Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, “She doesn’t have what it takes.” They will say, “Women don’t have what it takes”.
Clare Boothe Luce
While we boast to be a highly civilized society that cherishes human rights and equality, I wonder why we are still not capable of eradicating androcentrism. Probably the centuries of male ‘dominance’ in political, economic and social life still dominate the thinking of many. After all, it is not easy for women to turn around the tables and make up for the centuries of history, where women have been simply invisible, as if they were hardly there. Sexism and gender-based stereotypes are deeply embedded and this process really continued for centuries. I agree with Shirley Chisholm when she says “The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, “It’s a girl.”
Maybe, some of these gender-specific stereotypes are ‘forced’ upon us so early in life that we are never actually capable of rationally and critically processing the information; we simply adopt it, only to find ourselves acting upon these stereotypes later on in life. This idea made me think about the time when I am going to be a parent. I would be careful not to imply and transmit some of the stereotypes that I might have and I would certainly want to raise my children in androgynous atmosphere.
What strikes me the most is that even scientists and researchers, who, above all, should be dispassionate and objective observers and analyzers have been and still are absolutely biased when it comes to the different genders. Shockingly, there are many phenomena, medical conditions, and disorders that have not been properly studied simply because they affect women, not men. To witness the prejudiced side of science is truly disappointing.
It really is beyond my understanding what exactly provokes androcentrism to such extent. Are men subconsciously threatened by women? Why is it that a man endures pain as an undeserved punishment; a woman accepts it as a natural heritage? Why is it that men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths? Is the male desire to dominate and control so powerful that they have tried to victimize women as the weaker gender? Sadly, my observation is that some men, who are not capable of an assertive relations and mutual respect, need to perceive themselves as superior to women, for no actual reason. Stubbornly, these same men are never willing to compromise their sexist ideas and no rational argument can influence their view. Still, we hold the hand of these men, and sometimes allow it to hold us down. So to speak, “women are the only oppressed group in our society that lives in intimate association with their oppressors” (Evelyn Cunningham).
Men and women are not from different planets after all, as popular culture is trying to tell us. On the contrary, both sexes reside in the same zip code, in the same pool of subjects, who would have the same results on so many different scales. Yet, our language still refers to the male gender as the predominant one. I am really curious; exactly how good does a female athlete have to be before we just call her an athlete?
I am also I little outraged that in our busy lives, where stress levels are probably higher than ever before, women need to meet higher expectations on so many levels, and constantly prove themselves …and in the end, it doesn’t seems to be enough, as so much of a woman’s work and contributions still does remain unnoticed. It is infuriating to hear stories of bright and truly capable women that have been turned down at a job interview because of their gender, because really, as Florynce Kennedy notes: “There are very few jobs that actually require a penis or vagina. All other jobs should be open to everybody. “ A person’s abilities should be the focus, not the arrangement of one’s chromosomes.
To be a feminist implies one values and appreciates women’s experiences and ideas. A feminist supports the idea that men and women should be economically, socially and legally equal, or in other words “Feminism is the radical notion that women are people” (Cheris Kramarae and Paula Treichler). It is a widely accepted misconception that in order to be ‘pro-woman’, one has to me ‘anti-man’. I have always been a feminist and I will always be one, but I respect and like men too, i simply dislike ignorance.
