eldest illegitimate step-daughter to her younger brother, whom she adopted as her son, that they might receive the entire inheritance.

A woman could also freely disinherit children of her private property, i.e., the property she brought to her marriage or her share of the community property. She could selectively bequeath that property to certain children and not to others. Such action is recorded in the Will of Naunakht.

Women in contracts:

Women in Egypt were consistently concluding contracts, including: marriage and divorce settlements, engagements of wet-nurses, purchases of property, even arrangements for self-enslavement. Self-enslavement in Egypt was actually a form of indentured servitude. Although self-enslavement appears to have been illegal in Egypt, it was practiced by both men and women. To get around the illegality, the servitude was stipulated only for a limited number of years, although it was usually said to be “99 years.”

Under self-enslavement, women often technically received a salary for their labor. Two reasons for which a woman might be forced into such an arrangement are:

(1) as payment to a creditor to satisfy bad debts;

(2) to be assured of one’s provisions and financial security, for which a person might even pay a monthly fee, as though they were receiving a service. However, this fee would equal the salary that the provider had to pay for her labor; thus, no “money” would be exchanged. Since this service was a legal institution, then a contract was drawn up stipulating the conditions and the responsibilities of the involved parties.

In executing such an arrangement, a woman could also include her children and grandchildren, alive or unborn. One such contract of a woman who bound herself to the temple of Saknebtynis states:

The female servant (so & so) has said before my master, Saknebtynis, the great god, ‘I am your servant, together with my children and my children’s children. I shall not be free in your precinct forever and ever. You will protect me; you will keep me safe; you will guard me. You will keep me sound; you will protect me from every demon, and I will pay you 1-1/4 kita of copper . . . until the completion of 99 years, and I will give it to your priests monthly.’

If such women married male “slaves,” the status of their children depended on the provisions of their contracts with their owners.

Women before the bar:

Egyptian women had the right to bring lawsuits against anyone in open court, and there was no gender-based bias against them, and we have many cases of women winning their claims. A good example of this fact is found in the Inscription of Mes. This inscription is the actual court record of a long and drawn- out private land dispute which occurred in the New Kingdom. Significantly, the inscription shows usfour things: (1) women could manage property, and they could inherit trusteeship of property; (2) women could institute litigation (and appeal to the court of the vizier); (3) women were awarded legal decisions (and had decisions reversed on appeal); (4) women acted as witnesses before a court of law.

However, based upon the Hermopolis Law Code of the third century B.C., the freedom of women to share easily with their male relatives in the inheritance of landed property was perhaps restricted somewhat. According to the provisions of theHermopolis Law Code, where an executor existed, the estate of the deceased was divided up into a number of parcels equal to the number of children of the deceased, both alive and dead. Thereafter, each male child (or that child’s heirs), in order of birth, took his pick of the parcels. Only when the males were finished choosing, were the female children permitted to choose their parcels (in chronological order). The male executor was permitted to claim for himself parcels of any children and heirs who predeceased the father without issue. Female executors were designated when there were no sons to function as such. However, the code is specific that–unlike male executors–they could not claim the parcels of any dead children.

Still, it is not appropriate to compare the provisions of the Hermopolis Law Code to the Inscription of Mes, since the latter pertains to the inheritance of an office, i.e., a trusteeship of land, and not to the land itself. Indeed, the system of dividing the estate described in the l aw code–or something similar to it- -might have existed at least as early as the New Kingdom, since the Instructions of Any contains the passage, “Do not say, ‘My grandfather has a house. An enduring house, it is called’ (i.e., don’t brag of any future inheritance), for when you take your share with your brothers, your portion may only be a storehouse.”

Female literacy:

It is uncertain, generally, how literate the Egyptian woman was in any period. Baines and Eyre suggest very low figures for the percentage of the literate in the Egypt population, i.e., only about 1% in the Old Kingdom (i.e., 1 in 20 or 30 males). Other Egyptologists would dispute these estimates, seeing instead an amount at about 5-10% of the population. In any event, it is certain that the rate of literacy of Egyptian women was well behind that of men from the Old Kingdom through the Late Period.

Lower class women, certainly were illiterate; middle class women and the wives of professional men, perhaps less so. The upper class probably had a higher rate of literate women. In the Old and Middle Kingdoms, middle and upper class women are occasionally found in the textual and archaeological record with administrative titles that are indicative of a literate ability. In the New Kingdom the frequency at which these titles occur declines significantly, suggesting an erosion in the rate of female literacy at that time (let alone the freedom to engage in an occupation). However, in a small number of tomb representations of the New Kingdom, certain noblewomen are associated with scribal palettes, suggesting a literate ability. Women are also recorded as the senders and recipients of a small number of letters in Egypt (5 out of 353). However, in these cases we cannot be certain that they personally penned or read these letters, rather than employed the services of professional scribes.

Many royal princesses at court had private tutors, and most likely, these tutors taught them to read and write. Royal women of the Eighteenth Dynasty probably were regularly trained, since many were functioning leaders. Since royal princesses would have been educated, it then seems likely that the daughters of the royal courtiers were similarly educated. In the inscriptions, we occasionally do find titles of female scribes among the middle class from the Middle Kingdom on, especially after the Twenty- sixth Dynasty, when the rate of literacy increased throughout the country. The only example of a female physician in Egypt occurs in the Old Kingdom. Scribal instruction was a necessary first step toward medical training.

Women in public:

The Egyptian woman in general was free to go about in public; she worked out in the fields and in estate workshops. Certainly, she did not wear a veil, which is first documented among the ancient Assyrians (perhaps reflecting a tradition of the ancient semitic- speaking people of the Syrian and Arabian Deserts). However, it was perhaps unsafe for an Egyptian woman to venture far from her town alone.

Ramesses III boasts in one inscription, “I enabled the woman of Egypt to go her own way, her journeys being extended where she wanted, without any person assaulting her on the road.” A different view of the traveling women is found in the Instructions of Any, “Be on your guard against a woman from abroad, who is not known in town, do not have sex with her.” So by custom, there might have been a reputation of impiousness or looseness associated with a woman traveling alone in Egypt.

Despite the legal freedom of women to travel about, folk custom or tradition may have discouraged that. So, e.g., earlier in the Old Kingdom, Ptahhotep would write, “If you desire to make a friendship last in a house to which you have access to its master as a brother or friend in any place where you might enter, beware of approaching the women. It does not go well with a place where that is done.”

However, the theme of this passage might actually refer to violating personal trust and not the accessibility of women, per se. However, mores and values apparently changed by the New Kingdom. The love poetry of that era, as well as certain letters, are quite frank about the public accessibility and freedom of women.

Women’s occupations :

In general, the work of the upper and middle class woman was limited to the home and the family. This was not due to an inferior legal status, but was probably a consequence of her customary role as mother and bearer of children, as well as the public role of the Egyptian husbands and sons who functioned as the executors of the mortuary cults of their deceased parents. It was the traditional role of the good son to bury his parents, support their funerary cult, to bring offerings regularly to the tombs, and to recite the offering formula. Because women are not regularly depicted doing this in Egyptian art, they probably did not often assume this role. When a man died without a surviving son to preserve his name and present offerings, then it was his brother who was often depicted in the art doing so. Perhaps because it was the males who were regularly entrusted with this important religious task, that they held the primary position in public life.

As far as occupations go, in the textual sources upper class woman are occasionally described as holding an office, and thus they might have executed real jobs. Clearly, though, this phenomenon was more prevalent in the Old Kingdom than in later periods (perhaps due to the lower population at that time). In Wente’s publication of Egyptian letters, he notes that of 353 letters known from Egypt, only 13 provide evidence of women functioning with varying degrees of administrative authority.

On of the most exalted administrative titles of any woman who was not a queen was held by a non-royal women named Nebet during the Sixth Dynasty, who was entitled, “Vizier, Judge and Magistrate.” She was the wife of the nomarch of Coptos and grandmother of King Pepi I.

However, it is possible that the title was merely honorific and granted to her posthumously. Through the length of Egyptian history, we see many titles of women which seem to reflect real administrative authority, including one woman entitled, “Second Prophet (i.e. High Priest) of Amun” at the temple of Karnak, which was, otherwise, a male office. Women could and did hold male administrative positions in Egypt. However, such cases are few, and thus appear to be the exceptions to tradition. Given the relative scarcity of such, they might reflect extraordinary individuals in unusual circumstances.

Women functioned as leaders, e.g., kings, dowager queens and regents, even as usurpers of rightful heirs, who were either their step-sons or nephews. We find women as nobility and landed gentry managing both large and small estates, e.g., the lady Tchat who started as overseer of a nomarch’s household with a son of middling status; married the nomarch; was elevated, and her son was also raised in status. Women functioned as middle class housekeepers, servants, fieldhands, and all manner of skilled workers inside the household and in estate-workshops.

Women could also be national heroines in Egypt. Extraordinary cases include: Queen Ahhotep of the early Eighteenth Dynasty. She was renowned for saving Egypt during the wars of liberation against the Hyksos, and she was praised for rallying the Egyptian tro

The Green Mile movie was fundamentally made to show the harm that human beings inflicted on other members of their species, some degree of corruption and high levels of crime in the society that called for large number of executions in Green Mile. Seemingly, there was little or no regard for morality and obedience to social norms governing the society. Greem Mile was a term reffering to death row in Louisiana State Penintiary, where prisoners were held as they waited for their execution. The movie illustrates the true nature of death penalty, showing how cruel and barbaric it was (Darabont).

