Effects of a Misogynistic Society on Women

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Effects of a Misogynistic Society on Women

Over the course of history, interactions between individuals from different races, sects, cultures, religious backgrounds and genders have become a key contribution towards helping to define current day society. These are the fine details that allow for an individual to distinguish between him or herself and others. Race, sects, cultures and religious backgrounds have led to ground breaking ideas such as multiculturalism and integration; however, they have also been the prime motivation for social illnesses such as racism and segregation. An ideal example of this would be the American society, in which, African Americans were racially attacked and mistreated because of their ethnicity and race. Likewise, women have also been victims of society as they are constantly targeted by sexism and misogyny; leading them to feel inferior to men in society. The novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hossieni is an excellent exemplar of this treatment. Hossieni introduces readers to two Afghani women, who are brought together as a result of their battle against sexism and misogyny which is present within their community. The analysis of this plotline and research from secondary sources helps to prove, that the premise that women within a misogynistic society are degraded is true and is reflected through discrimination within the education system, misrepresentation of women in the media and the categorization of stereotypes.

In Afghani society, women are victims of domestic violence, inequality and other types of abuse; however, the lack of education also takes an equal, if not greater toll than the abuse these women persevere through on a daily basis. Fortunately in the novel, Mariam and Laila...

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...th strangers. Women in misogynistic societies like, Afghanistan are also constantly categorized by stereotypes which allow men to expect certain behaviours from them such as only cooking or cleaning. In conclusion, misogyny within the education system, the media and marginalised stereotypes all negatively affect the way women are portrayed within the eastern and western world.

Works cited

Hosseini, Khaled. A Thousand Splendid Suns. New York: Riverhead Books, 2007. Print.

Prompt. "Newsvine - Bitches and Hoes - Exploring Misogyny in Hip-Hop." prompt - prompt.newsvine.com. 28 Feb. 2008. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. .

"UNICEF - Afghanistan - Statistics." UNICEF - UNICEF Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2010.

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