I was born and raised in an Asian culture, which taught every girl that being a housewife would be the best option for them after getting married. It was more than a duty; it was a “good” tradition which was typical in many Asian countries.
My mother and grandma have sacrificed their whole life for their children and husband. My grandma has been a babysitter for her children and now grandchildren. My mother gave up her career as a photographer to take care of our family. I used to think that my life would be like them, but everything changed when I studied abroad in the US.
Women in the US let me know that we can do anything. We are changing roles, graduating from high-ranking colleges, getting involved in many social works, being important in the government system. They’re reaching top levels. Women in today’s world are a paragon of total independence. They keep fighting for their rights, for going out of the house and work, for loving anyone they like, for wearing any clothes they love. Women are fighting to be themselves, to be free and to find their true values in life. They aren’t just housewives and mothers, but career women, executives, Prime Ministers, and Presidents of nations. Women have many choices for their own life. They know how they can find their happiness without being dependent on anyone!
If a woman gets married and things don’t work and make her happy, she can get divorce and live a separate life instead of suffering a marriage burden.
If a woman wants to travel around the world, she can work and then use her money to go to any country she loves. She doesn’t need a man to give her money and force her to obey his rules.
If a woman wants to broaden her horizons by working in the field which used to prefer men, as engineering, she has a lot of people who always besides her to support her no matter what.
If a woman wants to try new styles, this modern society encourages her to step out and wear anything she loves, without judging her appearance.
I know a lot of women in this world want to settle down, build their own family with their beloved husband and children. But I also understand that the women today want to be a successful career woman, to manage both her own life and her family. Women in this world don’t only live for their family, they live for themselves, and nurture the next generations to be independent as well as free as them.
The thing I learned about being a woman in the US not only about being free with our own life but also know that “women are meant to be loved; not to be understood” (Oscar Wilde). We are independent, but it doesn’t mean that men can treat us boorishly. We can decide how to live our own lives, but we need to be loved and cherished. We have lost and achieved many things to live with our true selves in this strict world, we deserve high appreciation and respect.
Women today not only live for their family, relatives, friends and society, they are living for their true self. Women are aware of their values in the modern world. And you know, a lot of women don’t need a man. Gone are the girls who always need a man to buy her many expensive gifts, and he just needs her to stay at home as a good cat. Women in the modern society can buy themselves many gifts as an award to herself for working hard and never stepping back.
I am proud to be a woman, because today’s woman has arisen, opened her eyes, and understood her real self.