In this essay, I will use Frye’s definition of oppression. In Marilyn Frye’s piece ‘Oppression’ she delineates ‘oppression’ in a method which describes that women are oppressed because they are women and men isn't oppressed because they are men. Today, I will discuss my point of view how I define the phrase ‘‘Oppression” by using Frye’s argument. Oppression does exist in our world, which makes women less than men from numerous fragments.
I agree with Frye’s oppression piece because in my opinion oppression does hurt individuals and the pain cannot be healed easily. Oppression does affect women’s lifespan in general, which makes her less than men. In countless cultures, communities view women are less than men, even though she is much educated
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than him. They continuously vision her as less applicable which she is a pure, sensitive human being that should be defined as a housewife, mother or a daughter. In Frye’s definition, she states: “Human beings can be miserable without being oppressed, and it is perfectly consistent to deny that a person or a group is oppressed without denying that they have feelings or that they suffer” (Marilyn Frye 2005 [1983]: 84).
In this statement, she explains that individuals can live ordinarily without feeling the oppression or essentially disregard being oppressed as human beings. Oppression originates in many levels and platforms which several faces it daily in their life either personally or in work sphere. For instance: today in U.S. many women due to their gender, hire in positions lesser than men. We rarely see women being a CEO in a company, Non-Profit organization, we continuously see such position given to men which by the residents’ men seen as tough, strong, decision maker and etc… Those catchphrases called to a man, not a woman because simply she is gendered as a …show more content…
woman. Frye provided an example in her piece which stated: “In the United States that women, especially younger women, are in a bind where neither sexual activity nor sexual inactivity is all right. If she is heterosexually active, a woman is open to censure and punishment for being loose, unprincipled or a whore” (Marilyn Frye 2005 [1983]: 85). In this statement, we estimate that women if practiced sexual activity seen as a whore, however, if men practiced it with more than one women at the same period of time appears ordinary, and not a person ever could punish him. At this point, we intellect the oppression that women face, women probably don’t feel the punishment, oppression physically, yet, furthermore they sense it mentally by criticisms, shameful idioms from the community, men surrounded by her and now and then from family and friends. Moving forward, Frye’s definition of oppression aids her purpose significantly, which it makes a flawless that women are oppressed and men aren’t.
Women face limitations, boundaries which, are harmful to them and appear unfair entirely. Women are forced by the community structures and prospects and even within the law the aforementioned. Women face oppression, because of their prestige as a woman. For instance: Lesbian individuals are oppressed in various communities, specifically in U.S. Based on my earlier readings, I comprehended that lesbians cannot share work benefits with their partners and they aren’t eligible for any Family Medical Leave, because they are not represented as heterosexual
individuals/partners. Frye in her piece clarifies oppression happens and can be defined under several categories, however many think women are not oppressed, they are just women and that what they getting from this world is more than enough. Frye indicated: “A great many people, female and male and of every race and class, simply do not believe that woman is a category of oppressed people, and I think that this is in part because they have been fooled by the dispersal and assimilation of women throughout and into the systems of class and race which organize men” (Marilyn Frye 2005 [1983]: 87). Well, I agree with Frye that many neither female nor male recognize women are oppressed at all. On the contrary, women are tremendously oppressed. For example, I as an Arab-Muslim young lady wearing Hijab (Headscarf) being rejected from numerous career interviews due to my religion, specifically my Hijab and more than one recruiter had mentioned it straightly in my face, without respecting my religion or my educations or work experiences. Also, many in public thought I wear scarf because I’m bald, without distinguishing that I’m practicing my religion and believes, which that part really harms.
Marilyn Frye, a feminist philosopher, discusses the idea of oppression and how it conforms people into gender roles. She claims that it is based upon membership in a group which leads to shaping, pressing, and molding individuals, both women and men.
“The root of the word “oppression” is the element “press”… Something pressed is something caught between or among forces and barriers which are so elated to each other that jointly the restrain, restrict or prevent the thing’s motion or mobility” (Frye, 84-85). Oppression is something felt by many different social groups in societies around the world. The feminist movement is one that sets out to dismantle sexist oppression. Marilyn Frye describes an oppression that she believes is common to all women despite ethnic or racial differences. Kimberlé Crenshaw, in her Tedtalk, however, argues that there is a common experience between females of different social groups due to certain constructs in society, and Audre Lorde discusses how crucial it
However, the hardships and misfortunes of other groups of women due to race, religion, sexual orientation, etc are not often mentioned because feminism has a widespread message and definition worldwide. In the United States, black women or any women with darker skin complexions were treated inhumanely and did not, also still today did not benefit from white privilege. As explained, referring back to the era of slavery up until the American Revolution black enslaved women were mistreated due to the color of their skin and they were without a voice because of their lack of power in a society where man had more power over women and blacks were overpowered by those with lighter skin. Overall, it is important to note and realize that all women were subjected to unequal treatment due to many variables, but some women more than others because of certain variables as
...dition, the powerful woman is a monster in this movie. This is clearly saying that if a female gains power, she will not use it wisely. In conclusion, there are two ways to deal with oppression: manipulate your objectification to your power and be seen as evil or try to resist, but end up doing nothing to help the situation. Women still face this problem today, although there are other alternatives to dealing with this. For example, Rosa Parks, an assertive woman who dealt with white oppression, decided not to give up her seat on the bus. During this time, it was seen very controversial and she was jailed for protesting. She was given a malign reputation, even though she is seen today as a hero from the Civil Right Movement. If one resists and perseveres then one may prevail over oppression. This may not be an easy alternative, but it can be rewarding.
