The Movement for Womens Rights Inside The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlott

The Movement for Women's Rights Inside "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Women have been mistreated, enchained and dominated by men for most part of the human history. Until the second half of the twentieth century, there was great inequality between the social and economic conditions of men and women (Pearson Education). The battle for women's emancipation, however, had started in 1848 by the first women's rights convention, which was led by some remarkable and brave women (Pearson Education). One of the most notable feminists of that period was the writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman. She was also one of the most influential feminists who felt strongly about and spoke frequently on the nineteenth-century lives for women. Her short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper" characterizes the condition of women of the nineteenth century through the main character’s life and actions in the text. It is considered to be one of the most influential pieces because of its realism and prime examples of treatment of women in that time. This essay analyzes issues the protag onist goes through while she is trying to break the element of barter from her marriage and love with her husband. This relationship status was very common between nineteenth-century women and their husbands. In â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† Gilman presents the behavior of society of the time. The protagonist is suppressed by her husband, John, and her brother, though they both mean well. The way she is treated by her husband and her brother is not outwardly â€Å"mean† because they never deal with her in anger, but the way that they suppress her by not letting her express her feelings or do what she wants, is still abuse. Even though, the way that they are treating her is wrong, it does not seem wrong because they both act gentle and kind towards her and make her think that they really do care about her. Throughout the story, the protagonist states her intentions to herself, but then does not act upon them because of her husband. This is further shown when she speaks of her husband and her brother, who "is also of higher standing," (Gilman 317) showing the high ranking of men in society. They keep her from doing the things she wants because they believe it is best for her to rest. She disagrees. "Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good" (Gilman 317). On p... ...ble to see that it actually incorporates themes of women’s rights. Gilman mainly used the setting to support her themes. This short story was written in 1892, at that time, there was only one women's suffrage law. Now, because of many determinant feminists, speakers, teachers, and writers, the women’s rights movement has grown increasing large and is still in progress today. This quite recent movement took over more then a century to grant women the rights they deserve to allow them to be seen as equals to men. This story was a creative and moving way to really show how life may have been as a woman in the nineteenth century. Works Cited Eichelberger, Clayton. American Literary Realism 1870-1910. Vol. 8, issue 1. University of Texas, 1975. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper" (p.316-327). Literature: Reading and Writing With Critical Strategies. Ed. Steven Lynn. University of South Carolina, 2004 Pearson Education. Infoplease. Almanacs: â€Å"Key Events in Women’s Rights Movement† 2005 31 March 2005 Wohlpart, Jim. American Literature Research and Analysis Web Site. â€Å"Charlotte Perkins Gilman, â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper.†Ã¢â‚¬  1997. Florida Gulf Coast University

Noncontradiction as a Scientific Modus Operandi :: Science Logic Papers

Noncontradiction as a Scientific Modus Operandi We explicate the view that our ignorance of the nature of the real world R, more so than a lack of ingenuity or sufficient time to have deduced the truth from what is so far known, accounts for the inadequacies of our theories of truth and systems of logic. Because of these inadecuacies, advocacy of substantial correctness of such theories and systems is certainly not right and should be replaced with a perspective of Explorationism which is the broadest possible investigation of potential theories and systems along with the realization that all such theories and systems are partial and tentative. For example, the position of classical logic is clearly untenable from the perspective of explorationism. Due to ignorance regarding R and, consequently, the partial and evidential nature of our knowledge about R, an explorationist foundational logical framework should contain machinery which goes beyond that of classical logic in the direction of allowing for the handling of confirmatory a nd refutatory evidential knowledge. Such a foundational framework (which I call Evidence Logic) is described and analysed in terms of its ability to tolerate substantial evidential conflict while not allowing contraditions. 0. Overview The variegated landscape of theories of truth and systems of logic, wherein each is cogently argued while yet inconclusive, is substantially accounted for by the fact that we just don’t know enough yet about the nature of our universe, let us call it R, to be able to settle on one or the other of these theories and systems as adequate for the representation and processing of our knowledge about R. In this paper firstly we discuss this thesis, that it is primarily our ignorance of R, and not any failure to rigorously construct our theories and systems, that is a fundamental cause of the inadequacies of these theories and systems. Secondly we will delineate a scientific perspective, Explorationism, which, if the thesis first considered is correct, is deserving of advocacy. Finally, we exemplify this perspective by exhibiting a logic, Evidence Logic (EL), which incorporates a broadened concept of negation which (1) provides for the representation and processing of both confirmato ry and refutatory evidential knowledge including the possibility of a generous range of conflicting evidence while yet (2) enforces noncontradiction. 1. The inadequacy of our theories of truth and systems of logic Any survey of the gamut of theories of truth so far constructed makes clear that, while each may be presented cogently, each manages to tell only part of the story.

