Rhetoric and Composition
Husson University
Rhea Robbins
9/30/10
A French
Heritage Woman
The role of
French heritage woman in the household has changed greatly
in the past century. There are many different reasons for
these changes in the ways women are portrayed and the way
that they view themselves. The world has changed greatly
over the last century and the people of the world have been
forced to adapt to it; this in turn has forced the French
women in today's society to change their ways of living.
The materialistic view on the world has also brought a lot
of change to the way that women interact in today's
society. Customs and traditions have taken a different turn
over the years, which also have an effect on the way that
women are forced to act. Centuries ago women of the French
heritage were depended on to only control the household
aspect of life; Cleaning, cooking, and tending to the
children are a few tasks that the women were responsible
for. In today's society, women have a completely new job
description they are no longer considered to be
"housewives."
The fact
that some of the world is in an economic crisis has forced
more women to go and get an education. The number of
women who are going to college and getting a degree is
increasing dramatically. Colleges today are becoming more
equal when it comes to the number of women and men that
attend their schools. French women have been forced to
leave behind the culture they once knew and branch out and
adapt to a new way of living. With the hard economic times
it is becoming harder and harder for the men of the
household to make enough money to support their entire
family. As more French women are entering the work force,
they are able to play a large role in the survival of their
families not only domestically but financially as well.
In my
family, very few women have received some type of degree. I
am the fourth woman in my family to go to college since my
mother and my aunt are both registered nurses; my cousin is
a sophomore in college. In both families, my mother and my
aunt are the sole providers for their families when it
comes to their finances.
My family
changed culturally in the year 2006 when my dad could no
longer work at a mill and provide our family with the money
and benefits that we needed to live. Luckily, for my family
my mother had graduated from nursing school the year prior
to my dad's accident. This made her able to get a nursing
job that provided my family with enough money to get by and
gave us the medical benefits that are important to our
family.
The
materialistic way of life has made an impact on the lives
of women in the French culture. There is a constant drive
for people to be the best and have the nicest things. This
constant competition creates pressure that women cannot
stay at home if they want to have all of the luxuries of
people who have more money than they do. It is up to the
woman to go out and get a job so that they can afford
fancy jewelry, purses, shoes and all of the other
glamorous items that are in constant demand in today's
society as well.
The
constant drive to strive for the best has quite an impact
on my life as well. My mother and I both enjoy having
jewelry, designer purses and designer shoes, but unlike the
wealthy people in today's society, we are forced to work
for the things that we want to buy. I have had a job every
year for the last three years, and I am responsible for
buying most of the miscellaneous luxury items that I want.
I find that working for my belongings makes me appreciate
them that much more. French women also in today's society
have found a whole new look on appreciation because they
are now working for the things they want, not waiting for
their husband's or significant others to give them gifts on
a silver platter. There are starting to be fewer and fewer
people in the world today that can waste extra money on
luxury items when there are bills to pay and mouths to feed
at home.
Customs and
traditions in the French culture have changed a lot over
time. Fewer "families" sit down and eat dinner together.
The lack of family dinner times is caused by the fact that
both parents are forced to work, which leaves no one to
stay at home and prepare dinner. Now parents pick up
takeout or fast food for their kids on the way home from
work. There are many of other reasons for why this change
could be happening. A French woman's customs and traditions
have been changed greatly in the past century. Consequently
fewer homemakers and more businesswomen.
My family's
customs and traditions have been changed because my mom is
no longer home during the day. Before when my mom was a
stay-at-home mom, I was able to call her for any reason
whether it is to bring in the homework that I forgot was
due, or even my shin guards for my big field hockey game.
When my mom was not working my brother and I could always
count on having delicious snacks to come home to right
after school, and we always had someone to help us on our
homework. When my mom was forced to go to work after my dad
was unable to return to his original job, we were faced
with a problem: who will make us snacks to eat when we got
home? Dinnertime at my house was also changed when my mom
was no longer home all day. We no longer had a big well put
together family sit down dinner, instead it was a grab what
you can put together yourself and eat wherever you would
like.
The French
culture changed greatly in the last century because of many
different reasons. The women of this culture changed and
they dealt with many different obstacles to get to where
they are now. Watching my mom change her own personal
culture has helped me realize that I never want to be that
woman who marries a man and is given everything. I want to
get my degree and provide for myself. My culture is going
to be a culture built on individuality and the ability to
support my family and myself.