A Woman’s Natural Vocation

Name:

Tutor:

Course:

Date:

A Woman’s Natural Vocation

Edith Stein says that “Man is consumed by his enterprise and expects others will be interested and helpful; generally, it is difficult for him to become involved in other beings and their concerns” (Stein 44). The quote is premised on understanding the role of women in the society. The writer thinks that the role of women is already defined by their biological traits. Stein contests the notion by feminists that asserts women are capable of doing anything in the same manner as a man. Naturally, a woman is supposed to be a caregiver and a protector. A woman gives birth to a child and she takes care of it until it grows to depend on itself. However, the same cannot be said of men. The quote demonstrates that the nature of men is different from that of women. Men are aggressive and they are driven by self-interest because they have never had to care for anyone.

Man is consumed by his enterprise meaning that they are always looking to better themselves. Since time immemorial, man has always been regarded as the sole breadwinner of the family unit (Connell 45). Therefore, in the same way, a woman is supposed to go to all extents to protect the offspring; man is also required to earn. Man provides by prospering his enterprise and that consumes most of his time. Men did not have time to interact with the children like their mother. The love of a man is shown by his ability to provide. Therefore, a woman’s attempt to adopt this trait of a man would mean that she has to relinquish her affection of children in order to provide. For most women, it is not possible to do so. Therefore, a woman cannot do what a man can.

Man expects others will be interested and helpful in what he is doing. In prospering his enterprise, a man looks at other people as a means to his end. He asks for help from everyone because he wants to achieve his target at all cost (Lindsey 89). In the old times, children were put to work by their fathers on the family farm. On the other hand, the love and affection of a woman would not allow her to put children to work for the sake of prosperity.

It is difficult for a man to be involved with other human beings in society because he is selfish by nature. Unlike women, men have never had to take care of someone else in their lives (Alesina, Giuliano & Nunn 497). Therefore, they act aggressively because they know that fellow men are also aggressive and they have to protect what they think is their own. Men are not held back by empathy, they move on even when others need help because their sole focus is providing for the family. Women cannot ignore the plight of others and move on with their lives. By nature, a woman feels like she has to show care.

Man provides for the family as a function of the society and not as an act of affection and care. However, women are nurtures both as a function of the society and by the affection that they feel for their offspring. Succeeding in enterprise requires the traits that are inbuilt in man. A woman can acquire those abilities and prosper but it means that they would have to shed off inborn traits.

Works Cited:

Alesina, Alberto, Paola Giuliano, and Nathan Nunn. “On the origins of gender roles: Women and the plough.” The Quarterly Journal of Economics 128.2 (2013): 469-530.

Connell, Raewyn W. Gender and power: Society, the person and sexual politics. John Wiley & Sons, 2014.

Lindsey, Linda L. Gender roles: A sociological perspective. Routledge, 2015.

Stein, Edith. Essays on Woman: The Collected Works of Edith Stein, vol. 2. Vol. 2. ICS Publications, 1996.