Psychology of Women in Real Women Have Curves

Introduction

Women try to balance their lives, and as they grow in different stages, they are positioned between traditional roles and becoming modern career women. The environment they live in determines the direction they will take in their lives. Women who live with their parents are forced to work, to provide for their families and not to focus on their personal development like attending college. Many women are experiencing the dilemma of cultural heritage and development of their mainstream ambitions and have to accomplish both. Women who are more focused on their career may sometimes neglect their parental duties of caring for their children. Handling traditional life and modern life is very stressful, and women are forced to do more than just childcare and housework. There have been several changes in the community which has seen men being included in the role of parenting. The society has the cultural concept that it is women’s responsibility to take care of their children. The history of a woman determines how she will handle and balance between traditional roles and fulfilling personal ambitions. The relationship between a woman and her mother greatly influences her life and how she views things. Financial needs force women to work while providing for their children while some women working only to fulfill their ambitions. Women are forced to compromise their careers to balance motherhood responsibilities and employment. Adolescent girls are denied access to education, especially those from deprived backgrounds. They forgo their ambitions and search for low-paying jobs in nearby towns to provide for their families. Also, women are discriminated in workplaces, and only men are placed in top positions. They accept low-status jobs that have meager salaries to meet their family responsibilities. In this context, the paper discusses issues in the psychology of women, such as the balance between career and traditions, love needs, and emotional security based on the story of a woman named Ana.

Women’s Bodies

In the book Transformations: Women, gender, and psychology by Crawford M.E, several kinds of invisible women are discussed. The individuals shown in the films are older women and poor women. Poor women are invisible and do not appear on the television. Poor women of color are only featured in stories that address issues on welfare reform. Only a few women are called upon to address the issue of poverty with the majority of the poor being children and women. Most low-income earners and poor women struggle to work for the upkeep of their families in severe conditions. The older women are least visible in the mass media. Although the number of mature women exceeds that of men, most of the old media personalities are men. Majority of the women in mass media are below the age of 35. Older women are negatively depicted more than men. The invisible women in the film include those employed by Stella in the factory. They struggle to get income for their family responsibilities, and sometimes they receive late payment from Stella. They pay their rent late and are almost kicked out of their houses. Moreover, the older women in the film are ignored by people.

In the textbook, gender stereotypes are associated with personalities, roles, behaviors, and physical characteristics. Physical characteristics activate other components and are perceived when one meets new people. Physical characteristics used to judge people include behavior, occupation, and personality traits. Personality traits such as self-confidence, competence, dominance, ambition, and independence are used to judge both genders. Personal characteristics define whether someone is a productive doer or an active agent. Social stereotypes influence the behavior of individuals. Anna is confident that she will accomplish her dreams of continuing with education, even with the challenges she is facing.

There is a relationship between different messages like cultural, media, and familial that explain the beauty of Latina or Hispanic women. The idealized Latina body has been rapidly objectified and commodified in the popular global culture. There has been a negotiation in the sociocultural ideals regarding beauty and race. Although women possess racist thoughts on elegance, they are adaptive when judging the looks of a real-life woman. There are competing prototypes of attraction between Latina and white women. The media praises thin and fashionable women and puts down women with other styles and body shapes. Also, a positive personality and figure are considered when choosing women to represent an organization. Girls and women are treated as sexual objects by the media. Moreover, the media portrays the primary responsibility of women in life as caretakers of the family house. Additionally, in some cases, the media portrays women as dramatic and over-emotional. In the films, the women working at Stella's factory are dramatic and discuss other people's affairs. Also, Ana is viewed as a sex object by her boyfriend.

Older Women

Ageism affects the behavior, attitude, and belief of an individual towards the group members. The ideas presented in the book on ageism are connected. Aging affects everyone who lives long regardless of their gender, ethnicity, and social status. Jokes about older people are common forms of ageism. Ageism is mostly associated with mental problems. Most people think that women get old at an early age compared to men. The status and value of women depend on their creative ability and sexual attractiveness. A woman is considered old when she no longer attracts men or cannot reproduce. Women have a high rating on the negative characteristics associated with old age, such as grey hair and wrinkles. The experience of ageism in the film include the older woman singing at the start of the film being ignored by people. Stereotypes of older women are affected by appearance. Age is the first cue used to classify maturity in women. Age stereotypes can be thought of subtly condescending and not hostile.

In most cases, individuals think of older people as incompetent but attractive, which is adorable but doddering stereotype found in most cultures. The terms used for mature women are particularly harsh. Older women end up to be treated as children. Holding negative stereotypes about older women earlier in life can lead to stroke and heart attacks later in life. Older women are depicted more negatively than men and are among the least visible groups in the media. Ana’s mother is deeply affected by age and spends most of her time in bed.

Older people have different attitudes toward aging and life satisfaction. The influence of the view about aging affects and influence the fulfillment of their life. Older adults are concerned with healthy life as they grow to old age. The satisfaction of life is influenced by age, education, gender, health, and marital status. In most cases, the psychological well-being of an individual influence their happiness in life. Negative and little knowledge about aging can negatively affect the psychological well-being and quality of life. Older people who have a positive attitude towards themselves and good knowledge about aging achieve mental well-being due to self-acceptance. Knowledge about aging covers fundamental misconceptions, psychological, social, and physical facts about aging. These facts are needed for one to understand the process of aging adequately. New knowledge about aging is associated with positive attitudes that concern aging because information on aging clarifies the misconceptions that involve images of the age.

