Subordination Of Women Research Articles

Femininity, Shame, and Redemption

At a time when some modicum of formal gender equality has been won in many late‐capitalist societies of the West, what explains the persistence of practices that extract labor and value from women and girls while granting a “surplus” of value to men and boys? Gendered shame is a central mechanism of the apparatus that secures the continued subordination of women across a number of class and race contexts in the mediatized, late‐capitalist West. Focusing on the story of Amanda Todd, two forms of shame are distinguished. “Ubiquitous shame” is that shame that accrues to feminine existence as such, and is structured in relation to a futural temporality of redemption. “Unbounded shame” is a brute form of value‐extraction that has found its ecological niche in social media—and destroys all futural aspirations.

1–2 Timothy, Titus by Annette Bourland Huizenga

Reviewed by: 1–2 Timothy, Titus by Annette Bourland Huizenga Teresa J. Hornsby annette bourland huizenga, 1–2 Timothy, Titus (Wisdom Commentary 53; Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2016). Pp. lii + 207. $39.95. To be honest, I did not expect to like this book. Perhaps it is because these texts have been used for centuries to justify sexist and patriarchal hierarchies. However, Annette Bourland Huizenga does an excellent job identifying, analyzing, explaining, and, I would argue, seeking to emancipate these texts. I say “emancipate” because the Pastorals have been held captive by those who seek to use them as justifications for defining women solely by their reproductive processes, for framing church leadership as wholly masculine, and for ostracizing anyone who exists outside whatever is deemed to be a normative household. While H. cannot undo what is written or repair the damage the Pastoral Epistles have done, she gives the reader strong tools with which to find strengths that they offer to the faithful, in spite of what they do and have done: they have elevated the social status of free men, and they have reinforced subordination of women, children, and slaves (p. 181). Though she cannot make these texts completely palatable for faithful feminist readers (she is not a magician, after all), H. seeks to provide the historical contexts and linguistic possibilities to help make the work less opaque and, in places, more malleable. In the “Author’s Introduction,” she explains that her goal is to meet these texts head on with no pretense about “saving” them, or rendering them ineffectual. Rather, H. seeks to provide an occasion for a deeper engagement, to “wrestle openly” with all of the negative consequences that have been brought about by the gendered kyriarchy of the pseudonymous author who, through a claim of divine authority, has wrought dismissal, abuse, and devaluation for women and has bolstered institutional racism for centuries. One of the strongest aspects of this book, and indeed of the entire Wisdom Commentary series, is that it brings in exegetical comments from a host of contemporary Bible scholars. For example, we see this in H.’s handling of the particularly misogynist passage 1 Tim 2:11–15, which asserts that women may not speak in the assembly, may not teach men, and will find salvation through childbearing in spite of Eve’s transgression. H. brings in Eh Tar Gay (pp. 20–24) to speak of her experiences as a Christian woman in Myanmar. Gay responds to 1 Tim 2:11–15 from her lived experiences and observes how her community there reflects and contextualizes the Pastor’s remarks. Briefly, Gay’s assertion is that those Pastoral comments reflect cultural standards, and not only do cultural standards change in time, but those changes are mandated by community. She notes that even the Pastor’s social mores have shifted from Paul’s own statements concerning veiling, teaching, and the origin of sin (attributing that to Adam, not Eve; cf. Rom. 5:12). In addition to bringing in the voices of other scholars, H. adds extremely helpful notes [End Page 531] regarding Greek translations. In the example above (1 Tim 2:11–15), she offers information on the Greek phrase (ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ), which is translated as “silence” in 2:11 and as “to keep silent” in 2:12. Her comments here are thought-provoking; the term has a second meaning: “stillness,” “rest,” or “calm” (p. 25). H. notes that Plutarch uses this term to instruct male students the proper way to show respect to a teacher. Finally, certainly aware of the enormity of the task at hand, that is, to make the Pastoral Letters palatable to our own progressive sensibilities, H. concludes this: My intent has been to offer meaningful historical contextualizations and analyses of the Pastorals’ instruction so that preachers, teachers, and engaged students of the Bible might gain deeper understandings of the world of the author and then join the struggle to handle these letters with integrity for our own times. (p. 184) Through the provision of thoughtful and informed commentary, through the inclusion of lived experiences of international Christians grappling with this Scripture, and through masterful attention to specific translation matters, H. has produced...