The symbolic nature of the film portrays a care-free type of society, whereby Eduard’s adopted mouse represents freedom. The mouse could come and go away without any restrictions. He was never trapped and he seemed to fully enjoy life as clearly seen through his daily circus activities. This clearly shows the level of freedom enjoyed by members of this society, without cultural or social barriers. This is evidently so due to high levels of crime comitted. Too many executions were carried out in Green Mile (Darabont). This is a clear presentation of Durkheim’s theory of functionalism perspective which embraces crime as a normal and functional practice in any society. According to this theory, crime is normal because in every society, there exists some level of crime. It is equally functional as it serves to reinforce social norms, provide the raw material for social change and provide a kind of safety valve for social discontent, where people could simply disobey the law, rather than seeking to change it (Anderson and Kaspersen 158).

In Green Mile, everyone was seeking to harm the other. The society lacked compassion and had no respect for humanity. There was no social order and stability but only a collective will to maintain order through executions. This is a society where killing was the order of the day The parents of a girls believed to have been killed by Coffey had a venom in their minds against him. Percy and Maniacal prison inmate Sam Rockwell sought nothing more than perverse destruction. Even the prison guards had one sole purpose, to kill (Darabont). This is in line with Durkheim’s theory, who insists that crime is both functional and inevitable in any society (Anderson and Kaspersen 28).

Corruption was evident in this society. It was revealed that Percy was a nephew to the governor’s wife, and his powerful political connections got him hired as a prison guard. He had no regard for work ethics. He derived pleasure from frightening, humiliating and hurting other people, contrary to what was expected of him as a prison guard (Darabont). His deviance began with the society as explained by Durkheim’s theory of functionalist perspective. The society’s collective sentiments seem to be too weak to prevent any deviance from the law as clearly seen through corrupt acquisition of his job using political connections. This shows that there was neither constant reaffirming of shared values nor was there passing of the same values from one generation to another, a critical situation responsible for the collapse of this society. People such as Percy and the Governor’s wife do not seem to follow any collective society conscience. They are naturally selfish by all means and only preffer to satisfy their own interests regardless of who is hurt in the process. Even law and primary socialization of the family does not seem to stop them (Anderson and Kaspersen 258).

Coffey’s magic healing power could be said to represent perfect power of God which was at work. Even though the society was going through a period of social strain and dramatic change, religion could playe a key role in bringing back the shared norms and values of the society thus restoring social order as well as helping the society to distigush the good in those around us and resist evil (Anderson and Kaspersen 541).

Conclusion

This paper has discussed Emile Durkheim’s theory of Functionalist Perspective with special emphasis on events witnessed in the movie Green Mile. From issues discussed, the movie seems to have targeted the corrupt leaders and unjust systems of justice that contributed to selfishness as people undermined social expectations that call for respect of rights and needs of others and preffered to look after their own interests regardless of who was hurt in the process. This is evidently seen in unjust execution of Coffey who is believed to have been innocent. People in this society only seem to obey their natural state of greed and selfishness, a condition that has accelerated erossion of society values and led to total disregard for order and harmony. This is anomie which is very dangerous and harmful to all as seen through charcters like Percy and Maniacal prison inmate Sam Rockwell whose main desire was to destroy and kill. The power of collective conscience, social norms and values in this society have been weakened through external shocks. However, through education and religion, society values and collective conscienceness could be restored to bring back the shared norms, values and social order. social systems could be highly valuable in working to maintain equilibrium and to return to it after such external shocks that have disturbed balance among members of this society. Strong emphasis put on socialization of members of the society into basic values and norms of the society could help the society to reach a consensus. A society should be viewed as totally united with all parts of institutions working in oneness and quasiamatic fashion toward achieving overall social equilibrium.

Sociology is the scientific study of society and human behavior. Webster’s Dictionary defines a perspective as a “view of things in their true relationship or importance”. Therefore, the sociological perspective provides viewpoints used to look at human behaviors and interactions as they relate to individuals and groups within a society. The sociological perspective stresses that to understand humans, not what is inside of them, but instead the external factors influencing them, should be observed. There are several theoretical perspectives in sociology that are used to understand social relationships and behaviors. The three theoretical perspectives discussed here are symbolic interactionism, functional analysis, and conflict theory.

Symbolic interactionism is a microsociological theoretical approach that examines small-scale patterns of social interaction. Interactionists focus on how humans use symbols (signs, gestures, language) to develop views of the world, others, and themselves, as well as the importance of these symbols in social interaction and communication. Interactionists also believe that humans use these symbols to define the self, by comparing themselves to others and by constantly adjusting their view of themselves. Interactionists see reality as being negotiated based on shared agreements and perceptions about events and therefore reality is not stagnant but instead fluid, ever changing. Also, symbolic interactionists try to understand how an individual feels in order to understand why they act the way they do.

For example, many female babies are killed in India. To understand why they are killed, Interactionists look at what makes people kill them. Raising a girl is very expensive in India. The meaning that Indians attach to the birth of a baby girl is that of a burden to the family. However, western cultures tend to think of every child as a gift and a blessing, no matter what gender. A doctor interviewed for a TV documentary said that she does not report families that kill their infant girls, because it is a generally accepted societal practice. A lot of people are poor and few can afford the cost associated with raising a girl. When getting married, the groom’s family is paid a dowry for taking over the obligation of the bride. Getting back to the doctor, comparing her own conduct to that of others, she does not find anything wrong with not reporting those murders since others do not report them either. By her own admission, however, if others were to begin reporting the murders of infant girls, she would then adjust her own conduct accordingly and also start to report the killings. The response to the killings depends on the meaning and significance that is attached to that death, and right now the doctor sees it as insignificant and not worth reporting.

Functional analysts (or functionalists) view society as a whole, a complex system of integrated, interrelated parts that work together to keep society balanced. Each part of society has a certain function that it has to fulfill in order to meet the needs of the society in which it exists, thus functionalists stress order and stability. If a part of society is in dysfunction – meaning it does not fulfill it’s role, the harmony is interrupted and the system is weakened. Through natural and gradual change, equilibrium has to be restored. To understand how society works functionalists examine how society operates, what needs must be met and how they are satisfied. They also examine what functions the various parts of society fulfill, and what the relationships between those parts are.

Take, for example, the female fighter pilot Lt. Col. Martha McSally, who fought for women stationed in Arabic countries to not have to wear the traditional head covering (abaya) and the changing roles of women in the military. Female and male service members had certain functions. Women often worked as nurses or as clerks whereas men filled combat positions. Each gender had roles assigned and the system worked together in harmony until women were allowed to serve in positions that once were meant for male service members only. Through a gradual and natural process the roles of men and women in the military will have to be redefined until previous balance is restored.

Another example would be Lt. Gov. Jane Swift of Massachusetts, who was pregnant when she entered office, and the functions of a mother and a politician. As a mother society expects her to care for her children and be there when her children need her. However, in her function as politician, she is expected to fully immerse herself in State politics. The functions of mothers and politicians are clearly defined, but, she is blurring the boundaries between the two functions and society (the system) has not yet adjusted to the changes associated with mothers of young children in politics. As more and more mothers with dependant children are entering politics, the system will have to adjust to their special needs, roles will have to be redefined for balance to be restored.

Like functional analysis, conflict theory focuses on large-scale patterns of society. However, whereas functionalists believe that society is composed of groups that work together, conflict theorists believe those groups are in constant disagreement with each other over limited resources. Conflict theorists also believe that societies are constantly changing and that some groups have more power then others and that norms and values of a society are made by those with power in order to keep those without power “down”. Conflict theorists believe that the way to change society is to change its structure and not the individuals within that society.

Going back to Lt. Gov. Jane Swift, power is seen as a result of her social position and not as a result of her character. As a politician she holds certain powers that conflict with those of non-politicians. For example, she excused her use of the state helicopter with her position as an important political figure. Non-politicians disagree with her right to use the helicopter, as they could not do that.

In India men and women are in a constant battle for scarce resources. In the case of the infanticides the resources are power as well as money. The only solution to that conflict would be for society to change its structure by, for example, removing dowries as a condition of marriage or removing the need for expensive ceremonies for daughters. Since those with power and money see no need to change the current structure, the only way the change would ever happens is if poor Indians stood up and protested current practices.

The same is true for the military. The problems that arose for Lt. Col. McSally while stationed in the Middle East came from inequality in the treatment of male and female service members. As a woman she was required to wear an abaya when leaving the base. This caused a problem since the abaya covered her from head to toe and therefore her social location, her rank as Lieutenant Colonel, was no longer visible to others. Her powers were diminished while male service members, even those of lower rank, did not have to remove or hide the signs of their social location within the military society, resulting in a struggle for power.

To summarize the three major theoretical perspectives described above it can, in most general terms, be said that structural functionalists would focus on what is common practice in a certain society and would also analyze the function of symbols used to interact and communicate in that society; whereas symbolic interactionists would try to determine how the individuals of a certain society interpret their environment or what effect others have on the development of an individuals self image; and conflict theorists would look at power differences between various groups of a society, where they come from and what effect they have on that society.

The family is the most important primary group in society (C.N.Sharkar, 1990, p.392).. Every one is a member of family and has duties to make our self to become a person who have responsibility and value. Also, family has responsibility in teaching children as its contribution in a building human resource for society. Member of family has right to get the body prevent, take care, and human right from parents. Member of family need meal, clothes, home, education, health prevention, and safety. To complete this needs, the parents try to do anything to raise and complete all needs (MoEYS, 2009, p.186). The family also has function to provide formal and informal education to children or member of family. So function of family is very important to educate children to become human resource in society.

Focusing on Cambodia, family has also been considered as an important agency in education. As already stated in the Education For All National Plan: 2003-2015 (EFA) stated that the sharing responsibility of parents, and local community people (MoEYS, 2004, p.4).

In order to study this topic deeply, a literature review related parent’s function in educating children in Cambodia has been conducted in purpose to answer two main questions as following:

What does MacIver’s theory explain about family function in education?

What does family function provide education to children in term of Cambodia social and cultural context?

