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Socio-cultural expectations on women
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Law is a tool, a tool of resistance, power, or even oppression. In many women’s experience with the law, the law exists as a tool of oppression. Internationally, across many states like Ohio itself, a husband can legally rape his wife if his wife is subdued by drugs, or any substance that lesser her chances of resistance and encourages consent (Allen, 2015). Across many legal institutions, and systems a woman suffers from discrimination or oppression due to her ‘multiple identities’ (Lockhart & Mitchell, 2010). Legal institutions and their processes overlook and ignore the experiences of people, in particular women who are subjected to dimensions of “race, class, gender and sexuality… in relation to their struggle against racial, sexual, sexual orientation and class oppression” (Lockhart & Mitchell, 2010). Law and legal processes hardly examine other characteristics of women because these institutions are centred on “objectivity and universalism” (Marchetti, 2008); only one characteristic or experience is examined to determine the outcome of a case. The objective of this essay is to explore the intersectionality of women and how it has come to be the forefront battle for equal rights for women. This essay will also look into how and why legal processes and law centre their …show more content…
It is conditions of women of colour and their compound identity with race and gender that make experiences and incidents of domestic violence, rape and medical assistance not the same as white women (Crenshaw, 1991). Structural intersectionality can be illustrated by the battering of women. It is important to recognize that not all battered women are the same; it depends on views of domestic violence, services available, worldviews of the world, and the intersectionality of different cultural classes (race, age, sexuality, class, citizenship status) that help define a women (Danis & Bhandari, 2010) and her experience of
Remember to always be aware of who you are, and that as a woman, I would face many challenges in society. In my youth, much of these family discussions were passing conversation until I reached late high school and early university days that I realised my challenges and disadvantages of being a female. For the first time in my life, university opened my eyes to the true meaning of misogyny, and how little female influence there was in the university systems, and in the workplace surrounding me. The older I became, the more exposed I was to the lack of diversity and equality women experienced, and I for one became a part of that as well. Drawing from the reading by Kimberle Crenshaw, she spoke about the antidiscrimination laws and how black female bodies’ experiences are not taken seriously in society, it captured my attention with relation to the intersectionality struggles I attempt to conquer on daily, religious basis. She is quoted saying in relation to the laws regarding black female bodies that, ‘antidiscrimination doctrine essentially erases Black women’s distinct experiences and, as a result, deems their discrimination complaints groundless.’(Crenshaw, 1989). Although this quote speaks of the black female body experience in law specifically, which is my personal story, I can draw points and information that can be relatable to my gender/sex. As a female, I
According to Smith, sexual violence “is not simply a tool of patriarchy, but also a tool of colonialism and racism” (Smith 2005, 8). As a result, women are being forced to suffer abuse, which damages their identity. Because of colonialism, Native women often find themselves forced into silence around sexual and domestic violence in their communities. By staying silent about sexual and domestic violence, Native communities are “able to maintain a united front against racism” (Smith 2005, 1). Accordingly, Native women are constantly being marginalized in patriarchal discourses regarding racism, colonialism, and white supremacy discourses. Historically, it is mentioned that sexism is the inability of both patriarchy and white supremacy discourses,
Parker and M. Kristen Hefner write about how the intersectionality of class, race and gender affect homicide rates at a macro level of White and African American females between the years of 1990-2000. As well as using an intersectional framework, Parker and Hefner explore how the contemporary economic, social and policy changes can differently affect black and white female homicide rates. The study reveals many interesting facts and shows how intersectionality can change how we understand crime today. Firstly, it is found that an increase in resource deprivation saw a 27% increase in white female offending and a 39% increase in black female offending. Resource deprivation includes the declining number of domestic violence shelters available to women. Some feminist scholars have criticised these domestic violence services as being “based on white, middle-class, female standards” (Parker & Hefner, 2013, p. 247) as they do not take into account the structural difficulties that only minority women face. The fact that these services do not take into account the culturally specific difficulties that minority women face, some women may feel that their only option is to turn to crime. This can explain why the rate of black female offending is much higher than that of white female offending when they are deprived of
Stark (2006) would suggest that thirty years of research has failed to produce a consensus as to what constitutes a case of domestic violence considering that 90% of women who report the abuse have no physical injuries. Methods of coercive control do not meet the criminological viewpoint rather, control extends to financial, emotional, and psychological aspects of subjugating the partner thus no physical violence occurs. If only violent means are reported, then the reported number of victims would perhaps change thus creating a more gender symmetrical pattern. Until operational definitions are defined throughout the disciplines with consistency then there will continue to be discrepancies and opposing views. However, integrative theories of feminist views are being explored which investigate the intersection of not only male dominance as a form of oppression but the use of race, class, national origin, age, sexual orientation, and disability and their impact on intimate partner violence as stated by McPhail and colleagues
‘Intersectionality’ as a concept can be understood as an interaction between diverse factors encompassing race, age, sex, gender, religion, social policies, systemic practices, cultural norms and the resulting outcome of this interplay with respect to power (Davis, 2008). The genesis of intersectional feminist theory followed an organic process whereby it provided an improvement on the traditional approaches and it was also a step ahead of the radical feminist theory. The marriage of feminist and intersectionality concepts provided an explanation for the interconnectedness of systems of oppression that are experienced by a sub-group such as racially marginalized immigrant South Asian women and their resulting experience of violence due to these factors (Sokoloff & Dupont,
Do you believe that the women of Islam are oppressed or do you believe that these women are treated equally? The question has arisen whether there is true equality between men and women in the Islamic community. There are many different positions and views regarding this topic. It is especially apparent more recently that women are striving and doing all that they can to have equality. “The past twenty years have been some of the darkest in women’s lives. With the anti-secularist backlash, the rise of political Islam, and efforts over the past two decades to impose religion on the people thousands have been executed - decapitated or stoned to death- and medieval laws to suppress women have been revived.” A source from http://www.famafrique.org says. This articles goes on to say that the media portrays a different image than how things really are.