In summary, oppression of women is a serious issue because many women are not treated as men and withheld from every opportunity. However, because of these outcomes, women are prevented from achieving higher goals, such as getting an education, pursuing a career, and having word of their own. Therefore, women have to stand up for their rights and fight back to show men that women are not only housekeepers, but they are equal and smart as men are. Women will continue to waste their talents if they get used to the idea that they have to achieve their feminine roles because of oppression of man.
Patricia Hill Collins outlines the existence of three different dimensions of gender oppression: institutional, symbolic, and individual. The institutional dimension consists of systemic relationship of domination structured through social institutions, such as government, the workplace or education institutions. In other words, this dimension explains “who has the power”. This is completely related to a patriarchal society. Patriarchy is the manifestation and institutionalism of male dominance. This means that men hold power in all institutions, while women are denied the access to this power. The symbolic dimension of oppression is based on widespread socially sanctioned ideologies used to justify relations of domination. It reflects inequality
Women in many societies have fought for obtaining their equal right to men for a long time, and the society where I’ve inhabited for 20 years are involved as well. It has been very tough circumstances for women to struggle since the society has been shaped by history how a woman should live and behave. Women were continuing to be oppressed and limited based on gender and class as they are regarded as inferior to men physically and mentally. This connection between class and gender of women still remain in this society even though many women got equal right as
Zinn claims that women were appointed a "special status...something akin to that of a house slave in the matter of intimacy and oppression, and yet requiring, because of that intimacy, and long-term connection with children, a special patronization, which on occasion, especially in the face of a show of strength, could slip over into treatment as an equal” (Zinn, 2010). Woman were the ones that were intimately oppressed. History has put woman on a platform but has also disparaged them to not exactly their value. Women were loved and abused yet they were systematically oppressed through law and religion.
Women are not born with the same physical capabilities as men and therefore they are discriminated upon as not being capable of achieving the same tasks as males in the same or similar positions in the work environment. Although women have contributed to the economic growth of their country and work as doctors, teachers and electrician there is still a great deal of discrimination. Women have low status because they are exploited by powerful men for work they do. Selma state ”Women are not treated fairly with the respect they deserve from institutions.” Women face discrimination in the work place all over the world. Even when applying for a job, women have to undertake the legacy of an old chauvinist society. For instance, a manager/ owner have problems hiring a woman for a position that is traditionally held by a man because he thinks that she would not fit and should not be rewarded with the financial merit as that of
This oppression and discrimination is experienced through several forms of oppression including violence, racism classism and sexism not only at a personal level but also at the structural level. This high risk population is vulnerable for internalizing the oppression as an accepted norm. Mullaly believes that “people may be given certain rights but still be unable to exercise their rights due to particular social constraints based on class, gender, race and ethnicity.”
To start off this essay, it is important to note what is meant when using oppression in the terms and context of a sociologist. Oppression causes certain groups of people to be or advantaged in a political system whereas other groups of people are considered to be subordinate (Glasberg, pg. 1) One of the major groups that has been oppressed Universally are women (there are exceptions, but not many). Women have typically had not had the rights, privileges, or participation as it relates to political
Discrimination happens every day, whether inadvertently or not. This mindset has been practiced for thousands upon thousands of years. We live in a society that is quick to judge other individuals based on their cultural background, race, age, even their financial status. Discrimination has been an ongoing issue throughout the world since the beginning of time. Women, throughout history, have experienced discrimination first hand for a long time. The women’s cultural background, race, financial status mattered, but not as much as the fact that she was a woman first. For example, women were thought of as fragile individuals with bodies that were not built to a man’s standard. For thousands
Among the many subjects covered in this book are the three classes of oppression: gender, race and class in addition to the ways in which they intersect. As well as the importance of the movement being all-inclusive, advocating the idea that feminism is in fact for everybody. The author also touches upon education, parenting and violence. She begins her book with her key argument, stating that feminist theory and the movement are mainly led by high class white women who disregarded the circumstances of underprivileged non-white women.
As the realization of women as an exploited group increases, the similarity of their position to that of racial and ethnic groups becomes more apparent. Women are born into their sexual identity and are easily distinguished by physical and cultural characteristics. In addition, women now identify that they are all sufferers of an ideology (sexism) that tries to justify their inferior treatment.
Intersectionality is a theory which studies how the oppressions and the privileges that a woman faces influence and affect each other to create an individual experience. This idea is well explained by Chandra Mohanty in “cartographies of struggle.” In her book Monhanty writes, “I want to suggest that it is possible to retain the idea of multiple, fluid structures of domination which intersect to locate women differently at particular historical conjunctures, while at the same time insisting on the dynamic oppositional agency of individuals and collectives and their engagement in "daily life.” It is this focus on dynamic oppositional agency that clarifies the intricate connection between systemic relationships and the directionality of power”