II- Literature review:

The family as a social institution performs several functions. There are many scholars provide many functions of the family likes Kingley Davis has of four main function of the family: Reproduction, Maintenance, Placement , and socialization. Similarly, Ogburn and Nimkoff have mentioned six major functions of family: Affectional, Economic, Recreation, Protective, Religious and Educational ( C.N.Shankar, 1990, p.395). But I would like to interest in MacIver’s theory, he has describe two function of the family: The primary function or Essential function and The secondary function or non essential function ( C.N.Shankar, 1990, pp.395-397).

The primary function or essential function:

There are six major functions in the primary function or essential function including firstly, Stable satisfaction of sex need refer to sex drive is powerful in human being and sex need make human try to do anything to develop their livelihood. Secondly, Reproduction relates the result of sexual satisfaction is reproduction. Reproduction is a function of family to reproduce a new birth for social. Thirdly, Production and Rearing of the child relevant the family provides the individual life and a chance to survive. We owe our life to the family. The child which is helpless at the time of birth is given the needed protection of the family. So family is a function par excellence for the production and rearing of children. The fourthly, Provision of home connect the family provides the home for its member. Home is a place that provides opportunity for member meeting to educate each other. Children are born and brought up in home only. Though, often children are born hospitals, clinics, maternity homes, etc., they are nursed and nourished in the homes only. The fifthly, Family-An instrument of culture Transmission refer to the family transmits ideas and ideologies, folkways and more, customs and tradition, beliefs and values from one generation to the next. So children or members of family had to learn the field by parents. The sixthly, Status Ascribing function relate the family also performs a pair of functions status ascription for the individual, and societal identification for the individual people recognize us by our names and our name are given to us by our family.

The secondary function of family or non-essential function:

There are four major four functions in family, the firstly, Economic Functions: relevant to the previously member of family work together in farms for the production of goods. Member of family think about relationship to provide individual needs each other. They cooperate and help to correct, teach about process of economic. But now the situation has changed. The family member does not work together at home. They are engaged in different economic activities out side the home. The secondly, Educational functions relate the family provides the basic education to children. The member of family teaches children how to speck, how to organize, etc… The member of family helps to develop children motor skill, intelligent etc. Today preschool has instead of family function. The thirdly, Religious function relate the family is a centre for the religious training of the children. The children learn from their parents various religious virtues. The family used to teach the children the religious values, moral precepts, way to worshipping God, etc. The fourthly, The Recreational Functions: connect with the recreation was largely family based. It fostered a close solidarity. Reading aloud, visiting relatives, family reunions, church socials, singing, dancing, playing indoor games, etc., brought together the entire family. Elders would organize their own recreation among themselves or together with other children.

Both the primary function and Secondary function play a very important role in education, but secondary function seems to be more important function than primary function because it shapes children personality, help them able to communicate with others, and household financing supports that help to build children’s capacity.. Unlikely, primary function just focuses on sex needs, reproduction of generation, provide home or we can say primary needs that all family has lost.

III- The Cambodia Context:

Religious Education: All Cambodian are influenced by Buddhism. The function Buddhism is to educate and to assist in the society for people to become good. Buddhism educates people, family, women, and children to know the right way. What is right for the individual is right for society. As individuals you have to think about your feeling and that to obey parents and elders. You need to find the right way to educate the younger generation. (Janet,2006.p94).The family plays a very important role to education children. As we know, parents are key member in family, they educate children about daily activities like to educate children to respect older people, help parents to prepare food and flowers for monks, wearing appropriate clothes when children go to pagoda (Chantal, 2000, p.3).

Support family education: Although Cambodia is a poor country, but parents have participated to support children both emotion and material. To relate the economy, they support both direct and indirect costs of schooling. Direct costs include those which are met by providers of schooling plus the additional costs which are met by parents for uniforms, books, transport and related items. Indirect costs include the opportunity costs of income forgone when children attend school rather than engaging in other activities. The indirect costs are a major burden for some parents, particularly the poorest, and can be a significant determinant of whether, or not a child attends school (Mark and Seng, 2005, p.1). To sum-up, most parents in Cambodia have participated to provide supporting, push their children in education sector. It show that function of family in Cambodia have responsibilities to provide education to children in formal school.

Home-learning: Parents remain the children’s first and primary educators. It is in their family that children have their first learning experiences, explore and discover the world, and develop.(Claire,June 2009, p55) A young children needs to be supported by his or her family. It is there that the first learning experiences occur, and where social rules are acquired. Very soon, language is learned, the body is controlled, relationships develop and the child becomes an integrated member of the community (Claire, June 2009,p8).For example, when children enjoy with their mother during cooking, they ask many questions about new things they see then the mother gives answers. The questions and the responses of their mother help children to develop their intelligence. (Chantal,2004,74).Therefore, parents play very importance to educate children.

IV- Conclusion:

To sum-up there are two functions of family as primary function and secondary function in MacIver’s theory. Although the primary function refer to stable satisfaction of sex need, reproduction or procreation, production and rearing of the child, provision of home, family-an instrument of culture, status ascribing function, and affectional function, but the secondary function is more important because it a function that help children to develop their capacities to access in primary school.

Focusing on Cambodia, family also has three function to education children, like religious function, education function, and home-learning. The parents are key educator to provide health, nutrition, sanitation, safety, education, socialization and emotional life and seeking to stimulate all aspects of development as physical, intellectual, emotional, social to their children, because children early start to learn from their family.

“In this research, I will analyze the culture of the United Arab Emirates. I will analyze also aspect of the contemporary U.A.E culture and some challenges that this culture is facing. In this paper, I will give importance on 5 cultural aspects. First, I will discuss the problem of weak identity and heritage collapse. Second, I will discuss social stratification system. Third, I will discuss changes in role of women in the UAE contemporary society. Fourth, I will discuss issues of marriage, and lastly I will discuss family structure in U.A.E.”

“Historically, gender roles and family relationships in Middle Eastern culture have been very Traditional and steeped in beliefs and customs stemming from Islam. With rapid economic development and modernization, changes may be occurring among younger generation”. (Questa 1). However, UAE society over the last decade, had experienced a number of social problems, but it has shown more problem in the UAE contemporary society. However, the most important example that sociological and cultural theory can help interpreting them are (1) Social stratification system (2) lost of UAE Identity and culture (3) change in the roles of women in UAE society and (4) marriage (5) family structure.

One example of contemporary UAE Society example is social stratification system in UAE society. The UAE or Emirates society consists of two social categories, the UAE National and Foreign immigrants. The UAE nationals are subdivided into four main social classes: (1) The Ruling family, (2) the merchant or business people, (3) the professionals like teachers, engineers are middle class people and (4) Bedouin nomads and pearl divers. On the other hand, the immigrants are also divided into groups. (1)Comes the top professional like doctors and professor at universities , (2) middle class like school teacher , skilled technicians, and other professional (3) semi skilled laborers who mainly work in construction sites, however , this form of classing system in UAE is changing dramatically to a meritocracy system . A classing system that give importance to personal merits, and achievement rather than inequality in society. This dramatic change is mainly due to the notion that meritocracy system will definitely increase productivity, efficiency and, thus economy becomes better. Social mobility will be common in a meritocracy Society. For example, A Bedouin Nomads, who was mainly classified as a low income group, is now one of the ministers in UAE. This proves that equality and reward based on individual effort had motivated all low income groups to study and learn new skills, so that social mobility could happen. In addition to this , immigrants also benefited and felt of this dramatic change in classing system , they also have been more productive , efficient , and UAE economic success story is the prove of this . As to link this contemporary example of social stratification in UAE society to structural functional approach, we can know that social stratification is a must in the operation of society, and meritocracy system is a must in the success of the operation of society and economy in a country like UAE. Further , a manifest function of meritocracy system is that every level of professional need a different knowledge and skills , so meritocracy system has unrecognized and unintended function , which is the Latin function of social stratification or meritocracy system is that it help people link their performance to reward and not social class categories . Finally, in my point of view, Social Stratification has no dysfunction, because it is common in all societies around the world, and has to be there for appropriate function of society.

Another example of UAE contemporary society is the lost UAE national identity and lost of culture and heritage. “American cars and fast-food, British universities, European stores, the fact that it’s not compulsory to learn Arabic in many private schools, and some expatriates are encouraged to live in certain areas. If this is the case, then inevitably, elements of the Dubai’s Arab culture and traditions will be lost”(Gulf News 1). The UAE population structure consist of the following percentage of each foreign nationalities (Asian Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, and Sri Lankiness) account for about 45 percent of the population of the UAE, followed by Arabs (about 33 percent), and Iranians (17 percent). Westerners (Americans and Western Europeans) account for about 5 percent. Jordanians, Palestinians, Egyptians, Iraqis, and Bahrainis are employed throughout the government bureaucracy. As the number of foreigners increases tremendously, making UAE national only 15% percent of the total population, it is worth debating on this phenomenon. (Every culture 1). Multiculturalism and globalization has been encouraged in UAE, and the result is lost of UAE identity. Restaurants, Churches, malls, and all other infrastructure have been designed to accommodate all culture, but not UAE culture. In addition to this, social integration is completely nil; people from every nationality prefer to socialize with their mates from the same nationality, this result in the creation of sub cultures in society. According to Hanna Shaman, a French citizen who lived in UAE has said that this problem was once in French and most Europe country in the industrial revolution, however, government in Germany has forced all foreigners to learn Dutch in the first 2 years they are in Germany, or residence visa will not be given. Such an action, in my point of view, is a must to be implemented in UAE to solve this issue. As a matter of fact, all post – industrial societies have faced this problem of globalization and multiculturalism. As to link this example of lost of UAE identity and culture to Durkheim theory, as social integration in people of a society is strong, they are likely not commit suicide and die. On the other hand, as member of society strength their social integration, social norm, mores, and culture they are most likely not to commit suicide and live a better life than those, who have less socialization and integration in their society. This theory further illustrates that if social integration in a society is forgotten, the consequences may be hard to the member of that society. As a result of this, I would like government agencies to take this contemporary problem of UAE society in a very serious way. Because as late sheikh Zayed “said, who don’t know his past is dead for the future”.

