Sexism: Life as a Woman in a Patriarchal Society

In the beginning, God created Adam and then used one of Adam's ribs to create Eve. This significant event created the theory that since man was created before the woman, therefore, men shall dominate the human race. Many people beg to differ. In other cultures many women existed as Goddesses, while many men existed as Gods.

Several other instances throughout history have been used to explain why many men believe that they should have more power than women. Even today, the problem of sexism exists in the workplace, in political matters, in the field of education, in sports, in families, and in religion. Sexism affects a variety of social institutions and it has continued to be growing problem for many generations.

In the film, The Gender War, a thorough history on the origins of sexism is explained. It begins with the possible dangers of living in a patriarchal society, such as domestic abuse. The film covers the various areas throughout society in which women are greatly oppressed including ritualistic behavior and the cause of the Lesbian Rebellion. Within our society, women are naturally the caregivers, nurturers, and less aggressive people because they are the mothers. Men are the fighters, the protectors, and more aggressive people. This of course is simply due to past behavior, which has become a permanent stereotype. Many women are highly capable of doing a lot of things that men can do.

As far as traditionally ritualistic behavior, many women are not even aware of the reason behind them. For instance, in marriage, the man traditionally puts the wedding band on the woman's left hand, third finger. Little do many women know, but the ring is put on the left hand because it is usually the less dominant hand. The finger chosen is in fact chosen because it is the less dominant finger that can hardly be moved without the movement of the other fingers. Traditionally, the woman takes the man's last name and is carried over the threshold. This signifies that the woman belongs to the man. Another instance is the honeymoon. The idea of fidelity plays a big role in marriage. Traditionally, the woman and man are to go on their honeymoon for a total of four weeks. The four weeks corresponds with the cycle of the moon, which affects the menstrual cycle and ovulation of the woman. The woman is told to drink honey during the four weeks, which is said to promote her fertility. Throughout the four weeks the man and woman are supposed to consummate with one another and therefore when the first child is born, it can only be the husband's. It's quite humorous that many women continue in similar ritualistic behavior, not knowing that it continues to support male dominance.

The issue of war is very prominent in our society today. Numerous men do not believe that women are capable of fighting alongside them in a war. They believe that a woman's natural passivity, as well as less physical strength, and instinct to be the nurturing type can all exist as flaws that can cost us the lives of many of our soldiers. Some even argue that this is the same flaw that would blur a women's judgment as a political authority.

The subject of weapon selection is also somewhat gender oriented. I believe men often choose weapons that are of a phallic nature. Perhaps the size and type of weapon compensates for their own lack of self esteem in their own qualities/attributes. It makes them feel even more powerful, which gives way to the clichéd phrase, "bigger is better".

"Women have long been thought of as unequal to men. This history may be the reason for the ways of the female language... But women have been allowed to join the work force despite their speak, and now as they move to higher levels, men may begin to feel a threat to their dominance and fear that women are taking over." (Goss).

Men feel threatened if they are seen as weak in any aspect of their lives in which they are competing against a woman. Most men would hate to see a female beat them in the workplace or at sports. In my opinion, I believe that is the feeling of being humiliated by a "weaker" sex that bothers them.

In summation, "the responsibility for creating lasting change in the culturally- installed patriarchy is the work of men in our society. This important work of extending privilege, power, as influence to women as a group does not require the disadvantage of men." (Robinson). Although it has proven to be awfully difficult, there are many suggestions that exist to help both sexes find a sort of truce. In my opinion, men can acknowledge that yes, in most cases they are physically and emotionally stronger, but they should make the effort to respect the woman and not use their power to their advantage. They should not abuse women in any way, shape of form. They should honor the female gender, for it was a woman who did in fact carry them in her own body for nine months. The woman should also not use men to perform all sorts of various tasks, when they in fact can do them, themselves. (This would include the "woman in distress" idea). Women should not abuse the man and expect him not to defend himself, simply because she is a woman. Women should not allow themselves to be discouraged to try and apply for male dominated careers, simply because few women work in that particular area. Women and men should help one another and compromise with one another. We are both put here on this earth and we must find some way to live together peacefully. Both genders have to accept the fact that neither sex can exist without the other. It takes one biological man and one biological woman to create either sex, and that's just a fact that everyone has to live with.

Works Cited

Goss, Shawna. Gender and Speech Patterns. December 1996. The Human Sexes: "The Gender War". Dir. Desmond Morris. Robinson, Marcus, Delyle Frost, John Buccigrossi and Charles Pfeffer. Gender: "Power and Privilege". wetware Inc, Rochester, NY. 2003.