Remnants of Misogyny Today - Essay Example

Modern Misogyny Since the time of creation woman has been scorned by man, blamed for hardship, and punished for being a member of a gender. Misogyny, the hatred of women, is threaded throughout our religion and mythology. It permeates our history and our culture. Our system of law, economics, and science is based in misogyny. Though it may manifest itself in the most severe forms as violence against women, it is often not that blatant. While a serial rapist would certainly be seen as a misogynist, the male attitude of sexual dominance in any relationship echoes with the same violence. Our status, politics, educational systems, and advertising are littered with the not so subtle remnants of misogyny. Though the new feminism has fought to correct these notions of prejudice and scorn, we must wonder if any progress has been made. A daily newspaper, a television show, or a pop recording will reveal the undercurrent of misogyny that flows beneath the sea of women's rights. Religion and mythology have been the most ardent perpetrators of misogyny throughout history. In the biblical story of the Garden of Eden, Eve is blamed for Adams's downfall. According to Dr. Gary Macy, professor of theology at the University of San Diego, during the Middle Ages the Catholic Church used its power, ancient texts, and the rewriting of canon law to "make misogyny an official part of church doctrine" (Rigby). Women were not only barred from the priesthood, but Macy adds that canon law "expressly forbid any woman from serving as a ruler, politician, or judge because of the fact that women were too stupid to understand the law" (qtd. in Rigby). This attitude of misogyny has lasted through the centuries as we see the under-representation of women in positions of corporate, political, and public leadership. The Catholic Church did not have a monopoly on misogyny in history. One of the most brutally misogynist religions has been Islam. Aristotle viewed women as defective, void of shame, false of speech, and inferior to the male. His writings influenced later Muslim theologians and Arab philosophers. According to Hashmi, the difference between pre-modern misogyny and modern Islam is difficult to discern and notes that, "There is hardly any difference between the misogynic expositions by Aristotle and a village mullah1 in Bangladesh". The Taliban in the Afghanistan region have exemplified this doctrine and the status of Islamic women in Saudi Arabia has also suffered under these beliefs. The misogyny that infiltrates the world's religions has been a "Pandora's Box" for politics. The US democratic form of government has offered little protection. When first formed in the 18th century, women had no more rights outside the churches than within them. The witch trials had confirmed men's suspicions of a woman's power and were reluctant to share their God given domain of rule. Women could not vote, own property, or participate in the economy. They could not hold public office. To date there has not been a woman President or Vice-President. Nancy Pelosi became the first female to become Speaker of the House in spite of her gender. Women make up 50% of the voting public, yet they hold less than 10% of the Congressional seats and only 1% of the Senate ("Minorities and Women"). Once misogyny was released from the box, it became a difficult task to put it back in its place. Centuries of legitimized misogyny have also infected the economic system. We hear of the 'glass ceiling' and the wage disparity between male and female workers performing the same duties. What is often overlooked are the subtler ways that the misogynist attitudes affect women. In our education system we have recently heard a Harvard University President propose that, "because Harvard draws only from the very top, it would be understandable that very few women would be found there" (Nelson). The misogyny in the Universities works its way into the boardrooms and decision-making processes of our economy. The public's lack of concern for equal education, wage disparity, and childcare has placed a glass ceiling over all women's heads, not just senior executives. The male dominated world of business is always ready to use our misogynystic attitudes to sell products. Misogyny is based in fear and insecurity. Advertisers play on these emotions and exploit the human psyche. The subservient sexual role of women has been exploited since advertising first discovered that it could be used to sell products. After all, misogynystic attitudes have left men with a lower standard for sexual criteria than women. Women are used by advertisers to lure men into products and in doing so marginalize the female. Men are also encouraged to remain dominant, buy the bigger truck, and express their dominance over the weaker sex. Women are portrayed as the keeper of the home, buyer of the soap, and the servant of the family. Nowhere is misogyny more openly expressed than in our pop culture. Video games, Internet pornography, and Hip-Hop music are the poster children for modern misogyny. They brutalize and subjugate women to a predominately male audience. This is not the timid blues and rock-and-roll music that parents feared in past decades. These pop icons are having a lasting effect. According to the RAND Corporation, a non-political research group, "teenagers who spent more time listening to music with lyrics that objectify women or praise men [...] were more likely to become sexually active earlier in their youth" (Paulson). Hip-Hop is now used to sell everything from cognac to Big Macs (Kiley). Misogyny has left such a stain on our culture that we may never come clean. Ever since the tale of the temptation of Eve, woman has been looked at with suspicion. The feelings inundate our religion, politics, music, and products. It has taken more silent and stealth forms than the usually perceived beating of women. Yet, many women feel the agony of a degraded status and limited opportunities no less than a violent outburst. If we are to rid our society of these brutal tendencies, we need to examine their roots and recognize its existence in all its forms. Eve may have started it and Pandora may have continued it, but it is up to each of us to put our own small piece of misogyny back into the box. Works Cited Hashmi, Taj. "Popular Islam and Misogyny: A Case Study of Bangladesh." Freethinkers. 15 Mar. 2006. 21 Feb. 2007 . Kiley, David. "Hip Hop Two-Step Over Product Placement." BusinessWeek Online 6 Apr. 2005. 21 Feb. 2007 . "Minorities and Women in the 109th Congress." Infoplease. 2007. Pearson Education. 21 Feb. 2007 . Nelson, Donna J. "Harvard President's Comments Demonstrate Need for Commitment to Equality for Women in Science and Technology." National Organization for Women. 21 Jan. 2005. NOW. 21 Feb. 2007 . Paulson, Amanda. "Misogyny - Set to Music - May Alter Teen Behavior." Christian Science Monitor 98.177 (2006). EBSCO. 21 Feb. 2007. Rigby, Jeff. "Speech examines misogyny's impact on Catholic Church." Gonzaga Bulletin 15 Apr. 2005 [Spokane, WA] . 21 Feb. 2007 . Read More