A third example of UAE contemporary society is the change in gender roles of men and women in UAE. Although statistics proven that women are performing better in schools, they are still discriminated in work place. In 1990, only 6% of labor force was women, however, in 2000, it has jumped to 42%. This shows that women in UAE society began to given more importance in work place. But the problem is from men side they believe that women should work in a place where there is no mixing with men, however, in 2006; we can see more 50% of women labor force work in a not segregated work place. This shows further that the cultural point of view of women in UAE society has changed. On the other hand according to feminist movement, working women have double burden in their life. A work at morning, and afternoon being a domestic servant at home. This notion of double burden is spread in UAE, but as matter of fact, most of working women now have an Asian female servant to do the main domestic work at home. As a result, the contemporary UAE society has successfully proven to the world that UAE society is clear from any Social or Gender conflict.

A fourth example of UAE contemporary society is Marriage. marriage in the community of the UAE traditions and values, derived from the customs authentic Arab and Islamic concepts of tolerance was characterized by the marriage in the past and free from the complexities and difficulties that were dictated by social and economic conditions present that made the marriage problem and the dilemma facing young couples and threaten the stability of family and social system. Which is the duty urged by Islam religion, is the highest social relations between spouses and in-laws and strangers also within the same society, it is characterized by the status and sanctity of the private in terms of the nature of the procedures and stages of completion. When held parents intention to marry their son, they look to him for a girl belonging to the family of decent folk who show characteristics of religion and morality and a good reputation and the task of searching for the girl sought rests with the matchmaker or the Prophet, a woman with a mind and thought, tact, have the ability to assess the girl and shown her qualities that the community was still giving special consideration, the ratio of the girl, the beauty, creativity, and religion, Recipes are essential to young people going to get married, and that the reputation of the girl’s family and lineage, authenticity, and social status of the father or to his creation of decent and good behavior are also the qualities you’re looking for the groom’s family and require the availability

It may not be the matchmaker, a role in the process of the marriage to happen or if the marriage between relatives, the keenness of people formerly on the relative affinity, as his sons married the father of the daughters of his brother, sister or cousins and an increase in family bonding and family cohesion

In the case of the use of katapa, they’re a friendly visit to the house of the people of girls, and may you see the girls by surprise because it is difficult to meet the daughter when entering a foreign woman to her family and if I go back matchmaker informed all of the opinions of the people of the groom and the light of that, they make their decision, either to apply for a sermon girl or search for other

In the past, the bride price does not exceed in the desert seven twin whereas in the amount of the dowry when the people of the cities between 40 dirham’s, and a hundred dirham’s and ensures the bridegroom pay (Alqtuap) and it was money specific pay for a daughter of the clothes and decorations and vary according to the case of the people the physical and social status. Also provides for the groom requirements. At the forefront of the wedding banquet.

The different marriage customs and manifestations when compared to the people of the desert cities and villages in some of the details.

Another example of UAE contemporary society is family structure. Arranged endogamous marriage within the kinship (tribal) units was the preferred pattern in the period, but this pattern has changed somewhat. Individuals now have greater choice, yet many nationals still prefer arranged marriages. Emiratis are strongly discouraged from marrying non nationals, and a young man receives $19,000 from the Marriage Fund if he marries a national. As prescribed by Islam, a man is allowed up to four wives, but most men have only one wife.

In UAE the conventional family used to live in extended form of family. But with the development in the economy, this form of family is declining. Recent research found that around 80% of Emirati families live in small family with one or two child (Nuclear). However, due to imbalance population structure in the country. Nuclear families are discouraged and instead government wants their people to have large family with many members. Also, some changes in the role of women as discussed above in this research have changed the role and power of husband in the house. Husband power and authority is declining. In addition to this, due to increase power of women and her responsibly in her work. “On average, each household employs two live-in domestic servants, usually Asian. In addition to this, Family and tribal connections form the basis of Emirati social structure. The family and tribe are highly influential and play a role in shaping a person’s values and behavior” (every culture 2). In UAE culture, tribe and family play an important role in shaping the behavior and customs of the society. It is believe so because “It serves to support its members both financially and emotionally and as such, the family comes before anything else and its honors are protected by doing whatever necessary”( every culture 2). Furthermore, UAE society and family support kinship too much because many business are run by family members and also same tribe like to live near to each other since they believe that they will support each other.

As a result, I will summaries below the changes that might occur in the UAE family structure in the coming decade:

1) One will see the configuration built for the family the UAE has changed in the future in terms of style, size, number of children, and is this change in the predominance of the pattern of the nuclear family (small) on the extended family, and the direction of family size to the average number, and the direction of families to reduce the number of children.

2) One will occur on the marriage process in the future some of the changes is the disappearance of the traditional methods of marriage and was accompanied, to be replaced by modern methods, with the attendant arrangements.

3) One will occur on the network of social relations within the family group of changes, is to chill the relationship between spouses, and the predominance of selfishness, love of self to the members of one family.

4) changes in roles of women within the family in the UAE society, where the wife will put a lot of roles that go beyond the traditional form in parenting and care of home affairs, and exercise of women within the family and the UAE in the future to participate more in decision-making process within the family.

5) There would be some changes in the functions carried out by the Emirati family in the future, especially those related to emotional and psychological function and reproduction.

6) There would be the format of the Family Values in the UAE society in the future to some changes, especially those relating to the value of cooperation and solidarity and obedience, as well as the system of religious values and ethics, and values of consumption.

7) Family in UAE society will face some social problems, some of them did not know before, such as: saturation of Western values, and the entry of innovative patterns of crime, and some other extension of the old problems, but it will worsen in the future, such as family disputes.

8) One will see the Emirati family in the future escalation to divorce.

These above changes might occur in the near future. If you open the news paper on daily basis you will see that some of these issues are being discussed. I think there shall be some huge reform from government side and also people to minimize these problems. I would prefer government to establish a strategy to face these problems.

In Conclusion, the UAE contemporary society is more likely to face a numbers of social problem and issues due to imbalanced population structure and over speedy construction boom the country is experiencing. As a Solution, government agencies should pay attention to their society and try the limits those issues. In this research paper, I discussed many important aspect of one of the most growing countries in Middle East. I discussed issues that have relationship to cultural studies in Middle East. First, I spoke about the contemporary UAE culture and discussed some of its problems. In that context, I spoke about the national identity issue; also I spoke about how the western society has affected UAE culture. Further, I spoke about marriage in UAE in the past, and the end I spoke about family structure and how that structure is changing from nuclear to extended family. Finally, I gave some recommendation and changes that might occur in UAE society in the near future.

Work cited

http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/United-Arab-Emirates.html

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/09/14/10067514.html (2

http://www.communicaid.com/access/pdf/library/culture/doing-business-in/Doing%20Business%20in%20the%20UAE.pdf

http://www.lahaonline.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=913

http://www.emartyvision.com/vb/showthread.php?t=26

http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=26C14DDA8FF15E35979E7AED0FAE7FA0.inst2_1a?docId=5010976997

Islam is the second major religion in the world in which there are “over 800 million Muslims in 45 countries that spread from North Africa to South East Asia” (Chowdhury,1993). The messenger of god Prophet Moh’d (PBUH) was sent to convey the message that there is only one god that we should worship. Consequently, this message also included all aspects of a living including rights, limitations, laws and activities that extend from social and personal life to economic and political issues. As a result, Islam was meant to guide and assist both genders male and female giving each their rights and limitations.

In the debate about women’s rights, both liberals and conservatives declares that the Quran guaranteed to put an end to ‘Jahilyah’ rules (Hijab,1988,p15).Thus , in the ‘time of ignorance’ females didn’t have the rights and were considered inferiors to men. For example, when a female is born, the father would bury her alive because of her gender. Thereupon, Islam came to give women their rights and raise their position at the same time. For instance, Islam gave the women the rights to marry divorce, inherit, work, and live her life with limitations. Such limitations that are exposed on the gender’s behavior, created the segregation between men and women.

Segregation of gender means the separation of both genders in which they are separated socially , economically and politically. Segregation is a phenomena that is widely spread in Islamic countries such as Saudia Arabia.For example, women are not allowed to drive and are not permitted to go out without a male relative.In addition, segregation also exists in restaurants in which there are separated areas for men and families in every restaurant around Saudi Arabia(Telegraph,2009).

Segregation of gender is believed to be more of a tradition than a religion.In addition, muslim women are expected to be the ‘conservators’ of traditions , while men are supposed to cooperate with the changing environment (Tucker,1993,p43).

For instance, the Prophet’s (PBUH) first wife Sayida Khadija was an acknowledged merchant and the Prophet worked for her before their marriage (Hibjab,1988,p.15). Thus, this shows there was no segregation between women and men in Islam. Likewise, traditions and customs forced the segregation between the genders to protect and guard the Muslims’ women reputation and prevent her from doing sins. In traditions , its believed that if a women is not guarded with a ‘Muhram’ and is left alone she is exposed to do sins .In addition, there are no Quran citations that calls for segregation between genders.

Nevertheless, Muslim women are allowed to work in place where men are present but applied some limitations to protect Muslim women’s rights. Although most of those limitations were traditions , people accepted them through time. Some of those limitations are a strict dress code for women, assigning women to do specific jobs and sometimes not allowing direct contact with men. In essence, many Muslim women have by passed those traditions and worked in a male dominated work field. For example, Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi became the first Emarati women to work in a male dominated field. She became the United Arab Emirates’ Minister for Economy & Planning(ZU,2006) .In addition, AlQassimi was ranked number 99 for the world’s most powerful women (Forbes,2007).

