Women Being Seen as Powerless Figures - Essay Example

English, Literature Women Being Seen as Powerless Figures The fight for gender equality for women isfar from over, that is despite having made significant steps especially in the last two centuries (Boulding 8). Notably, there are more women in positions of power, ranging from political scenes to corporates management, than there has ever been. However, the society has continued to portray and consider women as powerless figures. The battle ought to be shifted from the physical into the mind. The society is still stuck in a culture that seem to expect more from women than men in terms of social behavior .A woman is supposedly expected to behave and carry herself in a certain manner failure to which she is considered immoral and disrespectful. It is this same culture that has keep on emphasizing women to be incapable and thus despite women being in various leadership positions; they are normally under very tight scrutiny by the general public contrary to how society treat men. As a woman, this double standards by our society creates a great sense of discomfort and I can’t fail to express my anger and displeasure on how us as women are viewed ‘powerless figures’ and treated. There is a general under presentation of women globally, be it in government and/or corporate institutions; that is despite the population of women being more than that of men. Clearly stated, there is a patriarchal system that has continued to put women as if they are second-class and this explains for the kind of problems Women and girls face. In order to understand this typical culture, it is important to look at what the society expects from women? And what enhances and /or determines a person status /standing in society. First, let look at what enhances or determines a woman status? Unfortunately, the society has established ‘Looks’ as the defining factors for women. Well, I know you are asking, what about intelligence and money? But there is no refuting that the more good-looking a woman is, the more she is recognized and respected. Beauty has been equated to power. Interestingly, the same looks are necessary when finding a husband. We all know that beauty is superficial and natural and thus, society is strident in judging a woman by the very one factor that is predetermined by birth and can’t be influenced. This is how far society can go when it come to a woman. For men “Looks’ is just one of the many factors .A man’s power is viewed from a broader perspective and in case of any deficiency in one of these areas, he can make up for it ,since when it comes to men society is quick to change/adjust it criteria. Toni Morrison has well documented this bias chauvinism behavior by our society in her book titled “The Bluest Eye”. The story is around a young woman by name Pecola. Pecola considers herself to be ugly and unattractive because of the shade of her eyes and skin. The society around her abuses her and she develops inferiority complex forcing her to pray for Blue eyes because she believes it would make her beautiful and hence treated better. Her mother Paulina suffers from the same treatment, we are told that in her early age she strode on a nail as a result she developed a crippled foot. This made her feel unattractive and excluded by the society despite her being married by Breedlove. Consequently, Paulina takes solace in movies and tries to emulate the pretty actresses’ hair styles. Later, she begins to work for a white family in order to help her keep the illusion of being beautiful. Clearly, Pecola’s and her mother feelings are a reflection of how the society around her emphasized and used to define what beauty is. Furthermore, it goes to show how society insists on ‘looks’ when it come to a woman. Both Paulina and her daughter were seen as powerless individuals mainly because of the color of their skin but also because they were women. Zitkala-sa story “The cutting of my long hair” also alludes to this opinionated view on women. The story is about an Indian girl, who informs us that according to her mother, the cutting of hair is a symbol of coward and was mainly done to the captured enemy. Unfortunately, when the girl went to study, in what she describe as the land of apples, her hair is forcefully cut by the so-called “paleface woman” that was running the school. This action was symbolic in that she had become Powerless and a coward and was under the authority of the paleface woman. Symbolically, the paleface woman signifies “men” as we are told “I heard a man’s voice at one end of the hall” (Zitkala –sa 27) though at a second glance the girl caught up with the eyes of a paleface woman. It is intended to show how men takes the will power of women forcing them to adhere to their awkward rules and hence treating them as powerless figures who are only there to be admired. In addition, the story also reveals the discordant status that exists between our varied culture and background. Shifting our focus, let now ask ourselves what does the society expect from a woman? Basically, the society has created atypical image of how women are supposed to be. A woman is expected to be calm, courteous, gentle, caring and polite, never to raise her voice. Similarly, a woman’s body has constantly been objectified and sexualized .This start from a very young age, where us girls receives teachings and messages about how it is our responsibility to cover our bodies especially in front of boys. Society has defined typical dress code for women, specifically targeting girls’ necklines and hemlines. All this has been done without putting equal burden on boys/men. As a result, boys grow up thinking they own women and hence they view and treat them as powerless figures. It is seen as a custom for men to dictate women because the society has allowed it. In this regard and to help me develop and elaborate my case, let go back to Morrison narrative. Cholly that is Pecola’s father, who is a drunkard takes advantage of her very own daughter ‘Pecola’ and rapes her. According to Claudia, who is our story narrator, Cholly’s memory of him tickling his wife early in their marriage and his drunken start are the factors that contributed to the action. This is a clear parade of how society easily tries to lift the blame from men and puts it to other unforeseen causes. Regrettably, Pecolar’s pregnancy at the hand of her father causes her to be thrown out of school. Though the society condemns Cholly actions, some people still feel and think that Pecola is also to blame. Noticeably, Pecola’s story captures my above argument of how society teaches and emphasizes that it is a woman’s responsibility to keep her safe from the abuse of men. Again women are seen as powerless figures against discrimination and abuse. This is very hurting and unfair for us women. Further, Pecolar is brutally teased and is a victim of a light-skinned boy by the name Louis Junior, who the narrator is, quick to admit is resentful towards the dark skinned people. The teasing by boys is a symbolic illustration of how young and older women alike are considered powerless individuals, Such that men think and treat women as inferior. Similarly, Zitkala-Sa’s story also alludes to this fact. The Indian girl is uncomfortable and quick to note on the indecent code of wearing contrary, to what she was used to. As she noted “I looked hard at the Indian girls, who seemed not to care that they were even more immodestly dressed than I, in their tight fitting clothes” (Zitkala-sa 43). Precisely, this goes to show how it is the responsibility of a woman to mind what she wears but at the same time the society is quick to judge her on the same. Clearly put, society has robbed her will power and her freedom to decide rendering her powerless and hence ‘seen as powerless figure’. Basically, there need to be a radical education and sensitization of the society on this misgiving and harsh judgment on women in contrast to their male counterpart. There is also a need to shift the battle for gender equality from the physical into what is in the mind. Despite, making progress in gender equality on the physical and celebrating the increase in numbers of women in leadership position; much still need to be done because those women are still facing discrimination and abuse from those around them. Personally, it is hurting and demoralizing to know that the society out there treats me differently not because of my achievement or intelligence but because I am a woman. Luckily, many women, like me, have learned to overcome this preset handles and have ushered themselves to the world of freedom. However, for some like Pecola it gets worse and they may end up becoming insane and the entire world closing out on you. Also, some are demoralized and changed for worse just as it happened to the Indian girl after her long hair was cut, she lost her spirit. Finally, it is imperative to remind ourselves that women are the backbone of the very same society that has been cruel to her and the only transformative solution to all these can only be birthed and advanced by women. Though it is a collective responsibility, nevertheless, women seem to want a change and hence work towards the change. It all starts by how they bring up the boy child and the values they instill on him to ensure he grows to respect and protect women. Similarly, the girl child needs to be empowered and treated as equal to their male counterpart .It is a balancing act that is driven by determination and vision for gender equality. Works Cited Boulding, Elise. The Underside of History: A View of Women Through Time. Boulder: Westview Press, 1976. Print. Toni, Morrison. “The Bluest Eyes” .United state 1970, pp224 Zitkal-Sa. ”Cutting of my Long hair”. ‘American Indian stories: the school days of an Indian Girl’. 1921 Read More