Knowledge gained from education can bring the change of stereotypes in women lives. In English language any feminine words have implicit meanings from stereotypes and these implicit meanings define and limit the property of women. Allen Pace Nilsen the author of “Sexism In English : Embodiment And Language” has the opinion that: education can change the stereotypes for women to remove the certain definition and limitation of women properties. English words give women many passive and sexy properties to women especially Latina women. Judith Ortiz Cofer, the author of “The Myth Of The Latina Women: I Just Met A Girl Named Maria” stated that receiving a good education can sufficiently help Latina women to change their sexual property from the …show more content…
Judith said that “But the myth of the Hispanic menial--the funny maid, mispronouncing words and cooking up a spicy storm in a shiny Carlifornia kitchen-- has been perpetuated by the media in the same way that “Mammy” from the Gone with the wind became America’s idea of black woman for generations”(311). Many Americans think that Latina only receive very low education and skills training so that they can only do some menial and domestic jobs such as waitress and worker in factories. And this stereotype define the property of Latina that they have the lowest social position and career choice generation by generation. Not only Latina are treated unfairly , but stereotypes contained in English Language also limit the property of all the women around the world. Nelsen pointed that “Etiquette books used to teach that if a woman had Mrs. In front of her name, then the husband’s name should follow because Mrs. is an abbreviated form of Mistress and a woman couldn’t be a mistress of herself”(154). Mrs is an abbreviated form of Mistress which can show the respect and social position, but women can’t have this right to be the master of themselves, so they must use their husband name to show women are only the accessory of their
Six chapters form the core of the book. In “Women, Marriage and the Family,” the author gives specific consideration to the ideologies of gender apparent in the Church and family law, contrasting the traditions of Latin America’s different socioracial groups and economic classes. The chapters “Women and Work,” “Women and Slavery,” and “The Brides of Christ” offer summaries bolstered by statistics and specific examples of the choices and criticisms that determined the standards of women’s lives in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. For example, in “Women and Work”, Socolow writes, “Female silk spinners were so numerous in Mexico City that in 1788 they were allowed to organize their own guild” (115). She compellingly contends that sex was the most important element determining a person’s standing in society: “race and social class were malleable; sex was not”
Media is the largest and most influential resource in the world. People learn more from media than any other resource. However media can be very dangerous. Media often degrades and misrepresents women. Girls get the message from early on that what is most important is how they look. No matter what a woman accomplishes, her self-worth and value will always rely on appearance. Media devalues women through music, video games, television/film, even women in politics are undermined. Most of the time, women are stereotyped into being perfect people with silky hair, perfect teeth, incredibly skinny bodies, etc. Media tends to reinforce these stereotypes as that is not a true representation of actual women.
There are a couple different stereotypes presented in this text. One of the more prominent stereotypes throughout the book is the reliance of women on men. In the vignette “Marin”, there is a young girl who is waiting to get married to her boyfriend in Puerto Rico. She thinks being young and beautiful will solve all her problems. In the last paragraph of the vignette, Esperanza says about Marin "Marin... Is waiting for a car to stop, a star to fall, someone to change her life." This shows both how Marin, by waiting for a man, is losing her already limited possibilities and, she is relying on a man in order to make her life better. The second stereotype I found within this text was also connected to gender roles. In Alicia
Sexism is the ideology that maintains that one sex is inherently inferior to the other. Sexism or discrimination based on gender has been a social issue for many years; it is the ideology that one sex is superior or inferior to the other. Sexism does not only affect females, but also males. Men are very often victimized by social stereotypes and norms based on gender expectations. Sexism has appears in almost all social institutions including family, the media, religion, sports, the military, politics, and the government. However, although both genders are affected, men have benefited from sexism the most (Thompson 300-301.)
Cofer, Judith Ortiz. "The Myth of the Latina Woman." Bullock, Richard, Maureen Daly Goggin and Francine Weinburg. The Norton Field Guide to Writing. Ed. Marilyn Moller. 3rd. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2013. 806-812. Print.
Latina women have long been known for their passion, their sexuality, and their skills in housekeeping. It's a lucky man that finds himself married to a Latina: her fiery personality will never prove boring, and the house will always be spotless! Never mind that this isn't necessarily true, this is how they've been portrayed by television programs, radio, and word of mouth, so there must be something to it, right? Stereotypes often occur out of ignorance, be it for another group’s style, traditions, or history. If there's a way to group people, there's a stereotype pertaining to them, and stereotypes can provide a sharper cut than any blade. Three examples of this follow: the first cut targets a sole Latina, next, a slice into Irish ideals, and finally, a brutal stab into the heart of the Mexican perspective.
