SAMPLE OF GOOD ANSWER Number of Investors and Types of Investments (1970-2010) and Reasons for Investing in 1970 and 2010 Figure 1 shows the number of investors and types of investments from 1970 to 2010 while Table 1 displays the reasons for investing in 1970 and 2010. Overall, the number of investors in 1970 and 2010 increases as the reasons for investing changes. As there were fewer reasons for investing in 1970 (3) compared to 2010 (4), the number of investors in shares and properties
in
1970
was
the
lowest
at
80,000
and
40,000
respectively. With more reasons to invest in 2010, the number of investors in shares surged to 750,000; which was the highest of all, and in properties, to 380,000, which was the same number as in 1990 and 2010. Although fewer reasons were cited in 1970, the number of investors in bank deposits was most at 60,000. It was found that the years 1970 and 2010 had the same reasons for investing – ‘to get married’ and ‘to prepare for retirement’. From 1970 to 1990, the number of investors in shares and properties soared from 80,000 to 480,000 and from 40,000 to 380,000 respectively, but the number of investors in bank deposits dropped from 600,000 to 480,000. In conclusion, with more reasons to invest in 2010, the number of investors generally increased. (199 words)
The traditional male role has changed with modernization. Discuss. You should write at least 350 words. (July 2016) In the prehistoric times, the stone age that is; the male figure played an important role in his family or even colony. In his family, the man would be the leader and this similarly applies to the colony he leaded as well. His job does not stop at being a leader. His duty is to put food on the table as well as to mate and create off springs. The woman’s job was to prepare meals, take care of the children and the household. Then, as centuries passed by, things slowly but gradually changed. The men did not need to hunt and look for food and did not have to mate with his partner to create many off springs. People become more sensible and food was easily available at your nearest grocery store. We see how the male role has changed here, thus, in my opinion; it is true that the traditional male role has changed with modernization. However, my stand on this topic is neutral because there are drawbacks too. We can all see how traditional male role has changed with modernization with the increasing trend of bachelors. A recent study conducted by the government shows that the numbers of bachelors have increased from the year 1997 till 2014. We are taught at such a young tender age from our parents and the media that we need to marry someone for the sake of our happiness. Shows like “Cinderella” and “Snow White” portray a false image on a “happily ever after” with “the one”. People were hoodwinked into thinking that it is necessary to get married an settle down with someone. This thinking, however is slowly depleting amongst members of society. Through modernization the ability to think further than what people or the media tells us, is there. Thus, we are able to justify
and accept that marriage is not a necessity. Men do not feel the need to marry anyone in this modern age, because they feel that marriage could affect their careers. We see a clear cut example of how the traditional male role has changed with modernization. Moving on, we can see how the traditional male role has changed with modernization through their roles as a household. Male patriarchy has definitely twisted how society perceives the role of women and men. It is a stereotype behavior to believe that the man is the only capable breadwinner in a family. We have been fed with such demeaning thoughts for as long as the human existence has been around. These “thoughts” however are biased because women are slandered and put in a spot where they are thought to be incapable to hold any forms of professional jobs. These “thoughts” have even made women believe that they themselves as well as other women are incapable of anything professional. Similarly, the men in households have been thought that it is feminine to do the jobs that women do. We can see that there are more “stay-at-home” dads, who gave up their jobs or work from the comfort of their homes to take care of their children. Men who help their wives this way are no longer shamed. Rather, they are celebrated amongst members of society, due to modernization. Similarly, with the change of the traditional male role through modernization, women do not feel the need or the necessity to have a male companionship. Through modernization, women have learnt that they can stand on their own two feet and do not have to depend on a man to get the job done. For instance, women who have previously been shunned out by men, being told that they are notable to do anything a man can do, do not believe it anymore. They do not want to play the role of the damsel in distress as they do not feel like they need help. The fact that the traditional male role emphasizes the need for man to constantly overpower women’s
rights, makes the modern women of today feel indifferent towards it. They do not see a point in marriage as they do not want to be tied down and do not find the need of companionship as they find it unnecessary as well. “What about children?”, one may ask. Through modernization, sperm banks are so easily available and accessible to women who are interested in conceiving. Thus, we see that the traditional male role is not as important as we once thought it was. However, like every good thing, there are drawbacks. It is true that the traditional male role has changed with modernization and allows people not to be tied down with marriage. On the contrary, this causes many people to engage in sexual acts with many people at the same time. What I mean by this is that, be it man or woman, a person could be sexually involved with multiple partners. Even though we live in a modern world and the topic of sex is so open, having sex with multiple people has so many negative and detrimental points to our physical and mental health. Physically, we could be infected by Sexually Transmitted Illnesses (STI’s). Some of these could be STI’s; could be herpes, chlamydia and even AIDS. These diseases is very detrimental to our health and can lead to death. Mentally, one can be affected by the emotional bullying from society. As Asians, we are constantly scrutinized even for the most minimal and prettiest of things. When it comes to open sex, people in the Asian culture do not simply accept such behavior, as it is shameful to engage in sexual acts with someone before marriage. And for those who have multiple partners and bring even more shame. They are shunned away from family and sometimes even friends and this could lead to loneliness and depression and severe depression can eventually lead to suicide.
So, in a nutshell, the traditional male role has definitely changed and even though the changes may be small, change is still change. However, this change has brought about negative behaviors; which could lead to unnecessary hassle as well as dangers to oneself.
