Women have never been on the same level as men. No matter how anyone says otherwise, we are living in the 21st century and we are still living in a misogynistic society. No matter where you go. Here’s the thing. Misogyny has been around for as long as people can remember and it was never in the favour of women, hence, the literal definition of misogyny. Well, the actual definition of misogyny is hatred towards or prejudice against women.
Over the years, women have been fighting back the societal norms. However, a lot of people still have a hard time taking in the fact that women and men can be on the same level. This is probably because misogyny is deeply rooted in our society and till now, women have trouble living in our misogynistic society. This, in many ways, affects how women feel about themselves and of each other (yes, there are misogynistic women too). Here’s how:
The Ideal Woman
As mentioned, misogyny is deeply rooted. From generation to generation, women have always been taught from a young age to be a certain way. To look a certain way too. This has put so much pressure on a lot of women. To be told that a woman can’t be too fat or too skinny, to be told that women should not have body hair on their arms, legs, armpits or even on their pubic area. Women should have clear skin and a perfect body. This affects how women feel about themselves in so many ways. A lot of women doubt themselves and how they look every single day. Thoughts like “Do I look okay like this?” or “Do I look too fat/skinny in this?” run through their minds and these are the kind of thoughts that would rarely ever cross a man’s mind. Women are sometimes constricted to certain colours and certain hairstyles that are deemed acceptable by men. Women worry every day about how they look and make sure they are presentable while most men just brush their teeth and they are ready for the day. It’s almost unfair, however, a lot of women nowadays have learnt how to fight against that.
You Should Act Like A Woman
Ah, the classic. Act prim and proper, they say. Women should wear modest clothes but show enough skin yet at the same time, don’t reveal too much skin. It’s like women are subjected to act like Barbie dolls to cater to men. One of the judgements that women face is to always act the way people deem women should act. To never sit with their legs apart, to keep them crossed or closed at all times. Women can’t eat a lot which, by the way, has resulted in a lot of eating disorders. Women can’t fart or burp or do anything normal bodily function just because it is not “lady-like”. But when men do all those and act rude or sit a certain way, it’s just “boys being boys”. When a woman flirts, she’s an attention-seeker. When a guy flirts, he’s praised for the women he gets. Women are criticized for everything that men get away with. Women have rarely gotten an easy day.
Same Opportunities? Never
As in any other aspect, women rarely ever get the same opportunities that men get. In terms of work, a lady is never expected to become a lady-boss or a CEO. When she is, she gets looked down on and she gets disregarded or is not treated with the respect she earned. Women are ridiculed for going for jobs that are considered jobs for men. For instance, in engineering or architecture and a lot of other jobs that are supposedly “manly” and not womanly. Moreover, women do not get paid as much as men for doing the same job and have the same workload. Most of society deems that women should not even be putting in “too much effort” and that women should just stay in the kitchen. Even in looking for property, women have a harder time. As an example, if you look up Property Outlook to look for a place to rent, landlords would normally put a preferred tenant in their listings. Normally, they’d list male as their preferred tenant and the place and price would be better than what can be offered to women. Women normally have to pay higher for a place that is not even as good. So, if you’re saying that women have equal rights in this 21st century, you’re not quite right.
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All these contribute to how women’s self-esteem is affected. It is quite sad that to this day, we live in a society that still looks down on women. In every way they can. There are still so many insecurities women face and criticism that is being thrown at them every day. However, despite all this, women are still trying to fight. For equal rights, for equity at least.
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