Specific Performance

Specific Performance MT311 Business Law Part I There are four situations we have to review in terms of specific performance and possible breach of contract. First we must understand the elements of specific performance then we can evaluate how they relate to each scenario. â€Å"In some situations, damages are an inadequate remedy for a breach of contract†¦equitable remedies include rescission and restitution, specific performance, and reformation† (Miller & Jentz, 2009). Specific performance is an equitable remedy that requests the promised act be performed per the contract. This is not to be confused with any monetary exchange, rather that the contract be fulfilled as agreed upon originally. Sometimes the performance is of more value than monetary damages, which is why the specific performance remedy appealing for certain types of situations. â€Å"Normally, however, specific performance will not be granted unless the party’s legal remedy (monetary damages) is inadequate† (Miller & Jentz, 2008). A good example of this clause is in regards to unique or rare items that cannot just be bought on the open market. This is where monetary damages would not be a factor. The advantages of specific performance are that the non-breaching party is spared the hassle of collecting judgment, they do not need to set up another contract, and the performance may be of more value than monetary damages. The first scenario states: Tarrington contracts to sell her house and lot to Rainier. Then, on finding another buyer willing to pay a higher purchase price, she refused to deed the property to Rainier. The specifics of this case are unknown; however, based solely on the information provided I believe Rainier is entitled to specific performance as long as the property has not yet been sold. One element of real estate specific performance is that the contract must be fulfilled, unless the land is unavailable because it was sold to someone else. In that scenario damages will be awarded instead. The courts would rather uphold specific performance in relation to the sale of land because every piece of land is unique, and monetary damages will not compensate the buyer adequately. We could argue this dependent on the specifics of the case. In the case of Stainbrook v. Low the court upheld specific performance based on the reasoning that â€Å"a party seeking specific performance of a real estate contract must prove that he has substantially performed his contract obligations or offered to do so† (Miller & Jentz, 2008). Based on this case decision we must assume that Rainier followed through with his part of the contract in terms of financing and inspections. If the courts find that he did not fulfill his obligations or at least offer to follow through they could overturn the case and Rainer will not get the property or any monetary damage. The second case states: Marita contracts to sing and dance in Horace’s nightclub for one month, beginning June 1. She then refuses to perform. In this scenario a contract for personal services is present, and a court will normally not grant specific performance of contracts for personal services. This is because to order a party to perform personal services against his or her will amounts to a type of involuntary servitude, which is contrary to the public policy expressed in the Thirteenth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution† (Miller & Jentz, 2008). Horace may be entitled to monetary damages from her backing out of the performances in this case. The third case states: Juan contracts to purchase a rare coin from Edmund, who is breaking up his coin collection. At the last minute, Edmund deci des to keep his coin collection intact and refuses to deliver the coin to Juan. This goes back to the element of the performance that is specific to a rare good. The coin is unique and monetary damages will not necessarily allow Juan to go out and purchase an identical substitute. In this case the courts would probably uphold the specific performance and make Edmund follow through with the original contract which is to sell the coin. Lastly, the final case states: Astro Computer Corp. has three shareholders. Among them are Coase, who own 48%, and Cary, who owns 4%. Cary contracts to sell his 4% to DeValle but later refuses to transfer the shares to him. I would say this share would be considered a unique good because each business has its own properties that make it different than other companies. I do not think we could compare the shares to a personal service, and the 4% would not have a definite monetary value. The monetary value of the share could change dramatically depending on the business. I think the courts would force Cary to uphold his contract and give the 4% to DeValle based on the fact that it would be hard to go out and purchase an identical substitute. References Miller, R. L. & Jentz, G. A. (2008). Fundamentals of Business Law Part I.