Sex segregation affects Muslim women every day. Thus, making them struggle on their daily basis. Consequently, the failure of women comes from the fact when sexual differences are deeply stressed out (Krause,2008,p.68).For essence, men are expected to be more powerful that women , thus making the separation between men and women when assigning their roles. According to a participant, “The UAE leadership are men. Men are better at coordinating and planning because the way men think is more logical. Women follow their feelings.But women advise men” (Krause,2008,p.68).As a result, women are separated from men by giving them less powerful positions.

women are most likely to be working away from men, or its preferable that women’s to be working in special places for females only. And that creates lots of controversial issues in the society such as the coordination and transactions between both companies which might affect eventually the efficiency of the job.

Similarly, gender segregation plays a huge role in marriage .For essence, the man is not allowed to talk and go out with his fiance before getting married. Thus, when enforcing segregation between genders it becomes difficult for the spouses to learn about each other before marriage which may lead to divorce. According to Tucker, “the high rates of divorce in Islamic society introduce a measure of doubt as to whether the absence of consent was always a rule between Arab.”In addition, segregation affects marriage in an indirect way. Making the female less exposed to men ,thus making them unable to meet and choose their own spouses.

Moreover ,gender segregation also exists in education to both genders. For example, Sharjah University doesn’t allow mixing between student in classes, which has lead the university to build two different building for each major so that it can compensate both sides which costs a lot. Actually, The Qur’anic verses which specifies the communication between women and men with : “Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity: this will be most conducive to their purity – (and,) verily, God is aware of all that they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity, and not to display their charms beyond what may be apparent thereof; hence let them draw their head-coverings over their bosoms.(24:30-31)”

Also, segregation plays a role in marriage. As we can notice, most Muslim find their wives through the assistant of their female relatives such as the mother sister or the aunts. And that’s because interaction between men and women are forbidden in the case of relationships. In which, intimate relation are extremely prohibited before marriage otherwise its called adultery. Also, girls are not allowed to meet men without a supervision of some relative company. Consequently, men send their moms to find them the best woman available for marriage and after engagement he gets the chance to meet her and know her well.

However, segregation in most Muslim countries has risen to reach a level that’s it a tradition or even rule in most societies. As we can witness in Saudi Arabia, women are not even allowed to drive cars or get the driving license. That’s all meant to ensure there is no interaction between women and men in streets. Also, we can notice the severe problems that occur because of illegitimate relation in Arab world. Where they consider it as a scandal to the family of the girl or the man, and sometimes it ends with a crime. Currently, most Arab world are witnessing a massive change in those tradition, where we can see most students entering mixed universities and ales and females shares their jobs equally.

After I did the research I found some recommendations that will help in solving the problem of gender segregation globally and UAE in particular. First , making education “co-educational” and allowing the mixing between genders at a young age .This will help both genders at a very young age to understand the roles and limitations that are expected from them. Second, placing rules and regulations at work that will help both genders to be working together at the same place without the causes of forbidden sins. Third, giving women more options to work in a male dominated field that will help in decreasing the percentage of segregation .As a result, if segregation was totally dismissed females will be having more chances to marry, more talented in her work and will be successful.

In conclusion, gender segregation is a cultural phenomena and is not considered religious .Thus, making it easier to prevent segregation from our future generation. In addition , gender segregation challenges women to take new steps to a better living , giving them more power and confidence to step into a world of dominated men .Consequently, as long as women continue to struggle they will be able to reach their goal and become equal to men bringing a new world with no segregation.

Functionalists view the family as a nuclear family and assume that the family is a positive beneficial institution in which family members receive unconditional love, nurturing and care. They believe that society is based on consensus that is we are all socialised to agree on how to behave thus reproducing norms and values. Fuctionalists look at society on macro scale.

Murdock (1949) states that the family is universal because without the sexual and reproduction there would not be new members in the family and without economic and educational, where the family provide for its members and the young are socialised into societies norms and values, culture would not exist. In the absence of culture human society could not function. (Haralambos and Holborn, 2008).

Parsons (1955) states that there are two irreducible functions of the family, primary socialisation through which children learn to accept the norms and values of society and stabilisation of adult families that is helping the adults to cope with stresses of everyday life by giving them the necessary emotional support. The emotional support of spouses in marriage helps prevent stress overpowering the individual and frightening the stability of society. (Taylor and Richardson etl, 2002)

Parsons explains that conjugal roles in functionalism family are segregated everyone carrying out different roles, instrumental male going to work to provide for the family and expressive females providing love, warmth and care for children. Based on Biology the woman is the child bearer and has to look after the child. These roles maintain social stability. Functionalists argues there is rise of reconstituted families, increase of single or lone parent families and changes in the law on divorce have made divorce easier to obtain.

Norms and value in functionalism benefit society for example respect keeps peace and social stability, loyalty keeps social solidarity and lack of crime maintains social order, peace and safety therefore a conflict free society.

Functionalism assumes that the family is positive and nuclear while Marxism argues that the family is negative and extended and reproduces conflict between classes. Functionalists also assume that the family has equal benefit to everyone however Marxists argue that the capitalist economy depend on the family to purchase and work to produce goods that will benefit the capitalist society. Functionalists states that the nuclear family is responsible for socialisation while radical psychiatrists see this as negative because socialisation can be negative hence causing racial attitudes, criminal behaviour and violence because not all norms and values are positive.

Functionalism depicts he nuclear family as ” rosy” and don’t take into account domestic violence while interactionalists shows problems, issues and struggles in marriage and the fact that an ideal nuclear family might divorce, not all families are the same. Parsons do not see the family as diverse. For even within society there are distinctions founded on class, region, ethnicity and religion. (Taylor and Richardson etl, 2002)

Feminist perspective is a conflict theory that argues that the family reproduces patriarchy where men benefit from the family. They also argue that men oppress women through domestic violence also known “the dark side of the family” meaning not reported or don’t tell anyone. Feminists have also highlighted domestic duties due to gender distinctions within the family for example women cooking and cleaning. Feminist theory has made sociologists to view the family as an institution involving power relationships.

Liberal feminists like Wollstonecraft, 1792 wanted to get legal reforms in equity whereby women get same equality and justice as men. Radical feminists think that all men benefit from women’s oppression not just patriarchal men. They thought that gender distinctions are politically and socially constructed. Kate Millet came out with the term “The personal is political”.

Sociolist Feminist/Marxist looks at gender as the basis and socialist Marxist combine gender with class. They believe there is dual oppression of women for example women going to work as well as working at home. Marxist feminist believe destruction of the capitalist society brings equality to everything. Lesbian feminist look at politics as political antique of the ideology of heterosexuality which leads to male supremacy. Humanist feminist believe that society allows only men to self-develop not women.

Marxist feminist basic position is that the family with its exploitation of women serves the needs and perpetuate capitalism. Bentson argues “As an economic unit, the nuclear family is a valuable stabilizing force in capitalist society. Since the husbands-father’s earnings pay for the production which is done in the home, his ability to withhold labour from the market is much reduced”. Bentson, 1972. (Haralambos and Holborn, 2008, pg466).

Ansley, 1972 shows the emotional support in family stabilises male workers and makes them less likely to take their frustration out of the system. Feely, 1972 argues that the family value teaches obedience to children therefore learning to accept hierarchy of power and their position within it. Greer, 2000 a radical feminist states that families in Britain are not as stable as they were, with the divorce rate becoming high. According to Geer it is due to women not being happy as wives and no longer wants oppression from their husbands.

Marxist feminism tends to ignore the diversity of modern family life assuming that everyone lives in heterosexual nuclear families. They also paint a very negative picture of family life possibly exaggerated for example they don’t focus on the influence racism might affect families. They portray women as passive victims of capitalist and patriarchal exploitation.

They ignore the likelihood of women fighting back against exploitation and succeeded in changing the nature of family relationships.it does not take into account women who abuse men. Functionalists assume that everyone benefit in the family for example respect keeps peace and solidarity in society while feminists argues that it’s only men who benefit for women are taught to respect men. functionalists states that conjugal roles are segregated where everyone carries different roles while feminists argue that the segregation causes unequal division of labour, captivity of women in families through forced free labour.

The Marxist perspective of family is that family is socially constructed and negative thus reproducing conflict between classes. It also benefits the bourgeoisie by creating labour force. Engel, 1972 argued the monogamous bourgeois nuclear family developed to help solve the problems of inheritance of private property from father to son then to son therefore keeping wealth in the family. The family is designed to control women and protect property. The bourgeois nuclear family emerged with capitalism. Engel concluded that the family is patriarchal and benefits men, he said it is designed to guarantee and perpetuate male power through inheritance of property therefore serving the interest of capitalism.

Marxists say the family serves capitalism by socialising children thereby reproducing both labour power and false consciousness. Women’s domestic work is unpaid which benefits capitalists. The family acts as a safety valve for the stresses and frustrations of working class men. The family as a unit of consumption buys the goods and services provided by capitalism. Zaretsky, 1976 claimed that the family “props up” capitalism. He also believes the family uses the products of capitalism and this makes the bourgeoisie to reproduce surplus value. The family is one place that male workers can feel that they have power and control. This helps them accept their oppression in wider society.

Marxists view increased economic pressure from unemployment may place added strain resulting to divorce. They also state that family members are living longer and this could increase pressure on relationships.

Marxists view the socialisation process in the family results in the transmission of a ruling class ideology whereby individuals are deceived into accepting the capitalist system and the dominance of the capitalist class more or less without question while functionalists view the socialisation process within the family as encouraging compliance with desirable norms and values which contribute to overall social stability. The Marxist view ignores family diversity and sees the nuclear family as being simply determined by the economy. Anthropologists have suggested that the emergence of the nuclear family didn’t actually coincide with the emergence of capitalism. Somerville, 2000 argues that Zaretsky exaggerates the advantage of the family as a refuge from life in capitalist society.

