"O' ye who believe! Fear the Lord God, Who created you from a single entity, and from that created its companion, and from them sprung forth many men and women...
-The Koran, 4:1
At first, things might look normal. Men and women go about their daily lives, seemingly not complaining or fussing about what they hate about what they do every single day. Women are of special concern because of the wide variety of roles that they play across different cultures and societies. They could be working all day, or taking care of the house, or maybe even both, but even those "both" are just part of the wider range of possibilities of roles of females in contemporary societies. In the face of today's growing globalization, our roles and our behaviors are being shaped by this wave of pseudo-intellectual values and norms that seek to unipolarize the world into one single, predictable and thus unexciting place. Social life as we know it would vanish in front of our eyes.
But one of the pressing issues in the wake of this force is the shaping of a woman's status in society, and how others view her. When one takes a look at modern-day "Islamic" society, we tend to see women playing a rather limited role in the public sphere, whereas women are technically the center of attention in the Western world. One might argue, then, that women in Islamic societies have less freedom and are in fact being subjugated by concrete legislation that denies them rights. It sounds convincing, given Saudi Arabia's state of denying females the right to utilize a vehicle, or go out without a muhram (male chaperone). And then there's the pressing issue of the corrupt justice system that is fraught with incidence, such as the execution of a rape victim. Sad, but it happened; it also happened in Iran. However, the situation is not as bad as one thinks: women are not subjected to governmentally-sanctioned violence or the like. One might also think that women in the MidEast and other places with Muslim majorities look at women living elsewhere with envious desperation. Women living in Western societies could work, drive, drink, go out more, and enjoy the same rights as men do. Their lives seem perfect compared to those living under some sort of oppressive rule.
But perfect... they are not. And I shall give you little image on how gender equity has not been reached in today's world.
Women in today's societies will, like any other person in society (both male and female), try their best to stick to the societal norms and values. They follow a dress code that changes between circumstances, and are committed to their roles. They will, however, be subjected to pressure from various sources. First and foremost are their peers. Usually, people stick with those who are like-minded, or conform to a certain standard, etc. What their peers think of them or expect of them will confine the free will of a woman in areas such as her dress, attitude, and demeanor (posture?). Women undergoing the process of socialization tend to stick with women more than men. So, you might be thinking, then, that women are subjugating each other and negotiating their roles with their peers, and men are just around, sitting on the couch and watching Monday Night Football and not giving a damn about their wives, girlfriends and children.
Looks can be deceiving. That man on the couch belongs to the gender that is responsible for more than 99% of all historical wars and more than 99% of genocides, murders... hell, they kill themselves more, too. Men are actually more responsible for shaping women and defining their positions within society and what they should do. As most societies today are patriarchal (headed by men), much of what is expected from women in these societies is brought forth by those who dominate them: men. Even in Western societies are women being put under this subconscious control of every aspect of their social expressions and impressions by men, who try to exploit this "weaker sex".
Advertising is one method through which men and even other women exploit the "weaker sex" (Alvesson). When one takes a look at what women wear in the West, it could range from covered, modest clothing to clothing so seductive that the clothes themselves don't do their job of covering the woman properly. The latter form seems to be encouraged by mass media. It's everywhere: movies, designer ads, commercials, TV shows, etc. Don't tell me that you've seen, most of the time, a fashion ad with a woman moreso properly dressed. Sure, you might have, but which ones actually deliver the message? Which ones give women the impression that if they don't look like the women on TV or on the ads, they won't be good-looking, or "sexier"? Definitely not a business ad, that's for sure. You'll find them in the fashion ads: sleek-looking women who wear make-up, designer shoes, and clothes that reveal the skin in as many "exciting" ways as possible.
