The Oppression of Women and Their Movement Toward Individuality

This problem of internalized sexism continues in our modern society. Prescriptive female stereotypes and assumptions of inferiority are sustained by other women and continue to postpone equality. From patrilineal societies came the creation of social norms for what is accepted and expected in gender roles (David). These ideals have been reinstated in the most familiar creation stories, in government policies throughout history, and are now being continued in camouflaged customs like benevolent sexism. Some women are contributing to the discrimination against themselves and other women.

She initially challenges him, and then leaves him; she represents a rebellious, yet independent woman. Although these two stories on the first man and woman are significantly different, the two convey that men and women have been trapped in certain roles since the beginning of time, and have always had a power struggle between them. Gender issues have not evolved over time; they have always existed. “Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man” (Gen. 2:22). The order of human creation in Genesis calls into question whether it was intended for a hierarchy to exist between genders.

Responsible use paper The bible has been the center of many debates and has been used correctly and incorrectly. My objective in this paper is to illuminate the many flaws in the century-old yet ever present interpretation of the bible that suggests women are lesser than men. I will also commend and explain the use of the bible during the civil rights movement. Some people believe that women were created for the sole purpose of assisting men. They justify their position by citing Genesis chapter two, in which God takes a rib from Adam and creates Eve.

In Jean Grimshaw’s Philosophy and Feminist Thinking, she stated that feminist viewpoints must believe that women have been oppressed and unjustly treated. She also mentioned that something needs to be done about the situation. The experiences women have gone through before affect their lives today, resulting to an oppression most people are fussing about. Women before weren’t really privileged to do anything. They were treated differently from men.

Men believed that it was the law of the bible for one of the two parties to be superior and the other inferior. Women were ruled over as children and were to be seen, but not heard. Author and feminist Kate Chopin lived in the height of the Victorian Era and was a first-hand witness to the suppression women endured and accepted in the late 19th century. Unlike most women at the time, Chopin was far from a conformist. Kate showed increasing concern for the plight of women in Victorian age America and she responded with scandalous writings dealing explicitly with love, sex and marriage.

Much of the story of Adam and Eve can be explained within biblical context, and its male supremacy bias confirms to be of historical origin rather than divine; however it is perceived as comprising the “fundamental,” and essentially destructive "truths" about the nature of women. Eve has represented the fundamental character and identity of all women. No, there haven’t been other women with redeemable qualities to represent them throughout history. Even those as great as Cleopatra have not earned the title as extraordinary woman in the history books, because her dominance over men was perceived as unbecoming and disgraceful. However, Eve’s image is what has represented women.

Many stereotypes exist both within feminism and throughout society in which the feminist movement is trying to break down, some such as women 's role to be mother, while simultaneously trying to build stereotypes of strong independent women. A political movement existing without a fixed identity

In a comparison of gender such as female and male there were always big difference which is also stated in the bible, from the Apostle Paul women were created second, sinner first and should always be kept silent. So what makes Linda’s gender so complicated to gain freedom from her master? The answer as stated in the book she was owned by Dr.Flint’s daughter which she couldn’t gain her freedom as long as the daughter did not gave her freedom, such on the other Equiano was owned by a master who gave him freedom. What was the reason why Linda could not get her freedom? Gender , Christianity, Strategies.

Throughout most of documented history women of all cultures and civilizations have lived under patriarchal circumstances. In almost every religion and civilization women's status was not equal to that of a man's. Women in most cultures are looked at as subservient, obedient creatures that were put on this world for very few reasons, mainly to bear children and do what their husbands require of them. In fact, religions are a big part of the reason of this oppression due to the religion's reinforcement and justification of patriarchal conditions. In this week's selected readings from different aspects of Islamic, Byzantine Christian, and Western Christian cultures, it is very apparent as to how these three religions did reinforce and justify the patriarchal conditions in which women were struggling to live in.

As society has progressed from primitive customs to modern traditions, there have always been “truths” surrounding women. Simone de Beauvoir points out how the female is regarded as mysterious and is often associated with “truths” but in this case are really myths. The problem with the “truths” that society places on women is that somehow they contradict each other or are viewed as the absolute truth with no exceptions. In other words, if a woman does not act a certain way then she is no longer a women. These myths hold women back by placing them in opposition with men as the Other.