According to (Herbert, 2004), the American family has changed profoundly in the past 20 years. For all these changes it has experienced in fertility and mortality since independence till today, surprisingly the bigger change in family structure occurred in the last quarter of 20th century. Till this point, the age of marriage has changed from time to time, however, only a minority of ladies never got married and birth’s occurring out of wedlock were less than 10 percent of all births.

According to my personal experience, the fundamental social institution changed since 1980s. If I was to define the most original demographic features by 180 in America, then it will be the changes that were happening in both families and household for all section of the national population. The original American family has undergone many changes for all races, ages, and even the ethnic groups. My experience shows that, every American family concept is experiencing some sort of change. For instance, long ago, more adults were married, but currently only a handful get married, there were also many children in a house hold, but I was suppressed to hear a couple saying that, it does not need a child, and if any, only one child is enough. Other areas include the number of non-family households, the roles of women in economy and the significance of marriage in accounting for total births, (Herbert, 2004).

The proportion of individuals who have attained 15 years and never married reached a historic level by the year 2000, when a quarter of men and a third of women were not married, (Biblarz & Judith , 2010). Though there has been a decline in married in both the whites and the blacks, there are also rising trends in adults that are unmarried. This increase in ratio of unmarried individuals is also shown in changes in relation between households and families in history. Furthermore, the non-family household used to exist just as a small proportion of the household in total, normally made of elderly men with no families left. On the other hand, in the current times, instead of being made up by elderly individuals, it is made up of young adults, most amongst them not married. Although the percentage of a couple household, or two parent house holds with kids is on decline, there has been an increase in a single parent-plus children households. Going by the 2000 population census however, their account was 53% of them, a decline that seems to have taken place in the past few years.

Currently, non-family house holds, accounts for around 31% of the household, while the rest is accounted for by the families headed by single parents that makes up to 27% of all the families that have kids. The families of blacks are the once highly affected by the decline in dual-parent household. By the end of 20th century, married couple having children accounted for only around 4 out of 10 black family households having kids. Nevertheless, there has been no group that has remained immune to the increasing trend of single-parenthood.

Elderly individuals are also living alone. The decline in morbidity and mortality, improved social security and other benefits accrued from retirements, aimed at ensuring that aged individual are I positions of financing themselves, healthier in general, and lived more years as compared to the earlier periods. A change in values of culture that occurred in the second half of the 20th century, lead to an increase to the privacy value amongst aged individuals. For instance in 1910, most widows above 66 years lived with their children, while only around 10% were living alone.

However, by 1990, the figure rose to 75% of aged widow living alone. The same period experienced a rise in empty nests households, with aged couples having no resident children regardless of the age. The arrangements of extended families were disappearing slowly in the population majority. Under the same time, more couples were surviving to the older age as compared to the past, as an effect, by 2000, more than half of the adult of 65 years of age and above were living in different households, lived with their spouses. With the help of better health and better income, most of the aged people still have the capability and the aspiration of buying their privacy as never in history, (Amato, 2005)..

The point of single-parenthood and childless couples, have resulted to the family household decline and women giving birth to fewer kids a part from spacing them far apart, as well as ending their fertility very early. All these in general, have given rise to lower levels of fertility. During colonial periods, average women had more than 7 kids, but this has changed to two children. Among all women, it is only Hispanic women that still have at least higher fertility rate of around 2.5 children as compared to others who have 1.8 to 2.1, (Herbert, 2004). Though the fertility rates in U.S have reduced, to the lowest degree in the history of America, the higher percentage of these having children now is help by single-women.

The high rates of births out of wedlock mean that women in marriage are no longer the only arbiters of fertility. However, in the mid century, such like extramarital births were just insignificant, as they only accounted for 3% of the total births, this rose to a third of all births by 2000, and the same rate is rising. Though all groups are experiencing this change, non-Hispanic whites are experiencing a slower rise as compared to all other groups. Though this has been thought as temporal aberrations in history; the rising legitimacy proportions in Europe shows that Northern America is following the advanced trends of Western Europe.

There has also been a change in the role of women in the economic development, even including dual-parent household having kids. Traditional families had male as single breadwinners in the family. It was a norm for them to work alone to sustain their families, this norm has drastically changed. By the end of the 20th century, only one in five household couples had male being single breadwinners. Amongst married couple having children less than six years of age, only 36 of them had mothers staying. In families that women had given birth to a child in the previous years, many of these mothers at the end year were not working at home. The true is that, not only having more women in places of work, the ratio has been increasingly constantly in the recent times.

In mid 1970s, teenagers were the once having higher rates of child birth out of wedlock, and such like birth rates were increasing as per that time. However, by the end of 20th century, the rate of aged women illegitimacy was high and rising. The reverse was now taking place on the rates of teenager ladies, as their rate was reducing in both relative and absolute numbers. The increase in births out of wedlock, were attributed to poverty per se can be looked upon in the fact that, “the fact that the United States was not unique in this new pattern of births” (Herbert, 2004), as well as the reduction in the significance of traditional marriages. Other developed countries like Sweden also have experienced similar trends.

While, the difference is, in 1950s, it Sweden had fertility rates similar to that of U.S, but towards the end of the century, its illegitimacy births was more than half of total births. Even countries like Spain and Portugal that deeply follows Catholic believes, has scored above 16% and 22% rates of illegitimacy respectively. So believing that, this was just a temporal North American development does not hold in any way. Factors affecting such like trends in the developed countries seem to be all similar. For instance, late marriages, women participating in the workforce hence higher revenues, as well as changing belies on the role of marriage, (Biblarz & Judith, 2010).

All these changes have impacted on the U.S. fertility rates. Not only formal marriages are exclusive arbiter of fertility, but more ladies have been reducing the number of kids to bear. This is not based on the fact that, ladies are foregoing kids, as a matter of fact, the number of ladies going without kids has remained constant and is much less. The decline in fertility is attributed to the fact that women are taking an option of having fewer children. They are also marrying very late, hence reducing their marital fertility; as an effect, they are starting bearing of children at a very late stage, as well as spacing their children wide apart. On top of all these, they are terminating their fertility earlier than before. Apart from rising the average age of mothers bearing children from 1960-1999 by 2.7, it significantly rose for every child being given birth as well, (Herbert, 2004).

As a matter of fact, American family state, just as other family states in most industrialized countries, is much different from what it used to be in the past days. It is characteristically a family with few kids; both parents do work, as well as mothers producing children at a very old age. On top of all these, more aged individual are living alone, or with companions that are unmarried, and giving birth outside marriage. All these trends collectively have changed the American family state other than declining the family state.

Alzheimer’s is claimed to be a disease for some scientists, but for others researcher believe that it’s not a disease and is simply just a part of growing old. These scientists believe that if everyone is capable of living long enough they will all experience this disease. In order to prove who is correct we must first know what Alzheimer’s is, what are its symptoms and how it affects the human mind. And finally from using cited articles, papers, and books we can come to a conclusion and see whether Alzheimer’s is an actual disease, or simply just a process of growing older.

Alzheimer’s: Is it a Disease or Simply Just Aging?

Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that causes a slow and permanent decline in memory, language skills, thinking, awareness of time and space, and eventually the caring of one’s self. Although scientists are learning more every day about it, they still do not know what causes it, and there is still no medicine or treatment for it. Alzheimer’s disease is believed to be a severe disease in our world today, and the people in our world need to be more aware about the disease to help these people. In order for someone to understand and learn about the disease, they have to know about what it is, how it occurs, what causes it. There are scientists and researchers that claim Alzheimer’s is an actual disease that can have severe affects on humans, however there are other researchers that claim Alzheimer’s isn’t a disease, and is simply just a part of aging and growing old.

In the article “National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness,” scientists estimate that as many as 4.5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. This disease usually begins after the age of 60, and as the age goes up so does the risk. At the ages 65 to 74, there is a 5 percent chance in getting the disease. Also at the ages 85 and over, there is a 50% chance of getting the disease. While people in their 30s, 40s and 50s have a little chance of getting the disease, the disease at their stage is called early-onset Alzheimer’s. However, these scientists believe that Alzheimer’s isn’t a normal part of aging.

According to Bellenir Karen, the disease was first described by a German doctor, named Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1960, Dr. Alzheimer examined the brain of a woman who died of an unknown mental illness. When he examined her brain he found abnormal clumps and tangled bundles of fibers. Today the disease is named after this doctor, and the abnormal things he found in the brain are now considered signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

Bellenir, Karen states that the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s have abnormal formations, including abnormally shaped proteins called tangles and plaques. Not all parts of the brains show these abnormal formations. The areas that are mostly affected are those related to memory. Tangles are long, slim tendrils found inside nerve cells (neurons). Scientists have learned that when a protein called tau is changed, it may cause the tangles in the brain of an Alzheimer’s patient. In healthy brains, tau provides structural support for nerve cells, but in Alzheimer’s patients this structural support collapses. Plaques, or clumps of fibers, form outside the neurons in the nearby brain tissue. A type of protein, called amyloid precursor protein, forms toxic plaques when it is cut in two places. Researchers have found the two enzymes that cause the cuts are beta-secretase, and gamma secretase.

In the article “Neurobiological Bases for Alzheimer’s Disease,” scientists believe that tangles and plaques cause the nerve cells in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients to shrink and eventually die, first in the memory and language areas and finally throughout the whole brain. When the neurons die, they create gaps in the brain’s messaging network that may interfere with communication between cells, causing some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s patients have lower levels of neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that carry complex messages back and forth between the nerve cells. With less neurotransmitter the memory communication in the brain is significantly decreased.

