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Gender inequalities of women in the middle East
Gender inequalities of women in the middle East
Female stereotypes
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Such analyses should be raised insistently and for good reason. Negative stereotypes of women reflect and reinforce additional gender inequalities in any society but more so in Saudi Arabia due to its extremism. Furthermore, studies of women representational issues can be used as a tool to evaluate media bias not just in regards to gender equality issues, but in regard to the media’s ideology and political values. Due to the lack of appreciation of a woman’s role in society, which translated itself into the high percentage of illiteracy and lower socioeconomic standing, and through the obstinacy of the traditions and customs within Saudi Arabia society such as early marriage arrangements and dress codes, the right of women’s rights organizations
and human rights activists have increasingly used such mass media as a tool to communicate their messages about Middle Eastern women’s issues, especially addressing those topics regarded as “sensitive”to the Middle East. Women are either invisible, or negatively portrayed. This feeds the already tarnished mindsets of traffickers who believe that they are superior to those who they enslave and oppress, in this case, the women of Saudi Arabia.
Women’s rights in the Middle East are being restricted, therefore there are many different reactions. Some people were in favor of women having equal rights while there are some who are against women to have the same rights. Since before times, many countries in the Middle East have been taking women for granted and minimized their rights by telling them they can't do something or selling them as if they were prized. When women were treated as prizes it was a practice in Afghanistan called Ba’ad that used women as the compensation, for example a story of a girl named Sakina. She was a consolation prize so that her brother could marry a woman and the Jirga system told her she had to marry a 80 year old guy when she was like 18. This tells me
The place of women in Saudi society is determined by a deeply conservative culture, vindicated by a narrow interpretation of religion, and enforced by law. That place it would appear is at home, subservient to and legally dependant on their male guardian. Saudi society suffers from pervasive segregation along gender lines and women's freedom of movement is impeded, forcing them to rely on male chaperons.
Firstly, gender discrimination is not an exclusive feature of Saudi Arabia, but it is a more outwardly visible problem there. Gender discrimination and male superiority are most visible in Saudi Arabian culture because “inhabitants of the region where the Arabic language predominates are, despite their diversity, bound into a singular cultural unit with a particular gender system” (Tucker VII). If one group of Arabic individuals hold misogynistic views, or thinks that males are the superior gender, it is very likely that other Arabic individuals will as well. Individuals of the Arabic culture, regardless of their location share a particularly conservative and traditional set of moral beliefs the same way Christians from America may share similar beliefs with Christians from Europe. One belief most Saudi’s have in common is their “conservative view toward women” (Al-Mannai 82). Middle Eastern individuals know what behaviors to expect from each gender, and what each gender should and should not do. An effect of holding such a belief is that a man’s role in Saudi Arabia tends to be one of dominance and power; the male is the ruler ...
Modern society is typically split into a strict gender dichotomy of males and females. Each gender has a set of socially constructed roles and stereotypes that determine how each individual is viewed and treated in society. As I have progressed through school, I have noticed that expectations for females differed from their male counterparts. In school and at home, girls are typically expected to be more well-behaved and studious than boys. Since girls are beginning to attend college more than boys, society expects more girls than boys to pursue a college education. I have probably internalized these expectations and inadvertently used them as motivation for success. In some ways, my gender has also put me at a disadvantage in school. From a young age, many girls are coddled and encouraged to act nicely (Conley 130). They are expected to be caring, loving, and quiet. Being raised as a female has ingrained these tendencies into my personality and behavior patterns. Therefore, in
The mistreatment of women in Middle Eastern countries is an extremely disheartening and serious problem. According to the religion of Islam, "Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other. As to women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish...
On a daily basis people are exposed to some sort of misrepresentation of gender; in the things individuals watch, and often the things that are purchased. Women are often the main target of this misrepresentation. “Women still experience actual prejudice and discrimination in terms of unequal treatment, unequal pay, and unequal value in real life, then so too do these themes continue to occur in media portraits.”(Byerly, Carolyn, Ross 35) The media has become so perverted, in especially the way it represents women, that a females can be handled and controlled by men, the individual man may not personally feel this way, but that is how men are characterized in American media. Some may say it doesn’t matter because media isn’t real life, but people are influenced by everything around them, surroundings that are part of daily routine start to change an individual’s perspective.
In the book, Women in the Middle East, a Saudi Arabian proverb states, "A girl possesses nothing but a veil and a tomb" (Harik and Marston 83). The key words, "veil" and "tomb" lend evidence to the fact that many Middle Eastern women lack identity symbolized by the “veil” and lack the right of ownership except for their veil and the tomb. This statement further enforces the notion that many women in the Middle East are expected to serve and tolerate the oppression of the men in their lives throughout their lives on this earth. Moreover, it confirms that many of these women do not get the opportunity to obtain education, join the work force, and even participate in the political affairs of the country. This arrangement further helps the Middle Eastern men to view women as their properties, servants, or even as slaves. Ultimately, there are three main reasons why Middle Eastern men engage in the act of oppressing their women.