Of mice and men Film Essay

â€Å"Of mice and men† is a very touching film of hopes dreams and friendship. Adapted from the novel by John Steinbeck. The film is about two friends, Lennie and George, with a dream of great times with their own land and house. But there is a another story intertwined with theirs, about what people think of women. The two stories together will hold you in an array of emotions from joy to sorrow, and pride to guilt. This film if full of brilliant acting and meaningful uses of light and props. Of the two stories we will look at the one about women. We open the film with a man sitting in the shadows. Little light is coming in through the slits in the wood he is leaning on. He looks depressed and upset and bows his head as if he’s trying to recall his memories of what went wrong to lead to this depression. And then we are suddenly in a field with early evening light filling a beautiful landscape, the main focus of our attention is of the woman running across the picture, she’s white with brown hair wearing a torn red dress. As she runs we can see she’s trying to run away form something or somebody, she’s crying and the only sound we hear is her distressed breathing like she wants to cry but is holding the tears back. She looks like she has been attacked, although the dress is torn we only see a petty coat and not any flesh so this suggests that it might not have been sexual. But we can’t really say for sure. The red dress represents passion so this says it could be sexual. We the see the two main characters running so we now think that they are connected to this. We never see this woman again in the whole of the story. The next woman we find is first only known as ‘Curly’s wife’. She first comes into the story when she enters the bunkhouse where Lennie and George have only just arrived and are unpacking. She’s wearing a flowery dress which could be seen as innocent as it is cool colours and doesn’t reveal much of her figure. Her hair is also in a very feminine style again to show innocence. â€Å"I’m looking for curly† she says, almost as if she needs an excuse for being there. But also at the same time using it in an almost flirty sort of way trying to see how the new boys will react. â€Å"He was in here a minute ago, but he left† George replies cutting off that conversation. He hasn’t stopped staring at her since she entered but not in a flattering way. We know he is a cautious person and he is almost looking at her trying to spot any type of threat. Especially as when Curly was in here he wasn’t particularly nice. So his wife, even if she isn’t like him in character, can still get him into trouble. â€Å"Well I guess I better look some place else† she says turning to face the door, only not to leave, just so the light shines on her from outside, showing off her figure. We now know that this girl is just one big flirt and George can see that. He wants her to leave as it’s the only thing that can happen to stop this tension, he can’t leave with Lennie as they have no excuse to. Eventually after some more flirty lines she leaves. Through this scene we have been introduced to the only other woman in the film and we know she’s a flirt and danger even if her image suggest otherwise at times. The camera reinforces this along with what she does. It starts with full body shots at the beginning of the scene and as she gets more flirtatious the shots concentrate on her upper body, then just her face, the attention is on her a lot of the time. The next scene with Curly’s wife is in a barn as George takes a mule in. As he calls out for the stable buck she answers instead and comes half way over to some bags of hay. She’s in another flowery dress, again trying to portray innocence be we know that she is anything but innocent. This time she is also holding a book, possibly a story or maybe a diary, either suggest that maybe she isn’t as much of the tart as we first thought and that she enjoys reading. Once again she tries to start a conversation, but George is still cautious of her and ignores her, concentrating on the mule. So to try to entice him she starts to once again flirt, as she sits on the bags of hay she leans back a little defining her chest. Her dress has ridden up revealing quite a bit of her leg, she pats the seat next to her trying to get him to come over. But still he just ignores her so she shouts. â€Å"come over here and talk to me!† he gets up and walks over to her. She calms down now she has her way. So she flirts to get her way most of the time but what we really want to know is if she really after a conversation or whether she only wants a cheap thrill like she has implied. All we have seen of her is her flirting and even now as he’s come over to talk she is leaning against a pole like a lap dancer, asking about whether he has a sweetheart back home. We can almost certainly say that she is only after one thing. But then some thing happens that maybe changes our perspective of her. Her husband comes in. He ask what’s going on and she says â€Å"nothing† â€Å"I wasn’t talking to you.† he replies â€Å"get back in the house.† â€Å"you don’t own me curly.† She says he now comes close to her and says in a way that seems like he might hit her â€Å"I said go†. And so she does. In this brief 2 minute talk we can see her relationship with her husband isn’t a good one but he had just caught her with another man so maybe he can justify his anger. In this scene we have seen that Curly’s wife is as we thought very flirty but that her relationship with her husband might cause this. She next walks into shot again in a flowery dress with a book as Lennie and George are hard at work in a field. In the scene before this Lennie and Curly have a fight. Lennie ends up with a bruised and scratched face and Curly gets a broken hand. â€Å"Hi.† she says, this is given a glance but they don’t reply or give any recognition. â€Å"sure is hot out here to day.