The Oppression Of Women

Suprava Mandal For as long as we have known women have been oppressed and still are till this day. There are various reasons how and why women have been oppressed and one reason is capitalism but of course even before capitalism, there were some things to consider. Oppression of women has been all too common all over the world for a very long time. I will argue that capitalism is one of the reasons why women have been oppressed for many years but also that society is responsible for it as well. According to Julian Steward’s concepts the super structure (family form, gender, religion, values, ways of life etc) and base which is mode of product and relation of production maintain and shape each other support the idea that capitalism

Having children and raising children was one of the most significant things for West Indian women because that’s what their culture has instilled in people. “For women regardless of class, childbearing and child rearing are major sources of respect” this seems to imply that women are mainly important for giving birth to children and taking care of them (Colen 1995: 84). Society has made clear that women are important mainly for reproductive labor but it is also clear that even that fact isn’t respected because they referred childcare jobs as “Rent-a-Wife” and “At Your Command” (Colen 1995:87). Sometime oppression of women is evident in other cultures as well for example South Asian Countries like India and Bangladesh. It often happens in old fashioned and traditional households where girls are married off without consent. Sometimes weather the marriage is with or without consent the young women has to adjust her life according to her in-laws, in way change herself to please the in-laws. Sometimes the young woman has to suppress her feelings, her desires, so that her family is not put to shame. If she speaks her mind

A lot of the time if the in-laws criticize the young women or her family, she has to silently hear it especially if her husband is unsupportive and another factor if she is not educated. There are still some in-laws and husbands who even in these days don’t want their daughter in-law or wife to work in fear that they will be more independent. Oppression of Women is seen all over communities and societies for various reasons. Sometimes it is due to capitalistic society that women have to make decision to limit their fertility in order to be able to work. The question there is why only women have to take the responsibility and not men as well. Then there is the societal idea that the main importance for women is child bearing and raising them basically being the home maker. Also the way some south Asian women has to hide who she is and live for her in laws rather than for herself. The best way to combat this oppression is to educate ourselves,