Various studies have been conducted examining the role of gender representation in game design, game play and game experience, in which these studies commonly conclude that females are often excluded. Females make up forty-seven percent of gamers in the industry and although their presence is becoming more encouraged into the industries society, most games still continue to gender stereotype woman through the use of over-sexualising them reinforcing the gender imbalance in society. There are multitude of ways in which sexism in video games have seemed to mirror real-life sexism and the unrealistic, degrading portrayal of the female sex. This emergence of sexism is an ongoing issue in the gaming industry causing serious controversy over a period of years, with games or game series such Grand Theft Auto demonstrating how detrimental the problem is. Grand Theft Auto 5, abbreviated GTA 5, released in 2013 (in text) present woman in the games that have been previously released with virtually no role to the story nor are they needed in the game, they are merely ‘eye candy’ for the male players. With the females in the game either flirtatious, provocatively dressed or lovers of gang members. Much debate has raged about the degrading portrayal of woman in GTA 5 which implement sexism traits such as objectification, sexualisation, being under presented and suffering sexual violence.
Changes in society have brought issues regarding gender stereotype. Gender roles are shifting in the US. Influences of women’s movement (Firestone, Firestone, & Catlett, 2006) and gender equality movement (e.g., Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)) have contributed to expanding social roles for both genders. Nevertheless, gender stereotypes, thus gender stereotype roles continue to exist in the society (Skelly & Johnson, 2011; Wood & Eagly, 2010). With changes in gender roles, pervasiveness of gender stereotype results in a sense of guilt, resentment, and anger when people are not living up to traditional social expectations (Firestone, Firestone, & Catlett, 2006). Furthermore, people can hold gender stereotype in pre-reflective level that they may
You are at an interview, the interviewer says that you are not qualified for the job because of your gender. What would you say? Sexism has caused stereotypes, and harassment in the workforce, and professional sports, therefore people should know more about sexism. Media is a powerful tool of communication, it produces both negative and positive impacts on society.
Still to this day, the words “You are the winner of this year’s Miss American Pageant,” sounds through this nations ears as they witness another “perfect” woman crowned into the face of American beauty. We witness these winners enter into the stereotypical ideal of what a women should ultimately look and aspire to be. This image, who many still feel exists in modern day, however was amplified in the mid-1900s. Along with beauty pageants winners, women were put up against the image of unrealistic characters like Barbie dolls and exposed to Hollywood icons like Marilyn Monroe. All of which were a part of further creating that time period’s idea of how women should look and act and contributing to potential needed changes for the future.
For centuries, women have simply faced the challenge of having their rights and being recognized in The United States. In a union that is supposedly “united”, women are often criticized, ridiculed, and shamed simply because they are women. There have been various efforts to get women their equality. There is a need for respect, that goes beyond just equality with men; it is a fight for living, surviving, and finally getting what is deserving of women. It is the equality and rights of women that should not be up for debate or heavily controlled by the government. Society is constantly dehumanizing women, their status, and undermining their achievements. There are many factors that play in the detrimental society in The United States such as rape culture, media, and religion.
In elementary school one of the most common phrase used was, “You can’t do that you're a girl.” Society puts gender stereotypes and expectations on children at a very young age. I never really understood these stereotypes and expectations until later in my life. I couldn’t figure out why it was that boys were not allowed to like the color pink, and if the girls wanted to play “boy” sports it was seen as unusual. My family consists of my parents, my sister and I; so I never had sibling of the opposite gender in my life. I didn’t have someone to compare gender differences with. I was given toys no matter what gender they were geared towards. I remember receiving hot wheels cars and baby dolls the same year for Christmas and never thought anything thing of it. I think that these experiences has really shaped who I am today.
Gender stereotyping has been ongoing throughout history. The media has been distorting views by representing gender unrealistically and inaccurately. It created an image of what "masculinity" or "femininity" should be like and this leads to the image being "naturalized" in a way (Gail and Humez 2014). The media also attempts to shape their viewers into something ‘desirable’ to the norm. This essay will focus on the negative impacts of gender-related media stereotypes by looking at the pressures the media sets on both women and men, and also considering the impacts on children.
The role and place of Women in Islam has changed drastically, in a positive way, over the past millennium: the changes can be greatly attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, and the Qur’an. To understand the changes in women’s rights and freedoms, one must understand their role and place before Islam was created, which happened in the Arabia Peninsula, now Saudi Arabia (Angha). Before Islam was formed women lacked many of the basic human rights, and they were treated as more of a burden in their culture then someone who should be respected, but that is not the case today. Though women in Islam have gained many rights, there is still some controversy over whether or not women are still being oppressed and treated like second class citizens compared