This is a reflective assessment that reviews and analyses the experience after watching a film in a social context. Social conflicts arise from diverse ingrained social stereotypes and prejudices related to age, gender, sexual orientation, and individual roles in families, religions, classes, and cultural backgrounds (Bercovitch, 2019). This particular assignment focuses on the documentary film named “Status Quo? The Unfinished Business of Feminism in Canada” which highlights the long debates regarding the legal rights of women for abortion. The film showcased the journey of women’s battle in Canada to achieve their rights to abortion. This study includes my personal experience and reflection on my perspectives about the subject discussed in the film.

Reflection on the film

How do you feel about what you just watched?

I feel that the topic on which this documentary film is based has been an imperative subject matter that needs to be discussed and highlighted. While the world is concerned about issues like equality and gender rights, the right to abortion is a significant step for women toward individual rights. In my opinion, the film has depicted the logic behind the pro-choice and anti-choice movements effectively by hearing the points of view of men and women. The film has documented the struggle of women behind obtaining their fundamental rights over their bodies and choices which should be preserved and protected as well as used in the right manner (National Canada, 2022).

What do you agree or disagree with? Why?

I agree with the reason given by individuals on the pro-choice side. While men and women have rights to their children, the decision about carrying the baby should be held by the person giving birth. According to my perspective, it is important that the women giving birth to babies have proper resources to raise them along with the appropriate emotional and physical preparedness. Moreover, a considerable number of women around the world become pregnant due to rape, and having no right to abortion can be disastrous for both the females and the babies (Shaw and Norman, 2020). In addition, abortion is an age-old practice and it cannot be stopped by putting regulations as mentioned in the documentary. I agree with this point of view as women seeking to abort illegally often face fatal consequences because of a lack of proper expertise of the doctor. Hence women should have the right to abort.

Can you value the perspective shared in this documentary? Why/why not?

Yes, I can value the shared perspective in the film. The value shared through this particular film is the right of an individual to their own body and the essentiality of equality in this society. Despite the modernization and economic revolutions, there is an inherent prejudice in society that still views women as having a secondary status (Muldoon, 2021). I believe women should have the right to abortion because they need to undergo a huge biological and psychological transformation during the pregnancy period. Moreover, the roles and responsibilities increase after giving birth including the need for adequate financial resources and family support to raise the children other than mental preparedness. Therefore, the documentary emphasizes the imperativeness of seeing a woman as an able individual to make the decision about her body and respect individual rights.

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Analysis

The sociological context and history underpinning the statement “A Woman’s Place is in the Home”

The statement “A Woman’s Place is in the Home” is underpinned by the conceptual issue of gender inequality. In history and overall sociological context, gender inequality has arisen from social differentiation between men and women. Social stereotypes regarding the concept of relationships stemming from labor divisions based on sex and biological differences have contributed primarily to gender inequality. According to the theory propounded by Glen Elder, women’s disadvantaged position is the result of the lifelong interplay between resources and individual preferences, connected lives, periodical values, decisions, and norma related to gender along with barriers and opportunities created by society (Awaworyi Churchill, Nuhu, & Lopez, 2019). In pre-historic times, women had to breastfeed their children while men went hunting to gather meals, and the gender roles started to divide. However, throughout the course of evolution and social constructions, the concept of marriage and women’s roles as nurturers were developed. The notion of gender roles has a significant influence on women’s reproductive labor that has attracted a large number of women into the profession of care. Even in modern society, the majority of the nurse or nanny population comprises women. The value of women as mothers and the social perspective of women as the sole nurturer and caregiver has been the reasons playing a major role in keeping women at home.

In relation to the documentary film, it can be found that a section of women has also been criticizing the women fighting to gain their abortion rights. The key problem in this area is the biological differences between men and women (Angeles et al., 2021). While a woman can get pregnant a man cannot which has created a huge pressure on women to be responsible for bringing up the future generation. The preconceived notion of women as the nurturer of the home has made society overlook the importance of women’s emotional preparedness to become a mother. Additionally, in the last century, wars have been a significant reason for forcing women to stay home. Women also acquired the right to education later which has established the idea of women as less intelligent leading to discrimination in all areas (Cislaghi and Heise, 2020). It must be understood that these predispositions of ideas and concepts have a major role in shaping the mindset of people in the current and future generations. As women have become more vocal and can be found in a relatively larger number in the corporate sector, a major section of men feel threatened by their progress. Women’s advancement has been threatening the stereotypical idea regarding the role of women as a mother.

Conclusion

To conclude, the specific documentary film has been based on a major issue of women’s right to abortion. The film has showcased the journey of Canadian women to achieve their rights. In the study, I have explained my experiences and perspectives regarding the film and the topic.

References

Angeles, A. C., Donaire, S. J., Reyes, R. B., & Cabauatan, R. (2021). The Effect of Gender Inequality in Education, Labor Force Participation and Economic Opportunity on the Income Distribution of India. Jurnal Studi Guru dan Pembelajaran, 4(3), 781-794. https://e-journal.my.id/jsgp/article/view/1479

Awaworyi Churchill, S., Nuhu, A. S., & Lopez, K. (2019). Persistence of gender inequality: The role of ethnic divisions. Applied Economics, 51(8), 781-796. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00036846.2018.1513635

Bercovitch, J. (2019). Social conflicts and third parties: Strategies of conflict resolution. Routledge. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=DtqiDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT11&dq=social+conflicts&ots=9ukspoczDf&sig=OxTaa9YovM6i64aNoeaYOc5FZpc

Cislaghi, B., & Heise, L. (2020). Gender norms and social norms: differences, similarities and why they matter in prevention science. Sociology of health & illness, 42(2), 407-422. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-9566.13008

Muldoon, M. (2021). The abortion debate in the United States and Canada: A source book. Routledge. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=_akjEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT9&dq=abortion+rights+in+canada&ots=AID3f2-C_-&sig=3UdklZqK0Uyvdp52nWyuldwWrFI

National Canada. (2022). Status Quo? The Unfinished Business of Feminism in Canada. Retrieved 21 June 2022, from https://www.nfb.ca/film/status_quo_the_unfinished_business_of_feminism/

Shaw, D., & Norman, W. V. (2020). When there are no abortion laws: a case study of Canada. Best practice & research Clinical obstetrics & gynaecology, 62, 49-62. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1521693419300550