Academic Writing - Model Answer (Task 2)

Due to the change in women’s roles in modern society, men are now the ones suffering from sexual discrimination. Do you agree?

With the assistance of certain laws, for example employment laws, sexual discrimination, the right to vote and following years of struggle, women have gained more privileges than they once had in a male dominated society. Women can be found in all types of professions, have become better educated and have access to services they were restricted to in the past.

We should not forget that in many countries, especially in developing nations, women do not have the same rights as men. Even though equality between the genders is mainly seen in developed countries, we still see women being underrepresented in politics, top managerial positions and in other areas. Some countries, for example China, value men over women and even go so far as to terminate a pregnancy if they know a child will be a girl.

Just because women have earned social, political and economic equality, this does not necessarily mean that men are being discriminated against. Women are merely gaining what has been entitled to them for centuries. In fact, a woman’s life in modern society is becoming more complicated and demanding. They have to fulfil many roles and duties such as being a competitive career woman, a loving wife and mother and maintaining a household whereas a man’s identity is usually restricted to work only.

To sum up, women are more involved in the public sphere than ever before and have earned greater respect and authority following years of discrimination. Despite gaining these rights, unfortunately patriarchal societies still exist where the ultimate power rests in the hands of men.

Question taken from Target Band 7 p. 55