But if you thought that clothing ads were enough, take a look at the music and film industries. The emergence of "pimpin'" "Hip-Hop" culture (what the heck do they call it, really?) coincided with images of women being literally nothing but "sex slaves", "prostitutes" (they call them "hoes", which is ironically supposedly a less offensive form of "whore", but it still carries the same message across), etc. That is, this "pop culture" encourages women to be as sl*tty as possible, or as flirtatious as possible if not so seductive. Then there are movies and shows, which depict women in a similar light... you know, the "popular" girl image, the girl who's rarely smart, but always pretty and has a fan following; even worse, the "other" girls are led to be viewed as subservient to their male counterparts. Not a pretty picture for a girl who wants to be independent and successful, but falls prey to such heresy(Alternet). I'm not writing about this simply because "Hip-hop" just isn't my favorite music genre, or because I'm racist against black people (which I'm absolutely not), but mainly because this issue hasn't been spoken about much in the public sphere. Mark A. Neal has, though, explored the issue with surprising depth. He seeks to reform hip-hop culture in a way that removes all sexist influences. So, he remarks that when he wants a reform of hip-hop,
we are essentially demanding hip-hop's primary consumer base to consume music that is anti-sexist, anti-misogynistic and possibly feminist. And in what context have young white men (or black men for that matter) ever been interested in consuming large amounts of black feminist thought? Clearly, these young whites are consuming hip-hop for other reasons. In the case of young white males, hip-hop represents a space where they work through the idea of how their masculinity can be lived -- what they literally take from the hypermasculine "black buck" (think about 50 Cent's influence in the killing fields of Iraq) and indeed it is an integral part of the cash-and-carry exchange.
Here, Neal highlights one of the many reasons regarding why I despise sexist hip-hop music: it glorfies masculine materialism to the extent that women are belittled to the status of sex toy. Granted, I know that there are individuals who value women like people, but some people have taken it to the wrong level that dehumanizes women or decreases their worth.
Gender exploitation occurs everywhere, to be honest, but many people are too oblivious to its occurrence, even when/where it seems that everything is alright and that there's a general consensus about the roles that women play in such societies. It honestly saddens me to see something like this go unspoken about as much. There may have been issues of "Gender Equality" being discussed, but what is true Gender Equality? Subjecting women to more years of oppression? Or...
Wait... I'm starting to sound like a male feminist now, right? I guarantee you, I'm not. Well, I'll let you in on something. Ever since the dawn of man, most societies have been patriarchal, not matriarchal, which is the feminine counterpart. I believe that societies should preach gender equity. It's a no-brainer that, while men and women have different physical capabilities that define their roles, etc., men and women should have an equal voice in their societies. There should be no gender dominance, as is obvious in the societies of today, even in the West where gender exploitation is carried out under the guise of mass media and fashion advertising, or even in sports, were female athletes are constantly harrassed for not conforming to a specific body shape and fitness to the extent that they are rendered as merely nothing but acrobatic slaves... you know, the kind you see in a rundown circus parade.
Many of those who study society and the human world, from sociologists to psychologists, have found this shocking pattern that I speak of. The sexual harrassment of women in the field of sports was exposed by sociologists Vivian Krauchek and Gillian Ranson. After some diligent research into the matter, they came up with rather surprising results: the athletes' coaches exploited them because of their weight, size, flexibility, and other matters that would "affect" their performance. Female athletes, however, also tend not to question these inequalities. While many theories have evolved about why they don't "resist", many of them revolve on
a recognition of the sporting world as emphatically masculine, and women's participation in it as contingent on their willingness to accept the masculine rules of the game.
Historically, most sports have been "found" by men, so they assume that whatever their male colleagues do to them is for the "good" of the game. But come on, now: telling a female runner that her "butt is too big" is definitely not constructive criticism, is it?
That was just an example. There's also the issue of "sex slavery", a worldwide underground industry that specializes in exploiting young children, especially females, into the shady world of prostitution and the sex trade (UNICEF). The figures provided for those involved in the sex industry are frightening, to say the least, because it poses a threat to the welfare of many children around the world... and is seriously not in the best interests of men and women alike who want to live in a prosperous world.
So, what's the solution? Like I said: gender equity. There's simply no other solution. The continued exploitation and subjugation of women shouldn't go on like this. While I discussed the issue of women in Islam from my perspective before, I just want to outline the plain equality between men and women. First of all, according to the Koran, both men and women are created with the same nature, both human and soul.
[15:29]But He fashioned him in due proportion and breathed into him something of His spirit. And He gave you (the faculties of) hearing and sight and feeling (and understanding); little thanks do you give
Also, as Dr. Jamal Badawi outlined in his groundbreaking report, Gender Equity in Islam, liberating women from exploitation is a virtuous task, and it is up to them as women to do as they please and go where they please, and marry whome they please, and so on and so forth...
But forget my limited view on this. Gender Equity is needed everywhere. It is need in schools, in sports... you name it. What else should be done? Women should realize their own worth. No more should we differentiate between men and women when it comes to basic societal issues such as education, athletics, and public discourse. I mean, seriously, what's the point in believing that we as humans are all created equal when women are left out of the "we"?
As with all issues dealing with equity, it's not about "we" and "they", but it's always about "us"... and I mean all of us.
Farewell... and God Bless.
Salaam, from Saracen
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