Societies views on Abortion

Societal attitudes towards abortion have varied throughout the years but overall attitudes have remained constant. Patriarchal societies have always influence attitudes about abortion and women’s reproductive rights; religion prevails in many of today’s societies and because of that contraception and abortion approval rates are very low. Although little by little progress is being made towards achieving women’s rights, women will encounter a struggle because we live in a world dominated by conservative views and it has proven very hard for women to get approval when it comes to their choice about having an abortion.
It is not surprising that many men feel authority over females, this societal norm is commonly accepted by many and it continues to be passed on from one generation to the next. According to The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Patriarchy is defined as “a family or society in which authority is vested in males, through whom descent and inheritance are traced.” Patriarchy continued to spread and it is more prevalent in some countries compared to others. For this reason it is not a surprise that men feel that they have a say in what women decide to do with her body. In many cultures Men strongly believe that the father should have the final say of whether or not his wife should have an abortion. Studies of gender differences tend to show that men hold more conservative views on social issues compared to women; the reason for this is that religion has a major impact on society. It was found that religion doesn’t impact abortion directly but what it does affect are gender role attitudes. Religion reinforces patriarchy and conservative views, therefore, having a direct impact on women’s reproductive rights. According to Patel, “Women’s freedom to control their fertility and in particular the highly emotive and complex nature of abortion, places it in a realm which is further complicated by religious teachings and the cultural importance of

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