Women are Degraded In America
Women are Degraded In America
Women are Degraded In America
Women have been sidelined in the past as well as at the present. Degrading can occur in several ways. This issue of looking down upon women has been under great discussions. Some of the causes of this are the role of a woman in the society and her weak nature as stipulated by culture and religion. Society plays a great role in the oppression of women. Women have been socialized to be weak at all times and men to be strong and this has resulted to women segregation. Women have also suffered from discriminations in employment, politics, marriage, and media among others. Women degradation has been practiced way back in history as it is today though there are measures underway fighting for women's rights.
Why It Occurs and Why It Will Continue To Occur
The attitude and values that the society has placed in women has played a great role in its existence today and even in the future. For instance, the porning that exist in America shows the linkage that the society places on women and sex. Women are considered to be objects of pleasure (Isenberg 167). It is surprising to learn that what cartoons, magazines and even the pornographic films inform women that their only value is sexuality. The problem is lies on women because they accept to be misused. If they would refuse as one body then the problem would not be extensive as it is. For instance, in the porn industry, most directors, managers and even those who delight in watching them are women. The kind of jobs and the level of pay encourage the continuity of the problem (Barbara, 157). Mostly, women are not allowed to be in those positions that they can voice out their problems and for the few women activists that have tried to fight for themselves, little has been achieved.
Black women Degraded
The most affected group is the black women. In the African community in the United States it is the black woman that has suffered the more. They worked so hard in the farms, took care of the children and other house chores yet the man was left to have fun since he is the head of the family. In the history of America, the black woman is shown to have been the backbone of the success of most black institutions though the fruits were enjoyed by their husbands since they became the heads of the institutions. (Barbara, 158)
For along time black women were only allowed to take such jobs as nursing, and teachers yet such jobs as doctors, lawyers, and engineers were only reserved or men. Other jobs like driving a bus or working in a manufacturing firm or construction site were treated as a taboo. In addition, role of a woman in the church was not permitted. History also shows how innocently they were tricked into birth control through sterilization. This was a way of eradicating the black generation one by one. Poverty has also played a major role on the discrimination of the black American women. This has led women to give in to exploitation by sex hungry men. For the black race, females attribute most of their degradation to bitter memories of slavery, unemployment and their failure to attain education. Approximately 1,000 black women as reported by the U.S Department of Justice Reports, suffer from domestic violence. Most of these victims are in the bracket of twelve years (Barbara 157).
Effects of degradation on the black women and the black race in America
The self worth and self esteem has been destroyed in most women because of degradation. This goes way back to the time of slavery where young children and women were forced to work in the farms. This has pulled them backwards for ages, since they couldn't contribute much in the development in the country. Lack of equal educational opportunities is one of the contributing factors to their dragging in development. In the search of identity some have even left their culture and adopted the ways of the whites. Yet others show stronger hatred to the whites although it has also positively led to the fight for women liberation from degradation. Others have not been able to challenge themselves in the field of business (Waldron).
Reasons for women degradation
The way women are perceived and treated in many societies is based on several factors. Some of the reasons are based on Christianity where a woman is seen as the originator of sin on earth, following biblical account of creation and lives of Adam and Eve. St. Jerome said that a woman is the door of the devil and that she is the road where wickedness treads (AC 1). Women have also been seen to be the weaker sex and what men can do, women cannot do and if they do, no one believes that they can do better. When dealing with activities which need masculine power, women are usually sidelined. Men do not view such jobs like baby sitting, milking or cooking as worth involving. This is why they still discriminate women even in place of work. Unlike what men think, research show that women are able to endure pain much more compared to men. Women are also able to live for long when compared to men.
Another major reason which makes men degraded is that they say cultural constructions have confined women to the kitchen only. The motherhood roles have been a hindrance to many women especially in their pathways of career. Historical employment trends reveal that most women take up roles which are perceived to be related to kitchen and general housekeeping. For example most women will be employed to serve tea, general cleaning, secretaries, and other roles which are closely tied to motherhood. Still in motherhood, the bill of abortion shows that women are degraded because their lives are at risk. Owing to their biological roles, women are perceived to be dependant on men. In the past a man in America counted his wife and his children as objects and counted them as part of his properties (Isernberg 167).
The expectations put in place by the society of how a beautiful woman should look like is one of the reasons that have brought about the oppression of women. The norms which expect a woman to behave in a certain manner do not restrict a man over the same. A man has the freedom doing as he wishes yet the girl child or a woman has boundaries.
Areas of Discrimination
Politics
Women have been fighting so hard to be granted their rights of voting. They were granted voting rights in the past century, after centuries of degradation. In fact, American women have suffered fighting for voting rights. Some went as far as being jailed while other were physically tortured or divorced from their husbands. In the past, it was shocking to learn that the Government was more than willing to allow male slaves who had been released to vote but not women (AC 1). This led women to demand for their voting rights in a society claiming equality for all people.
In the past, American women were denied several rights including the right to be educated or to own property. Women were not granted the right to get employment. Today, women have been granted the right to education, ownership of properties, and others which in a way puts them on the same footing as men, although there is a lot to be achieved. The number of women in the parliament shows the fact that women are degraded even in leadership.
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