Question

According to virginia woolf, what are the two main obstacles to women's professional identity? are these still the two main obstacles, or does the contemporary woman face different hurdles? explain.

Answer 1

According to Virginia Woolf, the two main reasons for difficulty in developing a professional identity for women are the expectations of society and the expectations of self. In other words, if it is generally thought that women belonged in the home then that is a negative factor which makes it difficult for women to become a professional. On the other hand, if a woman has a low self-esteem then it will be harder for her to improve herself and obtain a professional status. I believe these two factors are still in existence today but now the expectations of women has improved somewhat to believe that they can fulfil a successful role as a professional and not just be a child-rearer ie that she can now do both with the assistance of her husband who must take on more of the household chores to give her the time and peace of mind to develop herself professionally.