Sandra Lee Bartky's Chapter On The Psychological Oppression Of Women

Sandra Lee Bartky’s chapter on the psychological oppression of women operates by employing a philosophical analysis from the feminist perspective that analyses and discusses the ‘feminine’ individual. Bartky examines the feminine subject, and thus female consciousness, as being one located in the patriarchy where one’s femininity is constructed and expressed as a result of a number of oppressive relationships. In her review of Bartky’s book, Schell (1994) explains that ‘On Psychological Oppression’ “theorises modes of sexist psychological oppression via Frank Fanon’s analytical framework in Black Skin, White Masks. As Fanon contends, racial oppression is drawn from three interconnected site of material and linguistic production: 1) stereotyping, 2) cultural domination, and

Even though women may experience actual benefits from this system, the core result is one where the feminine is tied to psychic alienation. The article entitled ‘No More Miss America’ picks up on many of the points illustrated in Bartky’s chapter. The article calls for the public to protest the pageant due to the myriad of ways that it reinforces the male idea/ideal of the feminine as being the only worthwhile view, or the one most deserving of reward. This conception furthers the kind of female experience of inferiority discussed by Bartky. “In this reputedly democratic society, where every little boy supposedly can grow up to be President, what can every little girl hope to grow to be? Miss America. That 's where it 's at. Real power to control our own lives is restricted to men, while women get patronizing pseudo-power, an ermine clock and a bunch of flowers; men are judged by their actions, women by appearance” (Chicago Women’s Liberation Union,