Small-scale family entrepreneurship as support to the neoliberal state in post-socialist Serbia

This paper points to the danger of the neoliberal instrumentalization of feminism in promoting family entrepreneurship as an emancipatory practice for women. It criticizes the key myths of neoliberal feminism about the freedom of choice that women have and their empowerment through family entrepreneurship. To that end, and through empirical research, it explores the benefits of women?s participation in the management of small-scale family entrepreneurship and business in 30 micro and small-sized firms in the traditional sectors, during the post-socialist transformation of Serbia. The aim of this article is to show that the process of women?s emancipation does not rest on these myths, but rather on the possibilities to change power structures based on the logic of capital and the neoliberal state in the semi-periphery of the world system, as well as the patriarchal gender regimes, that reproduce the strong subordination of women. The economic, social and moral benefits of entrepreneurship for women are debatable and limited by the interests of big capital and the neoliberal state. The possibilities of transforming gender relations through gender policies remain limited, because they do not derive from critically situated feminist discourse and do not correspond to the structural dispositions of a semi-peripheral economy and society like Serbia.

FROM EMMETT TILL TO TRAYVON MARTIN

AbstractOn February 26, 2012, George Zimmerman, a man of White American and Peruvian descent, shot and killed Trayvon Martin, a Black teenager who was walking back to the home where he was a guest in Sanford, Florida. For many, Trayvon Martin is this generation’s Emmett Till, the fourteen-year-old Black boy who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955 for whistling in a White woman’s presence. In fact, several scholars have highlighted similarities between the Till and Martin tragedies. One unexplored commonality is the manner in which defense counsel in both the Till and Martin trials used the trope of protecting White womanhood to get the jurors to psychologically identify and empathize with the defendants. Employing Multidimensional Masculinities Theory, this essay seeks to expose the role that the protection of White womanhood (and thus the preservation of White manhood) played in the killings of Till and Martin and in each of their killers’ defense strategies at trial. It does so by offering a history of lynching; explaining how White men demonstrated their ownership of White women and their dominance over Blacks by using violence against Black men who threatened the social order; and revealing how the defense attorneys in both the Till and Martin cases manipulated and employed the narrative of the White male protector of White women to facilitate acquittals for their clients. In so doing, it analyzes the transcript from the Till trial, a transcript previously believed to be lost forever until the FBI discovered the transcript upon its re-opening and investigation of the Till murder and released the transcript in 2006. Finally, utilizing excerpts from the trial transcript in the Martin case, this essay reveals how the trope of protecting White womanhood shaped the outcome in the Martin case, even though the stock narrative of needing White female protection from purportedly dangerous Black men was not at all related to the claims about Martin or charges against Zimmerman. In so doing, this essay reveals (1) how White womanhood has been abstracted to encompass not only a specific woman in an incident and to include not only a “man’s” home, but also to include broader spaces like gated communities, and (2) how that reality, coupled with the way that civil rights laws have made it harder for White men to bully Black men and the way that feminism has made it harder to subordinate women, has produced a new masculine anxiety for White men.

Female Entrepreneurship and the Metanarrative of Economic Growth: A Critical Review of Underlying Assumptions

AbstractThis critical review of the literature on female entrepreneurship problematizes the metanarrative of economic growth and the mechanisms through which it both operates and is maintained. Central to this is the axiomatic ‘underperformance hypothesis’, which states that ‘all else being equal, female entrepreneurs tend to be less successful than their male counterparts in terms of conventional economic performance measures’ (Du Rietz and Henrekson (2000, p. 1). As an axiom, the truth of the ‘underperformance hypothesis’ is taken for granted, and thus it invisibly serves as a starting point, delimiter and interpretive lens for analysis in this field. While it remains invisible, the hypothesis will continue to reproduce the differences between male and female entrepreneurs, and thus the subordination of women to men in the realm of entrepreneurship. The review illustrates how, by associating females with underperformance, the persistent influence of the metanarrative of economic growth has been masked and the image of the female entrepreneur as problematic and inferior to her male counterpart has been reinforced. The authors argue that a postmodern feminist epistemology will destabilize both the metanarrative of economic growth, and the axiomatic ‘underperformance hypothesis’ it supports, thus opening up space for a heterogeneous understanding of (female) entrepreneurship. By questioning accepted knowledge about female entrepreneurs, the review sets the platform for the exploration of new research questions and a broad agenda for future research. Such an agenda is crucial in order to move future research beyond the pervasive influence of the metanarrative of economic growth and its attendant underperformance hypothesis.