† She try’s again to get conversation going. But again they don’t care and keep on working. So she try’s again. â€Å"I said it sure is hot out here.† â€Å"why don’t you go back to your house we don’t want no trouble.† Says George in a way that says I know I cant force you but I don’t want you here. This is of course because of what Curly did. She is taken aback by this, she is used to being ignored but not told to leave by anyone other than her husband. â€Å"I just want some one to talk to.† She says. â€Å"you got a husband, go talk to him† George replies. â€Å"yeah I got a husband.† She says almost in a disappointed way. She then asks how Curly got his hand broken. To which George lies and says he got his hand caught in a machine. But this doesn’t fool her so seeking an answer she asks Lennie who she knows won’t have the mental capacity to make up a lie. â€Å"how did you get those scratches on your face?† she asks. Lennie looks to George and then looks away saying, â€Å"he got it caught in a machine.† He answers. â€Å"is that so?† She says with a look that is trying to work out how Lennie thinks. Almost as if she is concerned for him. She then quietly leaves. In this scene we begin to see that she isn’t stupid she can work things out. Also that she doesn’t like Curly and being married to him. The possibility that all she wants is some one to talk to is again present. In her penultimate scene we change our whole opinion of Curly’s wife. Its set at night as Lennie and George are returning to the bunk house. Most of the other men are still in town spending their money in a whore house on girls and drink. Just as they are about to enter the bunk house Curly’s wife comes out of the shadows looking upset and as if she has been crying. â€Å"is curly back yet?† she asks. â€Å"no.† says George knowing that Curly could very well be with another woman right now. She then says how Curly broke her records and we finally see a frail side of her caused by the fact her husband is now out possibly with another woman, he doesn’t even talk to his wife, he doesn’t even leave her with some measly records to listen to. We are shoved into feeling sorry for this poor girl and guilty that we thought she was just after a cheap thrill, when all she really wanted was someone to talk too. We get to see the woman’s frail side in this scene and we finally see her true motivation for the way she is, we see that she is very hurt and is just good at putting a brave face on things. In her last scene Curly’s wife walks into a barn where Lennie has just accidentally killed a puppy. As she comes over he hides away and says how she would get him in trouble. â€Å"what’s wrong with me?† she shouts at him as he rejects her company. Lennie doesn’t see her as a sex object and so he doesn’t see any danger in her although he is slightly attracted to her. So he opens up a little to her and in turn she opens up and finally we see her shed this mask that only shows her body and the fact that she is just a woman and should be treated as just some object. But now Lennie is sitting there talking to her as an equal and this is the sort of interaction with other people that she has tried to get through out the whole film. We find out as she opens up that she wanted to be an actress and she had plans to go to the theatre or Broadway and be an actress. Lennie is going on about tending the rabbits and not really listening but still Curly’s wife doesn’t care and talks about her dreams still. Eventually they do start listening to each other, and they find a common like for soft things. She lets him feel her hair, and then we see her open up in another way. Usually Curly is only interested in one thing, quick sex to satisfy him with no feelings involved, but here with Lennie she is being appreciated with close touch. She likes the fact he is being gentle and soft only after the simple pleasure of being able to stroke her hair. But he is a child in a strong mans body and he doesn’t let go of her hair when she asks him to stop as he gets a little rough, and she screams, he grabs her and gags her, he only wants her to stop shouting but as he lays her back down we see that he has broken her neck. She lies silently in a pool of light on the hay as Lennie runs in fear. For a brief second we saw this beautiful woman blossom and show her true self and now she is gone. Though this film we see a progressing way in how men picture women. In the bunk house scene all we see is a flirty woman, and we are focused on her body. In the second scene we get another showing of this but at the end we see her giving in to her husband and maybe a suggestion of how he treats her. Next we see her being ignored by the boys, they consider her trouble even thought its not directly her fault, also we see a bit of her intelligence and that she isn’t that stupid. Then finally we see her frailty and that she is not just a pair of breasts on legs, she has feeling as well as a mind and emotions. We can conclude that because of the way men see her, causes her to flirt as it’s the only way to get any attention. Because she doesn’t get the conversation and interaction from Curly she turns else where and flirting is the only way to get that interaction she wants. In the last scene we see her mind, her dreams, opinions and thoughts. we see the side of her that has been ignored by every one just because she’s a woman. Through the whole film we don’t even get to know her name. But with Lennie these barriers are broken as he doesn’t understand them and so she can open up and talk to this person. Even though he might not be listening he isn’t blocking her out because she a woman and she gets the interaction that she wants and that she has been searching for. Then finally she dies and we are left with a memory of a woman that showed her mind to us and how she was no longer just a body to be looked at by men. But for a brief moment considered as an individual person.