What is intersectional feminism? Intersectional feminism is a fight for social justice that includes more factors than gender. This is important because there is no one-size-fits-all type of feminism. There are a variety of things that contribute to oppression. For example, white cisgender middle class person faces different discriminations than that of a transgender disabled black person.
Nothing simply begins. Everything needs something else in order to develop and live continuously. Fire needs wood to burn, water needs heat to boil, and the women’s right movement needed abolition to begin the real fight. The women’s rights movement of the nineteenth century emerged out of abolition activism because it was not until after abolitionist groups formed and began fighting slavery that women began to realize they had no rights themselves and began their own fight.
Feminism has tackled gender inequality in the workforce, within politics, education and various institutes. Within the 20th century some of these issues faced in western culture have been completely reformed due to certain feminist movements that have encouraged women to fight for equal rights. (Crofton: 2011: 272-273) The first and second waves of feminism have proven to be successful by increasing equal rights between men and women. (Kaplan: 1992: 7) Despite these successes which include allowing there is still the fact of the matter remains that women are still objectified by their gender. ()The generalization of gender roles, have proven to be challenging within the feminist movement, this is often due to the objectification of women in the media. Also as feminism, is an ideology it has various schools of which have conflicting ideas of the ‘empowerment of women’ making it difficult to clarify on what is not acceptable in establishing women’s rights. (Fraser: 2014)
Throughout this essay it will be discussed how female representations affects society, what has changed, if has changed during the years. Representations of women were a crucial subject of discussion especially in the concepts of the gaze that often refers to women as objects of the active gaze. The gaze establishes relationships of power, representing different codes such as dominance and subjugation, difference and otherness (Sturken and Cartwright 2009: 111).
Feminist epistemology involves the study the theory of knowledge i.e. epistemology from q feminist standpoint; the disadvantage faced by women through knowledge and justification. It is usually said to be concerned with how our knowledge is influenced by gender through justification and inquiry. Feminist’s epistemology is ideally based on the fact that by the perspective of a certain theory is affected upon by the knowledge pertaining the theory. The themes which characterize feminist epistemology are not unique it on only, since the themes are also found in the filed science studies and social epistemology. However, feminist epistemology is distinct from both science studies and social epistemology in that, for reconstructing and analysis, gender is characterize used. However, feminists have always argued gender rather than being determined
A black woman won’t face sexism and then racism independently of each other, but a racialized sexism that can only be understood by addressing them together. Modern day feminists have taken this idea and applied it to all aspects of life that can cause a person to face adversity or privilege, including but not limited to gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, race, religion, and nationality. Looking at someone’s individual situation as something with different facets of privilege and oppression has helped feminists to approach the movement in the way to help all women. My own experiences have come from the intersections between my white and socioeconomic privileges and the oppressions that I face as a woman. These oppressions and privileges stem from the patriarchal ideologies of the social superstructure and show how intersectionality is faced at the personal
Throughout the 19th century, feminism played a huge role in society and women’s everyday lifestyle. Women had been living in a very restrictive society, and soon became tired of being told how they could and couldn’t live their lives. Soon, they all realized that they didn’t have to take it anymore, and as a whole they had enough power to make a change. That is when feminism started to change women’s roles in society. Before, women had little to no rights, while men, on the other hand, had all the rights. The feminist movement helped earn women the right to vote, but even then it wasn’t enough to get accepted into the workforce. They were given the strength to fight by the journey for equality and social justice. There has been known to be
In the first section I will attempt to define, examine and explore the concept of violence against women, its multidimensional nature and its prevalence as a social problem among racially marginalized immigrant South-Asian Women in the context of GTA and Canada, at large. In the second section I will be exploring the role of current social work practice setting, including agency context, agency policies, programs and legislations about the issue. The third section will be focused on analyzing and investigating the need for an intersectional feminist approach informed by trauma-informed and mindfulness practice to meaningfully work in this field of violence against women. The next section will be dedicated to share my critical self-reflection with regards to my knowledge, skills, experience, social location and my overall professional identity as a social worker. The last section will be dedicated to conclude my
Outline and assess the view that patriarchy is the main cause of gender inequality (40 marks)