Women Empowerment: Achieving Gender Equality in the Publishing Industry - Essay Sample

Introduction

Women empowerment refers to approaches undertaken to accept and permit women to participate in the policy-making process, such as in political, economic, social, and formal decision-making spheres. Many human rights groups, like Women in Publishing (WiP), founded in London, aims to support the position of women employed in the publishing industry and associated businesses. Females before the 19th century received minimum education, causing the publishing industry to consist of more males on all levels. Women only contributed through motivation instead of actively getting involved in the production, edition, and publishing, among other activities. However, women's participation in the publishing industry has increased over the years. The purpose of this paper entails the examination contributions of women in the publishing industry.

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Historically, female authors had to employ male pseudonyms to publish and market their work. Emily Bronte had to use the male pseudonym Ellis Bell to publish her celebrated classic novel Wuthering Heights. Her two sisters Anne and Charlotte Bronte, used male pseudonyms Acton and Currer Bell to publish their works (Homans, pp. 27-43). Emily, Anne, and Charlotte's father, a priest, also engaged in publishing in Britain. The three sisters published a poetry book named Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton. Emily developed her literary talent in Haworth, where her father worked as a perpetual curate. Emily lost her mother and two siblings. The death of Emily's siblings might have occurred due to unsatisfactory conditions in the school they attended, which formed the foundation of Charlotte's work Jane Eyre (Homans, pp. 27-43). Emily and her siblings received minimal education. However, they had access to a variety of publications like Sir Walter Scott, Shelley, Byron, and Blackwood's Magazine.

Emily and her sisters began writing tales involving soldiers and heroes in fantasy worlds. Few of Emily's work as a child still exists. The four siblings engaged in developing fiction stories about a world they named Angria. After that, Anne and Emily started writing about another world they called Gondal (Homans, pp. 27-43). Emily wrote about romanticism and noble savagery during her childhood, such as the Life of Alexander Percy that narrates an all-consuming, immortality, and self-destructive love that ultimately heartened the publication of Wuthering Heights.

Emily proceeded to become a teacher and hoped to open a school with her sisters. However, the dream never matured. Emily and Anne rewrote their childhood poems while Charlotte drafted her poetry, which they later published together as Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell (Homans, pp. 27-43). The three sisters used male pseudonyms in which Charlotte became Currer, Emily became Ellis, and Anne used Acton. Charlotte referred to their pseudonym male names in the Biography Notice of Ellis and Acton Bell as dictated by the fact that at the time their existed male chauvinism and that female author got victimized.

Conclusion

Although it has taken many decades and efforts to empower women in the publishing industry, contemporary women publishers have a better opportunity to excel. Early female publishers had to use pen names to get recognition from the public, such as Emily Bronte. However, modern time female publishers have the chance to dominate the publishing industry since they do not need to use male pseudonyms. Through the history of the publishing industry, women have persistently contributed to the literature world, although women receive less recognition from their efforts. Therefore their literary works need renaissance and retrieval.

Work Cited

Homans, Margaret. "Emily Bronte." Victorian Women Poets. Routledge, 2017. 27-43. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781315293738/chapters/10.4324/9781315293738-2