geopolitics essays

geopolitics essays Geopolitics is the applied study of the relationships of geographical space to politics. Geopolitics, therefore, concerned with the reciprocal impact of spatial patterns, features, and structures and political ideas, institutions, and transactions. The term 'Geopolitics' has originally invented, in 1899, by a Swedish political scientist, Rudolf Kjellen and its original meaning is to signify a general concern with geography and politics. However, defining the concept of 'geopolitics' itself is a considerably difficult task because definition of geopolitics tends to changes as historical periods of time and structures of world order change. Therefore, there have been numerous ways of interpreting the term and arguments on them all through the history. In this essay, I intend to examine how geopolitics has influenced on international relations and how it has evolved using well-known geopoliticians' theories in a chronological order: Imperialist, Cold War, and New World Order. In early 20th century, geopolitics was a form of power or knowledge concerned with promoting states expansionism and securing empires. It was a time characterized by colonial expansionism abroad and industrial modernization at home. This is also the time when natural supremacy of a certain race or the state has considerably prevailed. The most historically and geographically fated imperialist rivalry of the period was that of between British Empire and the rising imperial aspirations of the German state in Europe. In order to investigate the geopolitical tension between them, the geopolitical writings of the British geographer Halford Mackinder and of the German geopolitician Karl Haushofer have to be thoroughly examined. In addition, it is also needed to examine the view of the far side across the Atlantic, the United States that emerged as a significant player on world's stage later on. First of all, the starting point for almost all discussions of geopolit...

