As I sit here on my bed and wonder how women have been subordinated for so long in the world, I am reminded of why we are. The phrase " The personal is political", from Virginia Woolf's book A Room Of One's Own, is a key idea to why we are. The reason for my attempt to talk on this topic is based on the world and my own experiences. Women are controlled by the systems of government, family, culture, and gender, and especially marriage.

I know that in the Indian culture, where I am originally from, women are put down in many aspects by the people around them, both politically and culturally. In India, there is so much poverty and overpopulation. Women are not allowed to have the personal freedom they want because the family and the country expects certain values to be followed, and if they are not followed, we are socially and politically looked down upon. This curtails a woman's opportunity to attain the achievements men are able to make. The reason for this being that women of lower and middle classes are rarely educated, the males are controlling, health issues are a concern, and women are expected to get arranged marriages, based on status, wealth, religion, and language. Families

One of the most important topics among Indians in general is marriage. For example, I will talk of my own family. My father and mother are both doctors who come from influential families in India. They had an arranged marriage that was based on their education, family, language, and specific Indian background from which they came. The background is that they are both Hindu, speak a language called telugu, and are from a family with the last name of Reddy. In this culture, love is gained after marriage. I do see the love my parents have for one another, but I was surprised that even for affluent families, the strictest traditional expectations are still there. I know that by moving to the United States and living here for the past 24 years, my parents are well established and they are slowly accepting some non-traditional values from the people here. My parents do not expect me to get an arranged marriage; however, my brother, who is 28, would not mind. Dating or relationships before marriage is not accepted easily even now for parents who grew up in such traditional backgrounds. I know that I am only able to talk to my mom about my boyfriend of 2 years. The only thing at this point in my life until I g

Some common words found in the essay are:
United India, One's Own, William Mary, Culturally Politically, medical school, Virginia Woolf's, influential families, politically looked, indian woman, religion language, arranged marriage,
Approximate Word count = 815
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)