“Killed Out of Love”: A Frame Analysis of Domestic Violence Coverage in Hong Kong

A frame analysis was conducted on a Hong Kong newspaper to determine whether news coverage of female fatalities at the hands of their intimate partners was reported in conventional domestic violence ways or if there were culture-specific explanations. Overall, most coverage supported known views of domestic violence, justifying the perpetrator and categorizing the issue as isolated crime. However, a few stories highlighted the historical subordination of women under patriarchy in Confucianism as an important cultural factor. Findings have implications for the lack of generalization of the social problem, and the understanding of cultural and political power in Hong Kong society.

The Role of Women towards Political Participation in Nigeria

This study investigates the factors that limit women’s participation in Nigeria’s politics using case study period between 1999 and 2015, among these factors are socioeconomic development, the country’s cultural heritage, historical legacies and institutional designs. The study employs secondary source as a method ofdata collection. The study reveals that the patriarchal system and male domination of the society, which relegates women to subordinate role, has created women’s inferiority complex and alienated them from the mainstream politics in Nigeria. The Nigerian political culture of thuggery and gangsterism has made the political terrain too dangerous for most women to venture into mainstream politics. Besides, the stigmatization of women politicians by fellow women discourages the political participation of the former while religious beliefs and institutional arrangements that restrict women to family responsibilities in the country coupled with lack of genuine and decisive affirmative action to encourage women’s political participation, have created a legacy that limit women’s political participation in the country as a whole. Consequently, the study emphasizes the need to address those factors that entrench women subordination in Nigeria’s politics. These include, among others, the reformation of all religious, statutory and customary laws and practices that perpetuate women’s subordination in the country and the explicit specifications and modalities of affirmative actions on women’s political participation and clear guidelines for implementations in the Nigeria constitution.

A Rhetorical Construction of Masculinities in the Letter of Jude

ABSTRACTIt seems that the author of the Letter of Jude’s honour and authority was challenged by certain men in the Christian faith community, and therefore the letter should be read as a retort to an honour challenge. In his defence, Jude claims a certain honour because of his blood ties to “James” and by being a “servant” of Jesus Christ. He also uses both the authoritative faith tradition entrusted to the apostles and the authoritative written tradition to position himself. Central to his claim of honour and authority is the exercise of power and dominance; these concepts are central to the notion of hegemonic masculinity, which guarantees the dominant position of particular men, and the subordination of women and other men. This identity of Jude derives from his participation in the faith community and from interactions with other men, based on competition. His opponents, as the other men, are forced into a position of subordination by offensive or derogatory language used to describe men whose behaviour, appearance, or speech is considered typical of that which is traditionally associated with women. Effeminate men represent the most fundamental failure of true or idealised masculinity. Yet Jude encourages the community to display behaviour of a conspicuously moral quality, which will give them a different identity. In this way, the text of Jude continuously constructs, deconstructs and reconstructs the masculine characteristics of the first-century Mediterranean world. The aim of this study is to investigate the rhetorical construction of multiple patterns of performative masculinities in the text of Jude.

Magdalene.co Sebagai Media Advokasi Perempuan

The subordination of women intertwined with patriarchy culture in the society. Magdalene.co is one of online media to advocate women. The study tries to reveal Magdalane.co’s creative efforts in undertaking gender-sensitive journalism and advocacy journalism for women. Content analysis, interviews, and literature studies are conducted for collecting data. The results show that Magdalene. co offers new values and perspectives on women and raises range of issues including religion, beliefs, lifestyles, and social conditions. However, class bias is still evident in their articles, discussed issues are limited to public domain, and it is inconsistent in changing stereotype of women.

Western Feminism or Return to Authentic Islam? Jordanian Women in Faqir’s Pillars of Salt and My Name is Salma

This paper focuses on the violence against Jordanian women through Fadia Faqir’s novels, Pillars of Salt and My Name is Salma. These novels question cultural conventions that tolerate men’s oppression and killing of women in the name of the family’s honour in most Arab countries. The analysis of the two novels illustrates how Faqir’s opposition to women’s subordination and victimisation in the name of Islam stems from her interest in going back to authentic teachings of Islam with regard to women, rather than Western feminist theories. In addition, the similarity between Orientalist misrepresentation of women’s status in Islam and patriarchal misinterpretation of the Holy Qura’n and Prophet Muhammad’s Sunnah to subordinate women is explored and examined from the postcolonial feminist critical perspective. This paper highlights feminist contribution to raising awareness about violence against women in some Arab countries through literature.

