Look at the picture below..
When we think about laws regarding women, we always have to think about who is making each law. In a patriarchy, men are deciding what rights women have. Why aren't women in positions of power to decide what rights we should have?
[Web Drawing]. Retrieved from http://grassrooted.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/patriarchy.png
When we think about laws regarding women, we always have to think about who is making each law. In a patriarchy, men are deciding what rights women have. Why aren't women in positions of power to decide what rights we should have?
[Web Drawing]. Retrieved from http://grassrooted.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/patriarchy.png
Women make up 51% of the Population.
Women make up only 17% of Congress.
What's wrong here?
Women make up only 17% of Congress.
What's wrong here?
Patriarchy refers to a system in which men are the head whether in the government or in the family. Although women have the ability to hold government positions and to run their own families, America still functions as a patriarchal system with the expectation that men are the leaders. Patriarchal systems have always existed and the most popular religions around the world have kept them in tact. The fundamental beliefs in Christianity and Islam have made feminism a controversial issue and have led to contrasting views about what equality actually means within a religious framework. One qualitative investigation found that Muslim women were more likely to consider themselves feminists and reported that their religion supports feminist principles than Christian women (Ali et al., 2008). The question is still debated; can you be a feminist when you practice a religion that puts men closest to God and women in a primarily supportive role? It is always necessary to understand that each religion has members with moderate and more extreme views. In this case, considering mainstream beliefs in each religion, both Islam and Christianity are based on a patriarchal system and value women in a position of service to God and to the men in their lives. Although many interpretations are made of quotes from the Bible as many of the laws and rules mentioned are outdated. However, many exact quotes from Colossians and Ephesians tell women to submit to their husbands. This idea goes against the exact feminist ideology of equality in all areas. Slight differences appear in the Quran and the Bible for the role of women. However, in both, specific passages and lines give men greater power in marriages, sexual roles, and the after-life. Many studies have shown that within patriarchal systems women have found ways to live within the modern expectations of individuality while still following the religious expectations of subordination. As well, many Islamic activists argue that the return of women to wearing a veil is a sign of assertion rather than subordination (Ahmed, 1992). Many American women and feminists however consider the veil an obvious sign of male power over women’s sexual and personal freedoms. Religion and feminist ideologies remain extremely complex and conflicting. In order for women to have true social freedoms, we must have a deep understanding of the religious and other patriarchal systems in place that have fundamental beliefs putting women in a subordinate position to the role of men.
When the feminist movement began in the United States in the 1800s, women wanted political rights within a democracy. A democracy is meant to be a government run by the people and for the people. This means all people yet until recently many countries had what Inji Aflatun would call a “demi-democracy.” Gender roles, as explained previously, vary across every culture and country, which has clearly presented a problem to the progress of democratizing nations. In Inji’s work “We Egyptian Women,” she discusses how oppressive gender roles created throughout history leave women without any political sovereignty. Clearly a nation where one half of the people have no political rights cannot be deemed a true democracy. This theory shows how closely linked feminism and political theories are as most feminists in America have fought for rights within the current political system. Radical feminists however, assert that women will never fully be free until the current patriarchal system is destroyed. This has led to many of the disagreements and division within the women’s movement (McCann & Kim, 2010).
When the feminist movement began in the United States in the 1800s, women wanted political rights within a democracy. A democracy is meant to be a government run by the people and for the people. This means all people yet until recently many countries had what Inji Aflatun would call a “demi-democracy.” Gender roles, as explained previously, vary across every culture and country, which has clearly presented a problem to the progress of democratizing nations. In Inji’s work “We Egyptian Women,” she discusses how oppressive gender roles created throughout history leave women without any political sovereignty. Clearly a nation where one half of the people have no political rights cannot be deemed a true democracy. This theory shows how closely linked feminism and political theories are as most feminists in America have fought for rights within the current political system. Radical feminists however, assert that women will never fully be free until the current patriarchal system is destroyed. This has led to many of the disagreements and division within the women’s movement (McCann & Kim, 2010).
The absence of a man does not mean a family cannot run on it's own. A man does not make a family, as Toni says, it takes an entire community to raise a child. We cannot put all the power and control of how a family runs into the hands of the man because everyone plays a role in the well being of a child.
(2012, 08 27). Toni Morrison Challenges Patriarchy [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://antiintellect.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/toni-morrison-challenges-patriarchy/
(2012, 08 27). Toni Morrison Challenges Patriarchy [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://antiintellect.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/toni-morrison-challenges-patriarchy/