Precious Jones A Review from a Student's Perspective

It is sometimes difficult for me to distinguish what is female oppression from what is childhood oppression. For the sake of the paper, however, I do realize that being female is an instant basis of oppression as different in each culture as it is here in the United States. Men have always been the heads of the households, and it is difficult to change behaviors over night (or, more accurately, over thousands of years.) I do believe that every generation tends to get better as we become more educated human beings. In Precious Jones' case, I think that being a child only added to her oppression by sexism.

Men's and women's roles reflect sexism every way you turn. My own most prominent memory of sexism happened just a couple years ago. I was working for an employer for two years when he hired a younger male at two dollars an hour more than I was making after two years. It has been a while since I worked for that employer, and I am still bothered by it.

In Push, being a girl put Precious Jones in an oppressive position from the get-go, because as a child she is already at a disadvantage in not knowing what to do about her mother or her male abuser.

My own sexism is confusing. Raised by my dad without a mom's influence, I was taught many male traits. For one, that I am the boss in my life. I feel equal to a man, but do not hesitate to ask for help when physical difficulties like opening a jar, changing a tire, or kicking someone's ass (which I'd no longer do.)

Observing my own sexism, I know there are times where I am glad I am not a guy. Such as how men are expected to take the lead in providing economically for a family. What a pressure that must be! In my marriage, although my husband and I were emotional equals, I was the one who got the choice of staying home to raise the kids or go to work. His choice by social influence was second to mine.

In terms of men's access to power, I feel that men are probably still given authoritative roles far more often than women are. Take electing a woman president for example, easier said than done, isn't it?

What I do see, is the power women have when they come together. Look at how we got to vote!

The sexism Precious Jones experienced had less to do with being a woman than it did about being a child. But being a female child only doubled the risk of her being a target for such abuses.

If I place my own life and Precious' life parallel, I see similarities for sure as I too was sexually abused from a young age. So, my own access to power didn't come until I was legally and adult. Sometimes view "all men" in the same categories. These seem to be similar observations I have made in my discussions with other women. The same holds true for reading about men in women's magazines and by watching women's talk shows.

Once of my own biases is that I happen to think that it is "meaner" when a man yells at a child than if a woman does. I also happen to be more aware of a man's possible attempt to be superior to me in some way simply because he is a man. By their taking the lead in certain situations rather than consulting with a woman first.