“Equality is not a concept. It's not something we should be striving for. It's a necessity. Equality is like gravity. We need it to stand on this earth as men and women, and the misogyny that is in every culture is not a true part of the human condition. It is life out of balance, and that imbalance is sucking something out of the soul of every man and woman who's confronted with it. We need equality. Kinda now.” Feminism is defined as being the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. Unfortunately, this term carries a very negative connotation amongst nations worldwide, including the Western world. Feminists are generally stereotyped as being extreme man hating, hairy legged lesbians who go to protests and shove their beliefs down peoples throats, these stereotypes are far from reality. The truth of the matter is, anyone who believes in political, social, and economic gender equality and who wishes to break the traditional female roles is, in fact, a Feminist.
In an article by Deborah Tannen, called “His Politeness is Her Powerlessness”, two psychologists are asked what “being very polite” means. The man said, “Subservience.” The woman said, “Sensitivity.” Both of these experts were correct with their answers, but they were both describing the view of being very polite from the two different genders. Men and women tend to have different views on how to handle everyday life situations. Even when it boils down to small tasks such as simply asking a question. Men tend to be demanding, especially when speaking to their wives or other close family members. Whereas women are more indirect when asking questions. For example, if a woman wants her husband to cook dinner for a change she might say something to the effect of “Wow! Cooking dinner can get so tiring sometimes and I’ve had such a long day!” therefore hinting to their husbands that the would prefer not to cook that night. Whereas men in most cases would state that they were hungry and they wish that their wife prepares a meal. This may not be true for everywhere in the world, such as small villages in various African countries it is normal that the women are more direct and men are more indirect and rather vague. The point of the matter is, no matter the social norm for women, their style seems to always be seen as lower in status as men’s.
Always Tampons created a short video called “Like A Girl” to bring up the question of the very common, yet insulting phrase “Like A Girl” and what exactly people believe it means. They first asked adults and young adults to “run like like a girl”, “fight like a girl”, and “throw like a girl”. They all did so in the stereotypical way which included flailing their arms around in an enfeebled fashion and complaining about messing up their hair. They then asked young girls to do the same tasks in which they performed in a tough and passionate way. When they asked these girls what it meant to them to “run like a girl” they said “To run as fast as you can.” At what point in life does it become clear to young females that how they do something will always be weaker than the way that a male does the same thing? And when did doing something “like a girl” become an insult? We all grow up believing that women are somehow weaker than men. Statistically, that notion may be correct but when we grow up believing that women are physically weaker than men, then we, in turn, end up thinking they are weaker in every way.
In 2014, Actress Emma Watson was made UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. At the launching of a new campaign “HeForShe” she gave a speech on Feminism. In her speech she talks on the whole spectrum of Feminism and how it is often unrightfully associated with “man hating” and assumptions about Feminists and their ideals. Most people view feminists as being too aggressive and over-opinionated, only caring about being “anti-men”. Although Western Civilization doesn’t struggle to the extreme that many other countries in the world do with gaining gender equality, no nation in the world can say they have achieved this social standby. Somebody needs to fight for the rights of women in places in which they can not do so personally. But what most people don’t realize is that man are also imprisoned by unfair gender stereotypes. Men are seen to be the stronger and braver of the genders and they must always appear powerful and remain unmoved by women. Watson states “If men don’t have to control, then women don’t have to be controlled.” We need to strive for a world where male and female stereotypes are less black and white, but gray on a shared spectrum. If women are allowed to be strong, then are allowed to show weakness. Because at the end of the day, we are all human and we are all vulnerable.
Equality is a necessity if we all wish to strive for a fairer and more just world and society. All of these examples show the saddening social norms of gender stereotyping which must be acknowledged by all to move our world in a more positive direction. The fact is that right now, women are seen as inferior to men in every single country in the modern world and it’s going to take a lot to break this powerful norm. If women are allowed to be strong, then are allowed to show weakness. Because at the end of the day, we are all human and we are all vulnerable. But we should all be allowed to reach a higher level of success without our gender being the deterrent.
No comments:
Post a Comment