The Position of Marsha Norman's Female Characters from the Perspective of the Socialist-feminist Ideology

Socialist-feminism discusses the subordination and victimization of women in relation with men, the capitalist structure of the society, its institutions, the hegemonic patriarchal culture and history. Marsha Norman as a contemporary American feminist playwright portrays the position of women as victims of the societies they live in her plays. This study aims not to analyze Marsha Norman's plays in a detailed manner, but the purpose of this work is to give an introductory knowledge about Norman's female characters in her plays Third and Oak, Loving Daniel Boone, Sarah and Abraham and Circus Valentine by discussing their oppression in relation with the historical, cultural and social perspectives which are the main points of discussion in the Socialist-Feminist Theory.

Гендерна культура ортодоксального та модерністського юдаїзму

Статтю присвячено проблемі співвідношення ортодоксально-традиційних та модерністських засад в гендерній культурі юдаїзму. Підводячи підсумки проведеного дослідження, автор відзначає, що гендерні відносини в конкретній релігійній громаді багато в чому залежать від гендерної системи суспільства країни перебування. Гендерний режим релігійної громади запозичує моделі гендерно-статевих відносин, спілкування, зразків поведінки. Провідниками запозичень і їх адаптерами нерідко стають самі члени громади. Безпосередньо через їх практики і через практики їхніх сімей відбувається іноваціонування громад, їх гендерної ідеології і релігійних інституцій.Вищеперераховані практики включають в себе поняття релігійної і світської ідентичностей, сексуальності, влади, релігійної і світської освіти й інші категорії, які безпосередньо пов’язані з поняттями гендеру і гендерних відносин. При цьому особливості гендерного позиціювання істотно різняться в патріархальній та егалітарній гендерній культурах. Гендерна ідентичність юдеїв в патріархальних культурах припускає міксування релігійних та світських уявлень про гендерні ролі. Позиціонування патріархально-релігійного укладу стикається з практиками в повсякденному житті. Найбільш помітним це перетинання стає в сексуальному житті, кар’єрній активності і сімейних стратегіях жінок. Протиріччя між гендерним позиціонуванням і практиками нерідко веде до виникнення почуття провини у членів юдейських громад в патріархальних гендерних культурах суспільства оточення, яке стає частиною їх гендерної ідентичності. У той же час значна кількість практик, не схвалюваних юдаїзмом, знаходять підтримку в гендерних культурах патріархальних суспільств, що веде до розуміння цих практик як легітимних і в рамках релігійних громад. Це твердження стосується, зокрема, індивідуальних практик вивчення жінками священних текстів.В суспільствах з егалітарною гендерною культурою гендерної етнічно-релігійної ідентичності представникам ортодоксального юдаїзму маловластиві патріархальні уявлення про жіночі ролі. Протягом останніх десятиліть їх гендерна ідентичність в контексті релігійності і поза нею розвивалася більш односпрямовано. Навіть у дуже релігійних жінок поняття релігії є слабко пов’язаним з поняттями патріархату і підлеглим становищем жінок. Результати цих змін помітнимі при реалізації індивідуальних світських і релігійних практик жінками-членами громад. Спільною рисою гендерної ідентичності жінок як в патріархальних, так і в егалітарних гендерних культурах стає визначення себе як сильної статі на противагу традиційним гендерним стереотипам щодо жіночої слабкості.

The consumption of patriarchy: commodification to facilitation and reification

There is an abundance of research from cultural, critical and feminist criminology that has recognized media as a vehicle to propagate various forms of gender inequality and violence against women. Likewise, there has been extensive research on how childhood products and toys replicate the patriarchal construction of gender. However, these bodies of research have been relatively silent on how the commodification of culture is consumed and reified by the very population it oppresses (i.e. women). Here, we argue that violence against women is commodified and eagerly consumed in an age of neo-liberalism, legitimizing the patriarchal power structures that subordinate women. Our goal is to begin a discussion of female consumption of the commodification that gives consent and facilitates the patriarchal perpetual power system. Using examples from media and the consumer market, we hope to begin a broader discussion of how patriarchy, gender roles and inequality are reinforced through everyday banal consumption by both sexes. However, this banal consumption by females not only lends to the legitimization of the heteronormative patriarchal status quo but also makes them active participants in the continuation of inequality and power structures inherent within this patriarchal society.

