Women in Ancient Society Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Women in Ancient Society - Research Paper Example It is true that the Byzantine era was characterized by today’s stereotypical understanding of women’s depressed position in ancient societies at least among the lower classes.   The church played a powerful role in subjugating women, often introducing legal stipulations which limited the actions of women as a means of preventing defilement and impurity, but couldn’t refuse the generosity and donations of the wealthy (Viscuso, 2005: 317).   Thus, women belonging to the aristocracy did not necessarily fall under this distinction or suffer this fate.   According to Grubbs, â€Å"The law determined, according to status, the sexual relationships and roles open to a woman, and the amount of protection from violence or exploitation she could expect† (2001: 221).   Through marriage, aristocratic women were able to gain status by acquiring a legal share in the power wielded by their husbands.   In some cases, these women were even able to wield power dire ctly having been given her husband’s authority.   By using marriage as a tool and with the protection of the law as it applied to women of a particular social status, women of this period were able to siphon off a large amount of the power normally enjoyed by men.   Evidence can also be found by tracing the patronage of various pieces of religious artwork and in the artwork of the state. The Virgin Mary is, of course, one of the major symbols of the Christian faith, but there is an underlying message behind her figure that has often spoken to women and provided them with an example.  

Guanxi and corruption in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Guanxi and corruption in China - Essay Example In this short essay, I will start out by outlining problems of corruption in contemporary China. Then, I will explore to what extent Guanxi may contribute to what many perceive as a crisis of rampant corruption in the country. China has in the recent past been an object of scathing criticisms from both the local and international players over its apparent tolerance to corruption. Gong (2011) portrays the perception of China by Westerners who associate business culture in China with Guanxi. Regardless of the favour or job one wants in China, all that matters most is the ability to give gifts or bribery. Guanxi illustrates the complex form of corruption where relationship with bigwigs and those in powers motivate most of the decisions. In addition to enhancing business prospects for the corrupt in China, Guanxi has further led to the formations of monopolies pegged on capitalistic endeavours. This practise in fact threatened the survival of China as communist country. To further illustrate the problem of corruption in China, a survey one conducted on 100 people who were prosecuted for bribe-giving. The result indicated that 94.2% of them asserted that â€Å"they would â€Å"warm up the relationship† first before they would bribe with money† (Ling Li 7). Corruption through Guanxi has harmed Chinese image on both the local and international spheres. Illegal businesses that fail to adhere to human rights have been allowed to operate without legal charges. Also, the level of property rights violations and manufacture of counterfeit products without concomitant legal actions has left many questioning the willingness of China to fight corruption (Zhang). The Chinese judicial system is one of the areas significantly affected by cases corruption. â€Å"Guanxi† is evidently a factor into a judicial or arbitral decision. However, worth noting is the fact that this corruption does not necessarily assume the traditional form of bribe,