Author Juliet Cohen states in her article that it is not yet fully understood what causes the disease, but there are many possible factors that may cause the disease. These factors include Genetic inheritance, diets, environmental agents and brain traumas. There are also other factors that have not yet been proven to be factors for causing the disease, but are still under research. Scientists believe that genes may play a role in causing the Alzheimer’s disease. They have learned that people who are carriers of a specific version of the apolipoprotein E gene (apoE gene), are several times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than carriers of other versions of the apoE gene. The most common version of this gene in the general population is apoE3, and these people do not have the disease. Nearly half of Alzheimer’s patients have the less common apoE4 version, and research has shown that this gene plays a role in Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists have also found evidence that mutations in one or more genes located on chromosomes 1, 10, and 14 may increase a person’s risk for Alzheimer’s disease. It is recently known that the gene mutations on chromosomes 1 and 14 produce mutated proteins called presenilins. These mutated proteins start the activity of one of the enzymes that produce toxic plaques. These toxic plaques produce toxins that destroy nerve cells in the brain, causing Alzheimer’s disease.

From the information above we can verify that many scientists believe Alzheimer’s is a valid disease. However not all researchers believe in this claim, there are many other scientists and researchers that believe Alzheimer’s isn’t a disease but is only a part of getting older. According to Dr. Allen Roses a Duke University researcher who has extensively studied 293 people in 32 families in which the disorder is prevalent believes that Alzheimer’s may be a natural part of the aging process which occurs when a special type of gene in the human body wears out as we get older. “Just as people get wrinkles and grey hair at different ages the rate of Alzheimer’s cases increases with age,” he said. “But if we live long enough, we will all get Alzheimer’s disease”. (Shera Gross, 2000) he reported at a genetic conference jointly sponsored by Jacksons Laboratory and Johns Hopkins University. Alzheimer’s which affects an estimate of 4 million Americans is marked by progressive memory loss that is related with dead and dying brain cells. Alzheimer’s usually starts in the 60’s and by the age of 90, one of three people are affected by it, and by the age of 95 and above one of two people are affected. For this reason there are many researchers that believe Alzheimer’s is not a disease, since most humans will get these symptoms when they grow old.

In the article, “Is It Aging or Alzheimer’s?” memory expert Gary Small of UCLA says, “The brain ages just like the rest of the body.” He claims that at the age of 50 most people’s brains will slow down, since we begin to lose brain cells as we get older. When a human is in their 20s, they begin to lose brain cells a few at a time. Their bodies also start to make less of the chemicals that their brain cells need to work. So the older you are, the more these changes can affect your memory. Aging may affect memory by changing the way the brain stores information and by making it harder to recall stored information. Their short-term and remote memories aren’t usually affected by aging, but your recent memory may be affected. For example, they may forget names of people that they have met today or where they set their keys. At these ages we seem to forget, have mood swings at times and etc. This means as we grow older we begin to have some symptoms of Alzheimer.

According to the article “National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness,” many scientists claim Alzheimer’s disease to be a slow process and there are three stages of the disease. Firstly the early to mild stage symptoms which include mild forgetfulness and not knowing how to make decisions. Also, they might have difficulty in remembering recent events, activities, or the names of people or things that they know. The person will have trouble finding the right words to talk and to express themselves, and soon they will stop talking to avoid making mistakes. Also they have mild problems learning new things and remembering where they left common objects, such as keys or a wallet. The person will lose interest in doing activities, in others, in their own life and will become unorganized.

According to Brenda S. Paris, as the disease continues, the symptoms become easily visible and become serious enough to cause people with Alzheimer’s disease to go and look for medical aid. Also beginning to forget starts to interfere with daily routine. People in the middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease may not remember how to do easy tasks like brushing their teeth, their hair and even to an extent were they do not know how to swallow anymore. They can no longer think clearly, and begin to forget people and places that they know. Problems also begin to affect the way speak, understand, read, or write. Patients may have difficulty remembering what day or month it is, or finding their way around familiar surroundings. They may start wandering off and then be unable to find their way back. Patients often become short-tempered and unsociable as they struggle with fear and frustration. Also their everyday tasks become unfamiliar and annoying to them. Patients become paranoid and unable to engage in normal conversation. They may accuse, threaten, curse, be uneasy and behave inappropriately. Eventually in the final stages, Alzheimer’s patients become completely out of action and unable to take care of their most basic life functions, such as eating and using the bathroom. The person starts speaking in gibberish, and is difficult to understand. The patient may repetitively cry out, groan, mumble and scream loudly, forgets how to walk or is too unsteady. Begins sleeping more and loses control of his or her bladder. Finally patients become anxious, aggressive, wander away from home and stop caring for ones self.

This shows us that most researchers believe that there is a difference between aging and Alzheimer’s disease, even if there is some similar symptoms. According to the article “Is it aging or Alzheimer’s” scientists believe that Alzheimer’s is a disease because it has a much more drastic and severe affect on humans. These scientists claim that when people age they do begin to lose memory, but the symptoms are much more drastic to people that suffer with Alzheimer, because people with Alzheimer have the same problems of people that are aging includind more severe symptoms.

According to the article “Is it Aging or Alzheimer’s”.

Alzheimer’s
Normal

1

Forgetting recently learned information is one sign of serious memory loss and possible Alzheimer’s.

Occasionally forgetting a task on a to-do list.

2

It is difficult to complete everyday tasks such as dialing the phone.

Sometimes drawing a blank on what you were about to say.

3

Simple words such as “toothbrush” or “car” cannot be recalled.

Occasionally forgetting a friend’s name, only to remember it later.

4

Frequently placing things in odd places such as putting a shoe in the freezer.

Most people temporarily misplace things such as keys or reading glasses, but not in odd places.

5

Rapid mood changes for no apparent reason.

Feeling sad or moody at times.

In the end we must come to the conclusion that Alzheimer’s disease, isn’t simply just aging or growing old, because we have proven that Alzheimer’s has different problems and also more drastic symptoms then a person who is simply just aging. Alzheimer’s disease is in fact so drastic to the human mind that it might eventually lead to their death. Scientists still need to learn a lot more about what causes Alzheimer’s disease and ways to prevent it. For this reason I believe that Alzheimer’s is a actual disease, and is not simply just apart of growing old.

Refrences

Bellenir, Karen. (2003). Alzheimer’s disease: basic consumer health information about Alzheimer’s disease. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics

Brenda, S. Parris. (October 31, 2003). Creating an awareness. National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness. Retrieved from http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/alzheimers_disease/104318#ixzz0lYqBSTz9

Juliet, Cohen. (March 15, 2008). Health in health. Alzheimer’s Disease. Retrieved from

http://www.healthinhealth.com/alzheimers-disease-memory

Kathleen, Fankelmann. (April 3, 2007). Is it Aging or Alzheimer’s? Retrieved from

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-04-02-aging-alzheimers-book_N.htm

Maier-Lorentz & Madeline M. (April 1, 2000). Neurobiological bases for Alzheimer’s disease. Retrieved from

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-62495811.html

Shera, Gross. (July 25, 2000). Alzheimer’s disease may just be a part of growing old. The Spokesman Review. Retrieved from

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19900725&id=AisgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vvADAAAAIBAJ&pg=2637,3038629

This paper is about typical grades of growing -up. A summary of the content of readings and discussions as we obviously cannot include everything .There are different definitions of age level (early adulthood, middle adulthood)and the adaptation to the age is different too. The problems of adaptation to the late adulthood and the concept of ageing, propositions to make life of old people more interesting and easier in the conditions of the Nurse House can help in the Health Care Assistants.

Lifespan Psychology Reflective Learning Journal

Changes in thinking, the person and behavior of adults depend on chronological age or from specific biological changes, than from personal, social and cultural influences or events much less. Social changes, cultural requirements of young adults can support, develop or destroy the templates of the behavior which has been put in pawn in teenage years. It is necessary to make of the decision and to overcome difficulties, proceeding from a daily life. A distinctive sign of a maturity is ability to react to changes and to adapt to new conditions.

We conditionally divide years of growing-up on early adult (the second and third decades of a life), average (the fourth and fifth decade) and late adult (age of 60-65 years and above). Value of age for a separate individual can vary considerably .What prospects of classification and research of development of adults in the presence of the big number of specific features? For lack of other indexes, except any age ranges, we will address to concepts of age hours and social norms.

By the end of the period of a youth (approximately by 30 years) the person worries a crisis condition, a certain crisis in the development, connected by those representations about the lives which have developed between twenty and thirty years, do not satisfy him. Analyzing the passed way, the achievements and failures, the person finds out, that at already developed and outwardly safe life its person is imperfect, that it is a lot of time and forces is spent for nothing, that he has a little made in comparison with that could make, etc. Differently, there is a revaluation of values, critical revision of the “I”. The person finds out, that he cannot change much in the life any more, in itself (himself): a family, a trade,­ a habitual way of life. This crisis testifies that the person passes to a new age step – a grown-up age. (Feldshtejn D.I.)

According to Shaji, in the middle age the person uses the cognitive abilities to solve problems of others – in a family and on work. At some these duties can become difficult enough, demanding adjustment of relations in working collective and assuming ­ possession of the person of versatile knowledge. Such people have possibility ­ to show the cognitive abilities, carrying out administrative functions. At later age, according to Shaji, character of solved problems varies again. ­ The problem reintegration subjective traces of events all previous life, judgement of the life as whole and an estimation of the passed way becomes the main task­.

People of middle age should adapt to ­ changing requirements and roles of old parents. When parents ­ have good health and there can live independently, their relations with children are often characterized by mutual equality; it means, that parents and their adult son or the daughter render each other the concrete help. Such relations usually change, when parents fall ill or become too weak to live independently.