The construction of hegemonic masculinity in the Semiotic Landscape of a CrossFit ‘Cave’

A Semiotic Landscape analysis, whereby a community or environment’s signage is photographed for linguistic and visual analysis, is a useful means of discovering power relationships within that community’s language use. While Semiotic Landscapes and their predecessor, Linguistic Landscapes, are traditionally used to explore differences between dominant and minority languages in a community, this research extends the concept to analyse hegemonic masculinity at a CrossFit gym. It also shifts the analysis from an outdoor landscape to an indoor, more private setting. Using an autoethnographic approach, the author argues that while many of the CrossFit signs are designed to appear as humorous entertainment or motivation, they simultaneously encourage the subordination of women and certain men, and the naturalizing of a particular view of hegemonic masculinity, as embodied by the ideal CrossFit male.

Human Trafficking and Prostitution in Canada Intersections and Challenges

Pimps exploit, degrade and subordinate women with the sole purpose of making as much money as possible. Canada’s Parliament has enacted two key pieces of legislation to protect the vulnerable women preyed upon by pimps. First, Canada ratified the United Nations (UN) Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children. These human trafficking provisions are increasingly used to combat the pernicious evil of pimps and recognize that coerced sex trade work is one of the contemporary forms of slavery. However, they suffer from a lack of definition within the Criminal Code of Canada – particularly the meaning of “exploitation.” This paper seeks to fill in the definitional lacunae and also considers the Constitutional vulnerability of the mandatory minimum sentences imposed upon convicted pimps. Second, Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (S.C. 2014, c. 25) came into force on November 6, 2014, as a direct response to the Supreme Court of Canada decision in R. v. Bedford – which struck down key Criminal Code provisions aimed directly at prostitution related offences. These provisions are likewise vulnerable to Constitutional attack. This paper considers those vulnerabilities as well as the far reaching effects of these enactments. Jointly, the human trafficking and prostitution related provisions aimed at stopping pimping capture conduct beyond what many may envision when they turn their minds to exploitation within the sex trade industry.

CULTURE: A VESSEL FOR FEMALE SUBORDINATION IN THREE AFRICAN NOVELS

Since the dawn of time, women generally have had fewer legal rights and status in society than their male counterparts. The continuous subordination and suppression of women are further aggravated by traditions, cultural beliefs and religions of most societies which favor patriarchy. Using the radical feminist approach, the present paper attempts an exploration of patriarchy as an aspect of culture which helps to subordinate women as highlighted in Nawal El Saadawi’s A Woman at Point Zero (1983), Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood (1979), and Amma Darko’s Beyond the Horizon (1995). It also examines the steps taken by the women to free themselves from the “chains” of male domination and oppression . The study revealed that cultural practices such as polygamy, female genital mutilation and sexual abuse facilitate the abuse, subjugation and oppression of women in the novels under study. The study has implications for the theory of feminism and literary criticisms. Article visualizations:

The politics of rape: Traces of radical feminism in Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee

Disgrace can be read as a deliberation on rape in all its complexity, articulating and commenting upon many of the positions typical of the radical feminism of the seventies. Some feminists classify prostitution as a form of rape. Prostitution is the ideal form of sex for the main character, David, because it allows him to fantasize that a woman mirrors his wishes. The border between rape and consensual sex is shown to be problematic in the relationship between David and his young student, Melanie. Although some readers find that Melanie was willingly seduced, others consider that she was raped. The charge of sexual harassment is therefore unsatisfactory for both sides and, since David refuses to read the charges brought against him, he effectively silences his accuser. When his daughter, Lucy, equates heterosexual sex with killing and hating women, one can read it as evoking the radical feminist idea that men as a class subordinate women as a class through the threat of rape. Lucy’s political lesbianism is a logical response to such misogyny. After being rape, Lucy accepts a subordinate position and this proves the power of rape in controlling women. Like one of the Sabine women, Lucy seems willing to sacrifice herself for peace between black and white in South Africa.