What is hypnosis Essay Example

What is hypnosis Essay Example What is hypnosis Essay What is hypnosis Essay It is actually a social interaction in which one person suggests to another that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur. Many people have questions such as: â€Å"Who can experience hypnosis? † â€Å"Can it enhance recall of forgotten events? † â€Å"Can it force people to act against their will? † â€Å"Can it help people heal or receive their pain? † Is it harmful or helpful, and etc. What do you think? Who can experience hypnosis? To an extent we are all open to suggestion.If one was standing upright, with eyes closed, and is told that they are shaking your right hand, most will start to shake your right hand. People who respond to suggestions without hypnosis are the same people who respond with hypnosis. Hypnotic ability is the ability to focus attention totally on a task, to become imaginatively absorbed in it, to entertain fanciful possibilities. Can it enhance recall of forgotten events? Most people believe t hat our experiences are in our brain and we can recall them by breaking through defenses.Sixty years of research proves that this theory is wrong. We do not â€Å"soak in† everything around us. We permanently store only some of our experiences. â€Å"Hypnotically refreshed† memories combine fact with fiction. Since 1980, UFO abductions have been reported by thousands of people who are predisposed to believe in aliens, are highly hypnotizable, and have undergone hypnosis. Can hypnosis force people to act against their will? Researchers have enticed hypnotized people to perform dangerous acts such as; putting ones hand into acid, then throwing the acid in a researchers face.The hypnotized being later denied their actions, and stated that they would never follow such orders. Martin Orne and Frederich Evans Hypnosis unleashed that they used a control group. Orne asked individuals to pretend they were hypnotized. The laboratory assistants were unaware, so they treated both groups the same. The result of the experiment was that all the unhypnotized participants performed the same acts as those who were hypnotized. Can hypnosis help people heal or relieve their pain? Hypnotherapists try to help patients connect their own healing powers.Posthypnotic suggestions have helped alleviate headaches, asthma, and stress-related skin disorders. In one statistical digest of 18 studies, the average client whose therapy was supplemented with hypnosis showed greater improvement the 70 percent of other therapy patients. Hypnosis seemed especially helpful for the treatment of obesity. However, drug, alcohol, and smoking addictions have not responded well to hypnosis. In controlled studies, hypnosis did speed the disappearance of warts, but so did the same positive suggestions given without hypnosis.Hypnosis can relieve pain. When unhypnotized people put their arm in an ice bath, they felt intense pain within 25 seconds. When hypnotized people did the same after being g iven suggestions to feel no pain, they indeed reported feeling little pain. As some dentists know, light hypnosis can reduce fear, thus reducing hypersensitivity to pain. Hypnosis inhibits pain-related brain activity. In surgical experiences, hypnotized patients have required less medication, recovered sooner, and left the hospital earlier than unhypnotized control patients.Nearly 10 percent of us can become so deeply hypnotized that even major surgery can become so deeply hypnotized that even major surgery can be performed without anesthesia. Half of us can gain at least some pain relief from hypnosis. The surgical use of hypnosis has flourished in Europe, where one Belgian medical team has performed more than 5000 surgeries with a combination of hypnosis, local anesthesia, and a mild sedative. Hypnosis as a Social Phenomenon Our attentional spotlight and interpretations powerfully influence our our ordinary perceptions.Might hypnotic phenomena reflect such workings of normal consc iousness, as well as the power of social influence? Advocates of the social influence theory of hypnosis believe they do. Does this mean that subjects consciously fake hypnosis? No, like actors caught up in their roles, they begin to feel and behave in ways appropriate for â€Å"good hypnotic subjects. † The more they like and trust the hypnotist, the more they allow the person to direct their attention and fantasies. †

