The Status of Women
Nicholas Kristof in the NY Times has been fighting a quixotic war of words these days - he defends women's rights and extols the virtues of several women who are going against the odds in their medieval country of Pakistan. One who was gangraped to punish her brother refused to kill herself in accordance with muslim law. Instead she sued, won money, started schools and has to face her rapists all the time since their prison time was cut. The latest is about a young woman who was hit over the head on her way to school and forcibly kidnapped into a brothel. For six years, she fought her captors, was beaten, drugged, sexually assaulted and denied even the most fundamental rights. A good man, doing work at the brothel helped her escape and married her. Now the brothel owner has claimed he was "married" to her and is demanding her returned in accordance with muslim tradition. He wants to re-enslave her, and then probably beat her to death since she dared to defy him and not appreciate the life he imposed on her.
In a rare confluence, right wing conservative christians and liberal women's groups are working to make certain that these types of abuses are stopped. Insidious thougth they are, they have been going on for centuries. And we are suprised? Slavery is the next logical step in the treament of women. It's a dream of so many men in their ongoing quest to keep women as an uneducated, powerless babymaking or whoring machine. It's just another aspect of control over someone else's body - and making certain that she has no choice as to how to live her life. Look at how the taliban treated the women under their regime.
Throughout history men have feared women and have used their greater strength to keep them under control. Take Eleanor of Aqutaine - she dared to go on crusade, she ruled her own lands and when she became too uppity, she was imprisoned by her husband for 14 years, trotted out only for holidays and important ceremonial occasions. Elizabeth I of England had to play her male counselors off against each other and keep them guessing if she was a virgin and would marry a strong man to rule for her, for her entire life in order to rule her country the way she wanted. When she died she left England more prosperous and peaceful than the day she ascended the throne. Less than 30 years after her death, her male successors had managed to plunge England into civil war.
And another outcome of the fear of a rule of women? Men spent the next century making certain that women's education was nonexistent and that her role was that of a wife or a mistress, so that by the time the next ruling woman came to the throne, she was under her husband's thumb and made him co-ruler and her sister who succeeded her was dumb as a post from 17 pregnancies and no living children and dependent only on her male advisors. Nice image huh? And don't get us started on the Puritans! In our day, if a woman is strong and able, say like Ms. Clinton, her detractors are certain to call her names that they would never use to label a male counterpart - bitch, feisty, masculine or any of the other epithets that their fear conjures up.
But it isn't just women in power who are part of this ongoing war against women. Whenever a strong woman rears her head, she is castigated and punished. Sometimes in small petty ways, sometimes in the harsh and venal ways such as those described by Mr. Kristoff. Throughout the past several years there has been a systematic chipping away of women's rights - in our country as well as throughout the world. It's really nice that the consevatives and feminists are joining forces. Too bad they can't afford all women the freedom they seek and the respect they deserve.
In a rare confluence, right wing conservative christians and liberal women's groups are working to make certain that these types of abuses are stopped. Insidious thougth they are, they have been going on for centuries. And we are suprised? Slavery is the next logical step in the treament of women. It's a dream of so many men in their ongoing quest to keep women as an uneducated, powerless babymaking or whoring machine. It's just another aspect of control over someone else's body - and making certain that she has no choice as to how to live her life. Look at how the taliban treated the women under their regime.
Throughout history men have feared women and have used their greater strength to keep them under control. Take Eleanor of Aqutaine - she dared to go on crusade, she ruled her own lands and when she became too uppity, she was imprisoned by her husband for 14 years, trotted out only for holidays and important ceremonial occasions. Elizabeth I of England had to play her male counselors off against each other and keep them guessing if she was a virgin and would marry a strong man to rule for her, for her entire life in order to rule her country the way she wanted. When she died she left England more prosperous and peaceful than the day she ascended the throne. Less than 30 years after her death, her male successors had managed to plunge England into civil war.
And another outcome of the fear of a rule of women? Men spent the next century making certain that women's education was nonexistent and that her role was that of a wife or a mistress, so that by the time the next ruling woman came to the throne, she was under her husband's thumb and made him co-ruler and her sister who succeeded her was dumb as a post from 17 pregnancies and no living children and dependent only on her male advisors. Nice image huh? And don't get us started on the Puritans! In our day, if a woman is strong and able, say like Ms. Clinton, her detractors are certain to call her names that they would never use to label a male counterpart - bitch, feisty, masculine or any of the other epithets that their fear conjures up.
But it isn't just women in power who are part of this ongoing war against women. Whenever a strong woman rears her head, she is castigated and punished. Sometimes in small petty ways, sometimes in the harsh and venal ways such as those described by Mr. Kristoff. Throughout the past several years there has been a systematic chipping away of women's rights - in our country as well as throughout the world. It's really nice that the consevatives and feminists are joining forces. Too bad they can't afford all women the freedom they seek and the respect they deserve.
posted by ScribesUnlimited | 8:22 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home