Why Man Is A, but Woman Is Not-A - Essay Example

According to Nancy Jay, “[t]hat which is defined, separated out, isolated from all else is A, and pure. Not-A is necessarily impure, a random catchall, to which nothing is external except A, and the principle of order that separates it from Not-A.” Along the same lines, Judith Lorber states, “From society’s point of view one gender is usually the touchstone, the normal, the dominant and the other is different, deviant, and subordinate. In Western society ‘man’ is A, ‘woman’ is Not-A” (Lorber, J. 22).

Bri could not grasp the concept that his wife was independent, sharing the same responsibilities. With that, their marriage began to crumble. My personal feeling is his wife realized men have a historical, unfair advantage over women. Men are afforded a greater number of economic resources, such as quality education, and higher-paying job opportunities, as organizations tend to be “monopolized by men” (Lorber, J. 23). Based on my experience, I completely agree with Lorber, and I feel that my perception of Bri’s wife’s reasons for leaving is accurate. Bri’s wife was a very successful doctor; she did not want to give up her career and “do most of the domestic labor” (Lorber, J. 23). It is possible Bri and his wife could have negotiated, settling on a compromise that they would both be able to live with, but they failed to do so. Read More