Gender Research Essays

Gender Research Essays Gender Research Essay Gender Research Essay Women and the world they live (d) in: Every society has pre-defined roles for men and women-Men are the bread-winners, the decision makers and the aggressive half whereas women are the procreators, the executors of the man-made decisions and the demure, passive half. The obvious sex difference has translated and now is firmly rooted as the gender difference that manifests itself in the roles that men and women are supposed to play. For a long time women have been confined to homes (sometimes it was a voluntary decision) and they have been expected to bring up children and take care of other social and societal obligations. But as the world evolved and the revolutions ensued women began to look beyond their homes for a life. This, obviously, caused quite a flutter among the puritans who still desperately clung on to the belief that the hand that rocks the cradle should not be paid. Transgressing from the unwritten rules of male female role-play was blasphemy the conservatives cried. But thanks to courageous women like Joa n-of –Arc, who led the French army against the British, women found a new life that led to avenues and careers they never thought existed. Now, a couple of centuries after women first began working there is a general if not grudging acceptance to the idea of working women. Women today are scaling new heights, setting higher goals and are climbing the corporate ladder. The working woman has finally arrived. : What women really want? Most women who venture out to start a new business face three major problems. First they have a difficult time raising capital for their business because most loan providers are skeptical of a woman run business. Second, they have to find a balance between home and work. This is a unique problem for women who run their business (other working women who are employed face this problem to a lesser degree) as it entails being at the helm of affairs (read crises) at work and running a perfect household as well. The third challenge for business owners is to be taken seriously by their peers; on the face of it the issue seems a petty one but then any business owner needs the acceptance from the peer group-it gives them a sense of pride and satisfaction. The lack of such respect could also have a severe damaging effect on the business as the non-acceptance by competitors may translate to consumer wariness towards the product. Women on top: As more and more women began to join the workforce there was a need to do more than just work for somebody. Women started to take risks and start their own ventures. Most such ventures started out very small and most of these women wanted little more than to fulfill their creative potential or meet a basic need. But as time passed by and their businesses flourished they began to move beyond the comfort zone and expand their businesses. These are the women who have made their sisters believe that they too can. One such enterprising woman, touted as the most successful woman in the twentieth century, was the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics Mary Kay Ash. Embittered by the male-dominated workplace where she was repeatedly denied promotions she launched her own cosmetic store with the help of her son and the rest as they say is history. The company became one of the largest cosmetic products manufacturers ever. Anita Roddick, Madame C.J.Walker, Coco Chanel and Estee Lauder all discovered op portunities in their problems and went on to make a name for themselves in the beauty and fashion business. Debbie Fields made her chocolate chip cookie a national dessert rage when she decided to start selling cookies at age 20 to earn just a little extra. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, the founder of Biocon, also braved all odds to become the most successful (and the richest) woman entrepreneur in India. Their stories are all different but all of these enterprising women have what the Ernst and Young survey called the Top Qualities required to make an effective entrepreneur-resourcefulness, hard work, creativity and risk taking ability. These women recognized disguised opportunities and made the most of them. But more importantly they have shown other women (and men) that their dreams were not impossible. Women in the corporate world: Unlike their counterparts in the entrepreneurship arena the corporate women seldom make it to the top in their offices. The number of women on the board of directors is abysmally low in most companies. However, in recent years, the number of women making it to the elite panel of directors has steadily been on the rise. There were 10 women CEOs in the Fortune 500 companies in Apple, Accenture and Coca-Cola all ushered in female directors on board in the last couple of years. PepsiCo elected Indra Nooyi as the CEO in a landmark move. Brenda Barnes is CEO of Sara Lee; Anne Mulcahy heads Xerox and Janet Robinson leads New York Times. The number of women at the helm of affairs in major companies is testament to the under recognized managerial capability of women. These women too are standing examples for millions of women across the world of what can be achieved. Is gender bias really transgressed? Women face discrimination. It is a statement tacitly agreed upon in office corridors and living rooms alike. They face discrimination right from the entry point to the final destination. Most women complain about being bypassed for jobs simply because the company cites security being a reason for the job on hand-positions that demand graveyard shifts and frequent travel are examples. Once they do land a job the real nightmare begins. A woman has to work twice as hard as she has to overcome the stigma, which proclaims women as inferior workers. Also the incidence of sexual harassment by male colleagues and superiors is alarmingly high (most of them, sadly, go unreported). Women also face a predicament when they are put in-charge. Although she is an authority the woman is more likely to deal with non co-operative male subordinates. The road to the top of an organization for a woman employee or the time at the top for a female entrepreneur is rather tenuous and difficult. Besides all th is Most Women put up a glass ceiling for themselves. They begin to find solace in secure positions at work and opt out of the race in the early stages because they think that they cannot find a balance between the family and professional lives. This fabled glass ceiling needs to be shattered before they blame the opposite sex for coming in their way-they have to believe in their abilities and move forward purposefully.