Combatting Sexist Oppression
Sexist oppression is the intersection of all systems of dominance that women face. It encompasses the forms of subjugation that predominate society, including racism, classism, colonialism, ableism, etc., and the societal structures that enable them to exist. As bell hooks notes, "feminism is the fight to end sexist oppression" (24). Dismantling sexist oppression is vital because it is at the epicenter of all repression and discrimination. Women cannot liberate themselves from the profound experience of sexism without addressing sexist oppression. In order to begin combatting this issue, humans must act to eliminate gender norms, violence against women, invisible labor, and promote female leadership and historical self-evaluation.
One of the most important actions that must be taken to end sexist oppression is the elimination of harmful stereotypes and social norms surrounding femininity. There are pervasive expectations ingrained in society about how women must think and behave. These constructs create a narrow definition of who women can be and perpetuate the marginalization of women who do not conform to the societal perception of femininity. This is also true for women's appearance. As Kathy Piess discusses in "Making Faces: The Cosmetics Industry and the Cultural Construction of Gender", the cosmetics industry defined beauty along lines of class and race (359). This created strict racially charged standards around what women must look like
Since the beginning of time women have been considered inferior to men, which seem to proceed to affect everyday lives of all social beings in this world. Women have a disease, a disease that will prevent them for ever having the political drive to achieve political, social or economic opportunities men have. This "disease" is the need for independency and self-respect or the lack there of. This is what we have come to know as feminism. Feminism refers to the body of thought on the cause and nature of women's disadvantaged and subordinate position in society, and efforts to minimize and eliminate the subordination (Hughes, 2002:160). Understanding that the need for independency and self-respect is not a real disease,
Martin Luther King Jr. once said “our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” However, I will not be silent. Sexism is a thing of the past, present, and future. Women have never been seen as equal to men. This idea and concept affect how women carry out their lives. Women may act different or speak different just based on society's thoughts about their gender. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and in today’s society it is clear that because of women’s perceived “weakness”, men now dominate women legally, physically and financially.
Since the beginning of civilization there have been beauty standards, but as time has gone on, they have continually evolved and changed into what they currently are now. What was once beautiful two hundred years ago may only be average or desired by some, whereas in the past that may have been the most popular look or body type. However for decade’s women put beauty to the side and focused on the evolution of their rights and equality, but now since they have attained many of the same rights as their male counterparts the importance of gender equality seems to be changing. Currently many women are resorting back to issues of beauty and looks because of the societal norms that have come to be popular and important to the masses.
While sexism is no longer as overt a practice as in the past, it is arguably just as pervasive. bell hooks’ life as an academic has been spent trying to breakdown the existent sexist barriers, which have prohibited women from achieving equality with men.
Through out history many would say that women have finally been liberated from the cruel injustice of the patriarchal society. Through Women’s suffrage to what seems to be an equal paying jobs now in society. Yet time and time again, society had fail to comply with the freedom that females deserve. Women’s population as a whole in a global aspect still to this modernized society are being looked down upon for their gender, believing that women are weak beings and are incapable of making logical decisions without the waiver of emotions. (Even after hundreds of years for society to become equal, on a global ideal, misogyny is still extremely alive integrated with our everyday lives.
The oppression of women has been brought into light in the recent years but it was the norm in many societies in early history especially in premodern east Asia. During that time, the roles of men and women in society were determined by great scholars that had the power to get their voice to be heard and set general rules in society. In China, scholars like Confucius, Mencius, and Mozi had great impact on the way people divided the roles between men and women. The overall oppression of women in premodern east Asia can be seen through quotes from great scholars about how women should be obedient to men, should not make important decisions in their families, and are not spoken of equally to men in society.
