Sabiya Kathiria Week 9: The Greatest Imbalance
The Greatest Imbalance
When you hear the word “professor,” what image pops up? What about “chef”? What about “president”? “CEO”? Do you associate these highly professional occupations with men? Do you mean to?
Historically, the patriarchy has roots deep as civilization itself, conditioning society to see men as born leaders while women patiently support them. From the moment we are born, gendered expectations are set upon us: little girls are given dolls to nurture while boys are given heroes and action figures to idolize and conquer. From this moment forward, the conditioning has begun--the groundwork for a lifetime of internalized patriarchal norms has been set.
My life is imbued with men in power. It is a constant, therefore I never questioned it. A man leads prayer at the mosque while women are hidden behind carefully patterned drapes. A man is always president while his wife and female vice president stand behind him. A man sits at the head of the dining table during a casual family dinner while the women of the family surround him.
“The man of the family.” “Boys will be boys.” “She’s asking for it dressed like that.” “Run like a girl.” Common sayings that reinforce male power. Too common.
A woman may have power, but never as much power as a man. You may associate “teacher” with a woman, but “professor” with a man. Why is that? Professors are the more educated of the two, and the term is often associated with men. According to statistics, professors are pretty evenly split between genders. In fact, women dominate education-based occupations. Why? Why do we associate power with men?
Even when women are portrayed to have power in the media, they often cater to male audiences. Female superheroes are seldom the focus; when they are, they are the exception, not the norm.
The imbalance of power between genders is undeniable and continuous; it is a constant in my life similar to the sun rising each morning or the air I breathe. It is miniscule and often undetectable, but always present. It is present as my mother cooks and cleans while my father sits on the couch, even though they both went to work today. It is present as a woman is deemed “bossy” in professional settings while a man would be admired as “assertive.” It is present as I grapple with my own internalized misogyny, struggling not to judge others and myself according to patriarchal standards.
We must challenge outdated power structures and traditions, no matter how deep they run. We must challenge this power imbalance, even if it requires us to grapple with our internalized misogyny and patriarchal beliefs.
Hi Sabiya. Wow. I am aware that many industries are male-dominated, but your blog post is eye-opening that I was not aware of how much patriarchy extends past working industries and how it is rooted deeply into civilization. I especially love those last two sentences and how they repeat at the beginning of each one with “We must,” a call to action against this system that makes men better than women when women are just as capable. I have an older second cousin who is married, and from what I have seen and heard, she is essentially the breadwinner in comparison with her husband; however, her husband enjoys taking care of their place and taking care of her after a long day at work. To hear about how these roles flipped was a bit of a mini cultural shock to me (given how it’s often the man who works and provides for the family while the woman stays at home and cleans), but I believe this practice is one of the many things that contributes to a step in the right direction in the conversation of uplifting women to the level society holds men up to.
ReplyDeleteHey Sabiya! I love this topic! We need more advocating for women!! I want to start off with how much I admire your honesty about also dealing with a patriarchal mindset at times yourself. Many people don't often acknowledge their own unconscious biases (which stem from environment and societal values), so I applaud that notion that you are able to recognize it. Moving onto the topic itself, the whole power imbalance to women is extremely evident in the working aspect especially. People often think that strength equates to power, therefore women will never truly achieve it. However, it's important to know that such men that think that come from a woman and are raised by a woman. There's apparent misogyny in fields of life because people tend to cling onto traditional standpoints that have proved to do nothing but hinder our progress moving forward and creating change in the world. I thought it was very interesting because even your point on how female superheroes being the only exception is just another instance of hidden oppression. Unlike male superheroes, female ones are constantly sexualized and "not taken seriously" regardless of their major achievements. I absolutely love this take on different levels of power, and I hope to see even more intriguing posts from you!
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