Caryl Churchill has explored such issues in her works mainly pertaining to the position of women in male-dominated societies. Indeed, some of her works utilize various plot structures to harness support for the improvement of the position of women in society while some attempt illustrate women’s vain struggle against oppressive patriarchal agents. The main concerns of the play are the empowerment of the upper class patriarchal agents as well as the repression of women which is everlasting in the societies ruled by patriarchs. Here, Churchill’s mission is to make an attempt to dismantle the patriarchal ideas which has made women’s repression commonplace. Keywords: Women’s oppression, Stereotypical witches, Patriarchy, Capitalism, Different class levels “A society is patriarchal to the degree that it promotes male privilege by being male dominated, male identified, and male centred.
However, African American women have an added dimension to their struggle. In addition to the gendered nature of violence, they must also contemplate the effect that reporting violence may have on the black community in which they live. Commonly, black women are asked to ignore their own needs as women and focus on the needs of the community. Cooperating with authorities against black men can result in community abandonment because of the perception that black men are selectively penalized. Black women know the experience of living in an oppressed community.
Effects of the Media on African American Women Being an African American woman I have had firsthand experience on how the media has portrayed both an unconstructive and encouraging image of us. African American Women casted, in too roles to play as characters in the movies as well as on television are more often than not portrayed in an unflattering roles. All women have been stereotyped in one way or another, but African American Women have been stereotyped by other races as well as our own. Now in these recent years we have been breaking down barriers showing everyone that African American Women are not what you think we are we are better. Unfortunately there are a great deal of troublesome images that are being shown about women in the African American community that has absorbed into their psychological mind.
Rap lyrics today is very degrading, the lyrics encourages a disrespectful response to our young women and sway our young men into domestic abuse, alcohol abuse and drug use. Most people, older men and women are totally against the derogatory language used in these lyrics. Armstrong (2001) conducted a content analysis of 490 rap songs from 1987 to 1993, in which 22% contained lyrics featuring violence against women including assault, rape and murder. His study classified rap songs into different categories in which rappers either pride themselves on sex acts appearing to harm women, justify other acts of violence, warn women who challenge male domination that they will be assaulted, and/or seem to invite male violence against women (Armstrong, 2001). Weitzer and Kubrin (2009) conducted a follow-up study analyzing the portrayal of women in 403 rap songs through a content analysis, in which themes of derogatory naming and shaming of women; sexual objectification of women; distrust of women; legitimation of violence against women; and celebration of prostitution and pimping appeared at the greatest frequency.
"The Yellow Wallpaper" motivated the female mind of creativity and mental strength through a patriarchal order of created gender roles and male power during the nineteenth century and into the 20th century. While John represented characteristics of a typical male of his time, the yellow wallpaper represented a controlling patriarchal society; a sin of inequality that a righteous traitor needed to challenge and win. As the wallpaper deteriorates, so does the suppressing affect that male hierarchy imposed on women. Male belief in their own hierarchy was not deteriorating. Females began to think out of line, be aware of their suppression, and fight patriarchal rule.
This is evidence that the women in this part of the world are oppressed and abused. What kind of civil people would legalize rape and deny women basic rights that men have. Religion and culture is not excuse to treat people inhumanly. The women of this culture have suffered horribly because of this law. Source G talks about the daily struggle of a woman living under the Taliban regime.
Armaan Mahmood 13T Discuss Atwood’s presentation of female characters in the Handmaid’s tale Atwood presents female characters as being oppressed slaves who are subject to sexual abuse and violation from the various male individuals. They are portrayed as characters who have an extremely scarce amount of freedom within a dystopian future. Due to this lack of freedom the novel consists of recurring themes such as an attempt to regain freedom and a constant power struggle. The idea of dehumanisation is another theme which is vividly portrayed by Atwood in terms of how her female characters are made to reproduce in order to stand a chance of surviving. Atwood presents the female characters as being both oppressed and dehumanised through how their freedom being stripped from them.
I will explore the contradictions in the way that David behaves towards and views women and his inability to reconcile himself to his daughter’s passive acceptance of her rape. Disgrace is set in the post apartheid period in South Africa, which as well as giving equal rights in respect of race, also introduced equal rights in respect of gender and sexual orientation in law. Violence increased in South Africa during this period and sexual violence was prevalent with young South African women likely to be raped twice in her lifetime. (Classic Notes on Disgrace - 2006). Disgrace illustrates, through David Lurie’s attitudes and actions and the rape of his daughter, that the reality for sex and gender relations was a long way from equality for women in South Africa.
In Donna Smyth’s short story Red Hot, it is proclaimed that patriarchism, in a democratic society, not only encourages male empowerment leading to physical or verbal abuse of women, but also proliferates the vulnerability of women across culture, media and generations. To demonstrate various effects of this issue, Smyth presents Red Hot in a fragmented storyline, which revolves around the central story of Jane Stafford’s trial to address the constant patronization of women in media, in adult entertainment and in private homes. Furthermore, Smyth’s constant referrals to the violent erotic video, featuring physical abuse of a woman, and the condescending male figures strongly depict the tendency of male dominated society to impose masculinity over women for the fulfillment of its needs. Therefore, as the fundamental element of patriarchism, masculinity promotes corruption of men’s nature leading to chaotic violence and vulnerability strained upon women. As suggested by Smyth, patriarchal masculinity exploits the very essence of democratic freedom, allowing men to claim “In the privacy of my own home I can do what I want.” (533.27.7-8).
Feminist position on prostitution and pornography Psychology and women In the world full of incentives for the promotion of prostitution as well as pornography one should keep a strict eye on how to treat such features right. In fact, feminist trend in supporting the rights of women to show their position equally to men touches upon every field of activities and such prohibited as prostitution and pornography as well. It is vital, then, to evaluate what opinions of feminists should have to do with the opinion that pornography manifests men’s superiority and supremacy. On the other hand, one can guess eventually either a woman wants to follow this way of life herself or she was humiliated and enforced to be on the streets or to star in pornography. The feminist position on female prostitution and pornography is quite categorical, because there is no utter male supremacy in these two fields of activities.