The duty to look after parents brings not only satisfaction, but can be a stress source­. It causes pressure in some between dependence and independence. The old conflicts connected with children’s dependence or other problems of family relations between parents and the child or between syblings can become more active again­. Sometimes old attachments and the unions between members of a family or old rivalry again revive. Besides, care of parents serves as an omen of the future position of people of middle age which ­ now look after the parents, but in near already the old age it should face own dependence on children.

Decrease of physical strengths and appeal – one of the main problems which the person in days of crisis of middle age and then faces. For those who is necessary on the physical qualities when was younger; middle age can become the period of heavy ­ depression. Histories of the beautiful and charming women struggling with destructive action ­ of time became banality. Act of nature of falling physical strengths of people ­ of unexpectedly wide range of trades, including, artists and actors. University professors ­ regretfully recollect the ability in student’s years to spend some days without a dream if that was demanded by an important issue. Many people simply complain that they start to get tired too often. Though well thought over program of daily exercises ­ and a corresponding diet has the an effect, the majority of people in the middle age start to rely more and more on “brains”, instead of on “muscles”. They find new advantages in the knowledge accumulating life experience, get wisdom ( Bentley, E. (2007).

The period of grown-up is characterized by that the basic or higher achievements of many kinds of creative, theoretical activity have these years. During this period there is a new differentiation of the separate parties of intelligence and at the same time – its higher level of the general integration. So, in an interval from 34 till 37 years there comes the second peak in development of thinking of the adult person, more and more close and steady communications between figurative, verbally-logic and practical thinking (Pinjaeva S.E., Andreev N.V. Personal and professional development in a maturity//Questions in Psychol. 1998. a„-2. p.7).

Let’s address to group investigated by us with favorable forms of mental ageing. The following age group – people 70 – 80 years («the second life»). This time when there are significant such illnesses of an old age as easing and restriction of impellent activity, the sight and hearing decrease, complicating habitual forms of activity. However the share of persons with the positive relation to ageing here again in essence does not vary, despite more significant for this group the factor of physical weakness, the big depth of physical decline.

The physical condition of old men substantially depends on their psychological state of health: optimistically adjusted old men shipped in the affairs feel much better, than the despaired, hypochondriac people concentrated to the misfortunes. Certainly, creative people worry ageing is easier – with them there is the favourite business, the saved up experience, the got wisdom. The history knows many examples of activity of writers, poets, artists, the musicians who lived to a ripe old age and have kept clearness of mind, taste by a life, creative abilities even contrary to a physical infirmity or illnesses. Goethe, Voltaire, Swift, Michelangelo, Renoir, Monet, Verdi, Beethoven derived strength for struggle against an old age in immense enthusiasm for the business; others, less known, but also causing respect, keep from own advantage.

It is possible to note and one more characteristic fact testifying in favour of adaptive value of senile concern: motivational conditionality of a condition of alarm informs emotional experiences in structure of this condition bright partiality [Bennet, PravitsJ. G., 1987; Lazarus R. S., Averill J.G., 1972]. Emotional experiences of alarm (as a whole characterized as unpleasant) are incompatible with experiences of boredom and give a sharpness to a subjective picture of the surrounding validity. Concern concerning the health that is often shown at old men in shape hypochondriatic fixings… Induces development of new interests and requirements for enrichment by medical knowledge in the field of the best ways of treatment and other forms of struggle against senile illnesses. Old men receive great pleasure from stories about the illnesses and thus them does not confuse, that surrounding these stories are perceived as persuasive – older persons sincerely do not notice it as the life out of a society promotes decrease at Them the behavioral control. But conversations on illnesses, infinite treatment and self-treatment is a process, it is a way, instead of the way end. It is interesting that within the limits of this strategy of adaptation concern in health of relatives extends basically on the narrowest circle of relatives on which the life and well-being of old people directly depends.

Other characteristic emotional condition of older persons, according to the given strategy of adaptation, age-situational depression in the absence of complaints to this condition is. As a whole, senile depression is shown in easing of an affective tone, delay of the affective vivacity, set aside a„? affective reactions; thus the person of the old person is limited in possibilities to transfer sincere emotional movements [Shahmatov N.F., 1996; Santrock J., 1995]. Older persons inform on feeling of emptiness of a surrounding life, its vanity and uselessness. All event before their eyes seems to them insignificant and uninteresting; interesting, full of sense the life in the past is represented only, and it never will return. But these experiences are perceived by older persons as usual and do not carry painful character. They grow out of life reconsideration, carriers of new senses and have adaptable value as protect the person from aspirations, struggle and for the excitement interfaced to them which is the extremely dangerous to old men.

Interpersonal conflicts – a daily element of a life of the house for aged. People get to such houses-boarding schools with the broken destiny, growing old on( E.Erikson’s) “unsuccessful” type, suffering from the former mental traumas which have not lost urgency, as a rule. They get here many blessings, but, at the same time, are exposed to the negative socially-psychological influences which are a consequence «hostel way of life» and the “state” unified maintenance. It is rigid deformation of a personal existential continuum, free will restriction, depersonalization, etc. Neurotic conditions in which depressive passivity alternates explosive affective displays become result of negative influences.

As a result of the listed tendencies mentality of the old person living in the house-boarding school, it is deep neurotic, that leads to its frequent collisions with associates. Such person creates round itself the disputed environment and itself becomes its victim. He gets to a vicious circle: a neurotic condition – the conflict – the new neurotic condition generated by the conflict. The person from this circle cannot independently be pulled out, the qualified psychological help is necessary for it.

At the age of 60 years also is more senior the most widespread kind of pathology illnesses of system of blood circulation are. Following rank places occupy illnesses of bone-muscular system and a connecting fabric, bodies of breath, digestion, nervous system and sense organs, new growths. On these six classes of illnesses it is necessary about 90 % of all diseases at persons of elderly and senile age.

The number of the older persons suffering because of death of the favourite person is amazingly great: about 12 million become a widow/widower older persons live in the USA, and over 800 thousand from them have become a widow/widower less than year back. At the age of 65 years more than half of women and 10 % of men have become a widow/widower at least once. Among those to whom for 85 years, 81,3 % of women and 40,5 % of men have become a widow/widower (Gibson, H.B. (2002.)

Reactions of the person to heavy loss are characterized by especial scale of feelings, thoughts and behavior in which most often tested emotions are the grief and grief. The sharp melancholy and languor concern other reactions on died, a shock, catalepsy, hallucination experiences, anger, feeling of fault, depression, problems with health, irritability and feeling of senselessness of existence is equal as feeling of simplification and hope. Naturally, not all people, worrying heavy loss, test all or the majority of the listed emotions, therefore is difficult to divide normal and pathological reactions of experience of a grief.

As consider M.Marshall and M.Dikson, «if we have no positive experience of dialogue with old people in a daily life, the risk increases to see all old people in identical light, namely in what we see them on the work. And see we them as invalids, helpless problems having many» [Marshall M., Dixon M., 1996, with. 28]. Moreover, social workers and psychologists usually contact to old people and their families when they are in a difficult, crisis vital situation. Thus, if working with older persons have experience of dialogue with them only as with the patients and clients they usually have a confidence, that advanced age is time involution and difficulties of the most different plan. And after all older persons are capable to study, develop abilities, to get new interests.

Social workers should listen older persons who tell them about the life; they can feel thus their grief, despondency, disappointment. However older persons have not only bitter experience. About many events which took place in their life, they do not recollect. Events for older persons become significant only in the event that they find reflexion in their late life.

The psychologists working with elderly and old people, should have base education under personal and psychological characteristics of people of late age. Starting to work with the elderly and old people, many experts receive a shock from the clients «client shock» [Britton P.G., Woods R.T., 1999, with. 20] already in the first week of work. Roots of this shock lay in insufficient understanding of old people, underestimation of their requirements and potential. The reason of other stress which experts can receive, is covered in a lack of abilities and the competence, necessary in work with this age group. It is possible to name and other problems – necessity of knowledge of religion of that cultural group of the population which they serve, sexuality of old people (the taboo on this theme until recently has been imposed), personal changes in result of mental diseases. The main danger to those who works with older persons is sensitivity loss to their individual requirements.

L.Brejtspraak allocates for experts three basic managements in work with older persons:

– Not to allow older persons to be involved in negative image of ageing, for example, it is necessary to help for them to see and understand, that the source of their problems lays in a situation, but not in them;

– To demand from elderly to take responsibility for the life there where it is possible;

– To stimulate activity of older persons who supports sensation of integration and integrity of a life.

Old people sometimes become agers in relation to the age group. Therefore the problem of our personnel is softly to resolve their own relation to the age and to the age group.

As a whole work [with older persons] in the psychological plan consists in the following:

– Maintenance and increase of social activity and a self-estimation of the person, prompting to expansion of social contacts;

– Creation of optimum conditions for training of skills on self-service and social functioning taking into account age changes;

– Stimulation of potential mental possibilities and creative abilities;

– Carrying out of special exercises and training to the skills compensating age changes.

Work forms can be the most different. For me co-education of older persons and children in which course they operate in common is very effective and help each other, for example, training to computer games and games of type “Dandy”. Overall objectives of such training is derivation of older persons from thoughts on the past, studying them to live in the present by an establishment of friendly relations with young generation, search of the general interests connecting generations, and reception of pleasure from these communications and interests. Creation of clubs and circles on interests where would enter not only elderly, but also people of all age is effective. They promote dialogue, occurrence of feeling of aesthetic satisfaction, emotional support, raise pithiness of pastime, improve state of health and bring calm.

To make the conclusion of the work, I’d like to say that old people like kids need our attention, understanding and love. This age is the most non-protecting part of human beings. If they feel lonely,

they must be heard by us. Our Nursing Home tries to keep the high level of living place for old people.

We do the best to make them feel there like at home.