This week ‘s lecture content focused on Women and Sexist Oppression and it is something that has been a subject for centuries. Women all over the world are oppressed because of religion, politics, or even their male partners. It has caused Feminists to bloom, even more, some are too overbearing, and others are not overbearing enough. Society as a whole talk about how people should treat women better and how we can and will change things but still everything is the same because women have been unjustly held back from achieving full equality for much of human history in many societies around the world. Women face a series of oppressive social policies and role expectations, to be a woman in society today means you are constantly expected to live
“Then, and not until then, will there be the perfect comradeship, the ideal union between the sexes that shall result in the highest development of the race” (Susan B Anthony). Feminism has evolved into our society in a slowly but remarkably life-changing way. Since the beginning of time, men have been deemed superior over women for the anatomy of their bodies and intellectual abilities. In the 21st century, patriarchal abuse has lessened and may not be practiced by women anymore; however, feminist (women and men) are fighting against these controversial roles implemented to them by society and culture. Many have the urge to presume that a feminist is a stereotypical man-hating activist who believes all the troubles in the world are caused by men. Feminism is anything but a stereotype; in fact the definition of feminism is “the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.” Equality is the main aspect that ties feminist together through the hardships of the developing society. Feminist perspectives therefore challenge and explore patriarchal interests implemented in women’s ability to express themselves and the quality of their lives. Fundamentally, feminist analysis intends to closely examine how male dominance and female advocacy manifest themselves in specific angles of society. In the world of feminist analysis, according to Donald Hall, critics and theorists are
Throughout history, the role of woman significantly changed. Since the 1800’s, American woman who are housewives have changed from household eye candy to breadwinners. In earlier days, women were seen as women who were intended to cook, clean, and take care of the children. They were not allowed to vote while men could. The rise of feminism changed the role women plays in society forever. Feminism is the encouragement of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. Woman voiced one’s opinion which helped them get equal rights. In the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, she explored how women were not treated equally and the oppression of a woman by her husband was vastly common in the 1800’s. Gilman was also able to show how a woman was able to break out of the oppression of her husband with slow increments of change. In the play “A Doll House” by Henrik Ibsen, he explored how woman are not able to do all the things a man could and women were supposed to sit at home at the house looking like a pristine doll for one’s husband in the 1800’s. Ibsen also explored how a woman is also capable of taking care of herself and
Sexism is a type of discrimination which I feel is such a part of our culture that we often do not even recognize it and it is widely overlooked. Johnson (2013) suggests “we need to deal with the social roots that generate and nurture the social problems that are reflected in the behavior of individuals” (p. 335). Unquestionably, it becomes difficult to recognize, and therefore begin to change, that which is the social norm in our world; and yet, to do nothing perpetuates the problem of a patriarchal culture (Johnson, 2013).
Feminism is the belief in the social, economic, and political equality of the sexes. Although vastly arising in the West, feminism is embodied worldwide and is represented by various institutions committed to activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests (Burkett & Brunrll, 2018). To many individuals, feminism is a way to express their thoughts and opinions on certain political issues that often times do affect one sex more than it does the other, thus creating gender inequality. Throughout history, women have always been oppressed by the ‘dominant’ sex, males. However, thanks to feminism, feminist theories and theorists, the oppression has become lesser.
Throughout history, women been influenced to change themselves in order to be the person society expects them to be. This pressure that is exerted on women to change themselves is the result of expectations placed on them revolving around the idea that men are superior to women in almost every aspect of life. The concept of oppression on women has been so prominent in society that it has become commonly demonstrated in forms of literature, pop culture, and in the media. Overtime, these judgements of women have evolved to be less of an issue due to increasing advocation of women’s rights, but still hold to be relevant in today's society. Women are just as capable as men of being independent and valuable, but because the female gender is subjected
To make a gluten-free bread you need not only to steam those roughly chopped broccoli but also a forced destitute cook to strike them into a thick mixture. This might only be understood by women who are oppressed and under the mercy of society’s expectations. Throughout the years, women have been the subject of debate and controversy; especially after voicing their opinions about different priorities in different nations around the globe. With that being said, young women are still looked into as an art of Beauty and Purity; in other words Perfect but Oppressed! Why some young adult female are judged and oppressed by the society for stepping out of the ordinary? Why women are always the subject of debate? Why men aren’t judged by the
Feminist perspective developed with the ideology that women face large amounts of inequalities in a patriarchal society. They aimed to address and rid the social world of this oppression of women by men. According to Bishop, (2015) “oppression occurs when one group of people use different forms of power to keep another group down in order to exploit them. The oppressor uses the power; the oppressed are exploited” (p. 133-134). Oppression must be by individual experience and not grouped into being the same for all. This includes understanding the original ideology of feminist theory being critiqued as only considering the experiences of middle class, white women. That black women, of lower class experienced oppression much different from the other women. Women are oppressed, thus has to be understood in a different construct that women are similar in some sources, experience of oppression but also experience oppression very differently from one individual to another. Feminist theories have further been expanded do its continuation throughout society and decades to encompass many more issues and arenas than just men and women relationships. Now it seeks to understand and address oppression based on culture, race, class, etc and not only for women but for all. Therefore, Bishop (2014) outlines five components that seem common to all forms of oppression and serve to maintain its presence in society.
Sexual discrimination, sex based discrimination, gender discrimination or sexism is a type of prejudice or discrimination based on a person 's sex or gender usually by the opposite gender. Thus, it generally refers to discrimination against a male by a female or a female by a male. Feminism can therefore be considered a form of sexism. More often than not however, sexism is commonly applied to the unfair treatment of women, the denial of opportunity to women or an injustice towards women, which is how this paper will discuss the concept. This sexism or sex based discrimination stems from male chauvinism or the belief that the male gender is more superior than the female gender; androcentrism or the conscious or unconscious penchant to put things in the male perspective; machismo or the sense of masculine pride or patriarchy, a social system in which males are the primary authority figures. (Goode & Ben-Yehuda, 2010, p220-221)