Knowledge contributes to attitude, which is the primary issue that explains, predicts, and continuously influences the behavior of an individual. Also, attitude determines the behavioral style, thoughts, and emotions. Psychological, physical, and social factors are closely related to well-being. Accurate and realistic knowledge about aging is needed by older adults to lower the scores of worries about aging. Positive attitude towards aging reflects successful aging resulting in the satisfaction of life. Ana’s mother’s attitude towards aging could inform her physical well-being in different ways. She needs to develop a positive attitude rather than a neutral attitude about herself, and this will enable her to adapt to the aging process. Also, she needs knowledge of aging to help her understand that aging causes deterioration in the health conditions of an individual. Lack of knowledge on ageism lowers the satisfaction in life even in situations where people involve themselves in work continuously. Ana's mother should build a stronger relationship with her husband and other family members who can give her moral support in her old age. She should also develop self-acceptance and good knowledge about aging, which will contribute to her psychological well-being. She should improve a positive attitude and better emotional and physical situations, which will enable her to age successfully. She should also participate in more social activities other than committing herself to work in the factory.

Moreover, she should support her family and maintain good health as she gets old. She needs to involve herself in health care programs to maintain her physical and psychological well-being for healthy aging. She has lesser knowledge level concerning aging, and this influences her decisions, especially when she forces Ana to work in the factory and stop going to college to provide for the family. She is only concerned about work and does not support Ana to achieve her ambitions of getting a college education. The decision she makes influences the life of Ana, and she needs to build a positive relationship with her.

Women and Work

The assertion that “Women also participate in more interpersonal work through both their direct and broader networks' does not apply to the film women have curves. Relational work involves verbal behavior change from rude and impolite interaction to polite interaction. The women working in Sarah's factory use respectful language and are not ignorant. The textbook provides research on sex segregation of jobs. Although women have equal employment chances, the workplaces are characterized by sex segregation virtually in all jobs. Women and men are separated in the workplace irrespective of the religious, cultural, political, cultural, and economic environments. Horizontal sex segregation involves the tendency of men and women to hold different jobs. In many occupations, the proportion of men and women is unequal, and therefore, the jobs available are divided into men's roles and women's roles. Although some occupations have an overall equal ratio of men and women, the individual workplace levels are affected by segregation. Women are classified in low paying jobs and small class jobs, which feature few opportunities for career advancement and little job security. Most of the posts are service oriented and are also associated with stereotypically feminine characteristics. In the film, this is demonstrated by the factory constituting of only female workers as tailors and sellers of clothing. Vertical sex segregation is where women are clustered at the bottom of the hierarchy within occupations. Men tend to hold top positions and have better pay with higher status than women in most organizations.

The experience of Hispanic or Latina women in post-secondary school settings is diverse. There are a unique educational experience and disproportional representation of Latinas in higher education. Latinas have different perceptions of cultural fit and institutional barriers, which influence their well-being and coping responses in college. Women of Mexican heritage are highly motivated to pursue and advance in their ambition through access to post-secondary education. The psychological well-being of women affects their coping response, healthy and positive functioning, and cultural congruity. Women of Mexican heritage value education and believe that any barriers to pursuing their ambitions and education goals can be overcome. Also, Mexican-heritage women use effective coping responses to demonstrate their positivity and healthy functioning. Ana's parents do not encourage her to pursue her ambitions in college, and her mother introduces her to work in the sewing factory. Although she values higher education, her family does not support her in going for college classes. The experience at her workplace helps her learn that teamwork and solidarity can make work easier. She learns that with hard work, she can overcome challenges and improve on results. Her family is only concerned about the provision of the money to cater to family needs and prefer Ana going to work rather than going to school to chase her academic goals. Ana’s English teacher helps her to access education even with opposition from her parents.

Conclusion

In conclusion, several issues on the psychology of women can be drawn from the story of Ana, such as the balance between traditions and their career, love needs, and emotional security. Older adults achieve psychological well-being through acceptance, which they make through a positive attitude towards themselves and good knowledge about aging. Inadequate knowledge about aging contributes negatively to the mental well-being and quality of life. Women of Mexican heritage value education and believe barriers in pursuing their educational goals and ambitions can be overcome. Women face a lack of support from parents, especially in places where cultural beliefs are valued, and the community emphasizes on family responsibilities rather than pursuing personal ambitions. Messages about gender prioritize beauty over brains in women. The media praises thin and fashionable women and puts down women with other styles and body shapes. Ageism is real and affects the behavior, attitude, and belief of an individual towards the group members. There are different types of invisible women groups which include poor women and older women. There are also various gender stereotypes which are used, including roles, behaviors, personality, and physical characteristics. Workplaces are characterized by sex segregation, and women are classified in low paying jobs, which feature few opportunities for career advancement and job security.

References

• Crawford, M. E. (2006). Transformations: Women, gender, and psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill.
• De Casanova, E. M. (2004). “No Ugly Women” Concepts of Race and Beauty among Adolescent Women in Ecuador. Gender & Society, 18(3), 287-308
• Gloria, A. M., Castellanos, J., & Orozco, V. (2005). Perceived institutional barriers, cultural fit, coping responses, and psychological well-being of Latina undergraduates. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 27(2), 161-183.
• Suh, S., Choi, H., Lee, C., Cha, M., & Jo, I. (2012). Association between knowledge and attitude about aging and life satisfaction among older Koreans. Asian Nursing Research, 6(3), 96-101.