In several cultures, women are seen as archetypes more than men. The proposition of women are instantly idealized and glorified and instantaneously ignore the true complexity of a woman. Countless of these superficial images can be seen across various cultures where the societies within these cultures define what it means to be a female and what type of behavior is and isn’t acceptable within those parameters. The persistent restatement of these stories throughout these generations reinforces the gender system. Women who step out of the norm in these societies are then held punishable for their actions. Alicia Gaspar de Alba pinpoints the three archetypal roles that are given to the women in the Mexican and Chicana cultures. These are, “the mother, the virgin, and the whore.”) (51). These ideologies preserve that all women are determined by these social roles. These roles can easily become an unsustainable way to coexist, as in the image of the “Virgin Mother,” can be seen as opposites with the whore. This demands a division of the perpetual binary. Due to this, women must continually strive to mold themselves to uphold standards that may seem impossible, which then leads into the suppression of their sexuality.
It can be hard for a latina woman to be taken seriously in an education based profession. Stereotypes and unfair inferences are the cause of such hardships. The ethnic studies professor at Washington State University, Carmen R. Lugo-Lugo is no exception. She faces many obstacles a latin professor likely would face while teaching students about ethnic studies. The majority of professors students encounter are often white males. Lugo-Lugo realizes this and makes countless attempts at showing her colleagues and students that she is at their level. She writes many articles about her area of expertise. What she focuses on is society's views of race, sexuality, gender and culture. In the article “A Prostitute, a Servant, and a Customer Service Representative: a Latina in Academia” the author Carmen R. Lugo-Lugo demonstrates usage of ethos, pathos and logos to persuade her audience to be more culturally
“Sexism is an oppression that is hard to avoid, as it is difficult to rid ourselves of the social institutions of gender that we have been taught at a very young age (“Sexism in Society”).”
Moreover, she feels that the "U.S society is gendered and racialized: it expects certain behavior from women, certain bearings from men, certain comportment from queer mujeres, certain demeanor from queer hombres, certain conduct from disabled, and so on"(65 Anzaldua).
In the story "Woman Hollering Creek" Sandra Cisneros discusses the issues of living life as a married woman through a character named Cleofilas; a character who is married to a man who abuses her physically and mentally .Cisneros reveals the way the culture puts a difference between a male and a female, men above women. Cisneros has been famous about writing stories about the latino culture and how women are treated; she explain what they go through as a child, teen and when they are married; always dominated by men because of how the culture has been adapted. "Woman Hollering Creek" is one of the best examples. A character who grows up without a mother and who has no one to guid and give her advise about life.
Cofer states that “It is a one-dimensional view that the media have found easy to promote. In their special vocabulary, advertisers have designated “sizzling” and “smoldering” as the adjectives of choice for describing not only the foods but also the women of Latin America”(110.) This helps explain that part of the blame for the reason why people associate certain things with Latinas is the media. You will often find that the hispanic roles in movies or television shows portray a stereotypical character of a Latina for the entertainment of their audience. “Another facet of the myth of the Latin woman in the United States is the menial, the domestic-Maria the housemaid or counter girl...the funny maid, mispronouncing words and cooking up a spicy storm in a shiny California kitchen-has been perpetuated by the media”(Cofer 112.) This is also creating the misinterpretation that all Latinas are uneducated. Most Latinas, like myself are attempting to get a higher education and by society assuming they aren't trying to get a higher education is belittling all of their efforts. “Since I do not wear my diplomas around my neck for all to see, I have on occasion been sent to that “kitchen” where some think I obviously belong”(Cofer 112.) Cofer also helps explaing that if Latinas do not prove that they are educated everyone will automatically assume that they are not. To have this type of mentality is very ignorant, because a race
The idea that a woman’s job is to be a wife and mother is old-fashioned, but not completely out of style. Though these roles require a great deal of talent, resilience, patience, love, and strength, to name a few, they are often underestimated or depicted as simple. Especially in modern times, many women in the United States who stay home to raise a family are viewed as anti-feminists, whereas women in Latin America are not criticized for similar actions. In recent decades, more Latin American women have started to break the mold, daring to be both sexy, and successful in the workforce, while remaining pillars of domestic life.
The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria, an essay written by Judith Ortiz Cofer, discusses the racial stereotypes Cofer struggles with as a Latin woman who travels across America. Throughout her life, Cofer discusses her interactions with people who falsely misjudge her as a Latin woman. Additionally, Cofer mentions other Hispanic women she has met in her life, who also suffer with racial assumptions. Although several people would disagree with Cofer and claim that she is taking racial remarks too seriously, racial stereotyping is a significant issue that should not be overlooked in our society. People should not base someone’s worth by their outward appearance or their ethnic background.
The issue of gender inequality will never truly be solved in the United States. This arises from differences in socially constructed gender roles as well as biologically through hormonal differences, chromosomes, and brain structures. Gender inequality is defined as unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on gender. One of the reasons for gender inequality is income disparities. Another reason is because of the positions in the workplace. Thirdly, the reason is because of beliefs that one another has. For these reasons is why these situations should be examined to get to the root of the problem.