Gender Inequality In A Thousand Splendid Suns

For centuries, women have been exploited by the society. Events of women being prohibited from doing things like voting or working and being forced to behave the way it is considered to be socially acceptable have been jotted down in history. Until today women are still viewed as the weaker sex. In some countries, women are regarded less than human and are treated like slaves. Khaled Hosseini goes into the oppression of women in his novel A Thousand Splendid Suns. In the story, the women are oppressed by the society. This is narrated through the delivery of the main antagonist’s id, the gender inequality in enforcing laws and the marginalization of women.

As a result of Rasheed’s id, Mariam and Laila are consistently physically and emotionally

The laws made are all for the benefits of men to control the women. The laws made are also based on the gender role assumption by the society. According to Hosseini (2007),”Attention women: You will stay inside your homes at all times. It is not proper for women to wander aimlessly about the streets. If you go outside, you must be accompanied by a mahram, a male relative. If you are caught alone on the street, you will be beaten and sent home …”(p.297). The laws are made by the Talibans who are men that believe women have no place in the society and should only stay at home. Another evidence, according to Hosseini (2007), “ When they were caught and sent back, the mullah’s son was flogged before he repented and said that Naghma had seduced him with her feminine charms. She’d cast a spell on him, he said. He promised he would rededicate himself to the study of the Koran. The mullah’s son was freed. Naghma was sentenced to five years” (p. 388). This proved that the justice system is leaning against the men. Although the same crime is committed by a man or a woman, the man can make up an excuse and get away with it but never the woman. Based on Krook (2009), “The European Union, United Nations, Organization of American States and the African Union have declared that member states should adopt 30% minimum quotes for women in all

Their needs and desires are ignored and are considered less important than men. When the Talibans came, men’s needs are prioritized while women are left behind. According to Hosseini (2007), “ Women are forbidden from working”(p.298). This shows that men are given the privilege to go to work and earn money to support their families and themselves while girls are debarred from getting a job whether they like it or not as the Talibans think that women are of the weaker sex and are not capable of doing anything that helps contribute to the society. One evidence, according to Hosseini (2007), “ “Go to Rabia Balkhi,” the guard said. A young woman pushed forward, said she had already been there. They had no clean water, she said, no oxygen, no medications, no electricity. “There is nothing there.” “That’s where you go,” the guard said”(p. 306). The women are treated as if their welfare is unimportant because women are thought of as a mere decoration to the society and are considered useless enough to not pay any attention to. Another evidence, according to Hosseini (2007), “ “...You are not able to think like we can. Western doctors and their science have proven this, This is why we require only one male witness but two female ones” ” (p.390). This proves how