Diversity, Discourse, and the Mission of the Feminist Law Journal

I. INTRODUCTION Why a feminist In recent years, there has been a proliferation of school journals. At present many schools have, in addition to the traditional law review, journals which focus on race, environmental law, gay and lesbian issues, or international law. In such a context, there seems little need to feel that one has to offer a specific justification for a feminist journal. In some ways, all school journal serve similar functions. The most obvious purpose is to publish articles aimed at advancing legal theory and practice. A second function for these journals is to provide a context in which students can work together on areas of common interest while they enhance their substantive knowledge, improve their research and writing skills, and enhance their resumes. However, while the prestige of traditional reviews attracts students without regard to political perspectives, special interest journal may be more likely to attract students who have at least some ideological or political commitment to a substantive area. Thus students with an interest in advancing women's interests often join journals that address women's issues. For such students, work on the journal may represent more than an academic exercise or a credential. It can be a context in which the student can act on and affirm a commitment to an area in which he or she hopes to have some long-term involvement. For some women students, the feminist journal may also provide a context that helps them to process gender issues relevant to their school experience. Research conducted by some of the speakers at this symposium indicates that in recent years, mainstream reviews have become increasingly receptive to articles written from a feminist perspective. (1) In light of this development, the question a feminist journal? becomes an especially important one. Feminist journals must now compete with many others for interesting and compelling articles. In this brief essay I will discuss what I see as the mission of the feminist journal and I will offer a few practical suggestions for ways I think feminist journals might continue to make themselves attractive to authors who now may have many more choices in placing their work. II. THE MISSION OF THE SPECIAL INTEREST PUBLICATION As I began to think about whether feminist journals have a special mission, I thought about why I often read popular magazines aimed primarily at Black audiences. In addition to the many articles and publications I read in order to stay current in my work as an academic, I also subscribe to magazines such as Black Enterprise, Ebony, and Essence. I read these magazines because they offer me, as a Black person, something different than what mainstream publications provide. Magazines aimed at Black audiences often address issues that I have a personals take in that mainstream magazines often ignore or gloss over. In chronicling, analyzing, and affirming the ongoing struggles and triumphs of Black people in our ongoing struggle for equality, these magazines challenge racism and subordination and have a mission of uplift and equality. Feminist journals serve a specialty audience of women and others who are interested in women's issues. Like magazines aimed at Black audiences, feminist journals have a mission of critique, analysis, and inspiration for those working toward the common goal of a more just and egalitarian society. Traditional reviews are generally neutral in terms of values; the articles published often reflect views that span the ideological spectrum. Thus, articles in these journals can be pro-tort reform or anti-tort reform, pro-affirmative action or anti-affirmative action, and pro-reproductive choice or anti-reproductive choice. While reviews addressed to women's issues also publish articles representing some range of opinions, they tend to publish articles that deconstruct and challenge the subordination of women. …

A contextualised historical account of changing judicial attitudes to polygamous marriage in the English courts

AbstractWhilst much of the literature focuses on debating polygamy as a harmful practice, the purpose of this paper is to consider a different form of harm by exploring judicial responses to this relationship and the women who engage with it. Over the years, the courts have been faced with numerous questions on the recognition and regulation of polygamous marriages. Commencing with an overview of existing literature on polygamous marriage, I situate and explain the post-colonial feminist-inspired conceptual framework that underpins my judicial discourse analysis of English case-law in this area spanning from 1866 to the present day. A post-colonial feminist lens exposes the racist, orientalist, imperialist and sexist attitudes permeating judicial language in relation to polygamy and its participants. These patterns of discourse subordinate women in polygamous marriages, leaving them in a vulnerable position. With time, these discourses seemingly fade but, through a closer reading of recent cases, it becomes evident that they are still present, albeit in a subtler form as a matter of public policy, morality and ‘good’.

Women’s Oppressed and Disfigured Life in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale

The present study attempts to analyze Margaret Atwood’s (1939- ) The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) based on theories of feminist thinker, Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) and applies her theories presented in The Second Sex (1949) that leads to better apprehension of sex and gender. Beauvoir’s ideology focuses mainly on the cultural mechanisms of oppression which cause to confine women under the title of Other to man’s self. In her view woman cannot be a simple biological category, and she asserts that womanhood is imposed on woman by civilization. In her idea, the fundamental social meaning of woman is Other. She believes that biology is the main source for woman’s oppression within patriarchal society, and challenges the discourse through which women are defined based on her biology. She also believes that sexuality is another aspect of women’s oppression and exploitation and all functions of women. In Beauvoir’s view, prostitution and heterosexuality are exploitation of woman. She rejects the heterosexuality as the norm for sexual relations. This paper tries to show how Atwood in The Handmaid’s Tale speculates feminist issues such as loss of identity, subordination of woman in a male dominated society and women’s exploitation in consumer society where woman’s body is treated as an object, a tool and consumable item. Atwood focuses on the problems such as gender inequality, and pitfalls of patriarchal system for women’s oppression.