Throughout history, women have been at the receiving end of oppression by their male counterparts, and this trend seems to be ongoing even in our modern world. The patriarchal system has deep roots among various societies and this lifestyle was adopted across the globe. Despite numerous movements and awareness aimed at stamping out this oppressive stance, humanity acts like it is permanently pinned on the male chauvinist wall.
Many females are facing oppression on a daily basis and from different angles. Misogyny is the main culprit leading to the abuse of women. Some defend this evil act by using cultural or religious practices that were utilized by their forefathers. Alluding to past experiences means that certain individuals are stuck on archaic tendencies which ought to exert male superiority over women.
The evolved form of oppression exhibited nowadays is related to sexual abuse and harassment of women. This kind of oppression is now a disease spreading quickly among men, especially those in high positions. Recently, it was noted that World Health Organization’s staff working in the Democratic Congo were forcing women to have sex with in exchange of jobs and certain aid. Some women were raped, including minors while others were forced to abort their pregnancies after having unprotected sex with the aid workers.
In the US, former governor Andrew Cuomo was nabbed in a series of sexually abusing female staff that was part of his convoy and was accused of harassing over 200 women. A popular American comedian Bill Cosby was released from prison this year after he was jailed for molesting young girls during his prime in the entertainment industry. The recent case of oppression of women was shown in the case of famous singer Robert Kelly. Reports depict how the rhythm and blues singer was involved in taking advantage of minors while purporting that he was going to help with their singing career. He was found guilty on nine charges of sexual humiliation and violence for over two decades.
Other forms of oppression faced by women are purely related to men controlling them. For example, Saudi women were freed to live alone without a male guardian in June this year [Source], which means all this other time they were under the male’s social rule. Human Rights Watch published an online article citing reason why a lot of women leave Saudi Arabia and listed a lot of oppressive laws that females were forced to abide by. The list noted that there was once no age limit for marriage and this led to a lot of child marriages. Also, these women are not allowed to choose a marriage partner for themselves and have to seek for a male’s permission when applying for a passport or embarking on a journey. Other reasons listed include ‘Healthcare discrimination; inequality in divorce, child custody, inheritance; challenges to transferring guardianship; restrictions on leaving prison and shelters; restrictions on studying abroad; political repression [Source].
When it comes to job positions, women are still underrepresented in high offices, especially in government departments. The newly established Taliban government in Afghanistan did not include any women and various female rights’ activist groups despised this act of neglecting females. The Taliban made waves during its reign between 1996 to 2001 by implementing oppressive laws against women. They made a decree to ban women from employment while mandating them to wear the burqa at all times and were denied access to medical service by a male doctor unless being accompanied by a male. Due to this, most females are anxious about the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan and many of them were seeking asylum in foreign countries.
Stats show that “almost 90% of men/women globally are biased against women,” and this shows how females are suffering under the thumb of oppression in the contemporary world. Oppression of women is still continuing in many forms and to curb this problem, the world needs to unite against patriarchs. Also, females must be encouraged to speak out whenever they are abused so that the perpetrators may be punished by relevant authorities. But for now, women can only air out loud outcries of pain and anguish as they suffer from problems enacted by the world onto them.
