Understanding Oppression and What It’s Like to Be a Woman
One may ask, what is oppression? How do you know if an individual or a group is being oppressed? Marilyn Frye said “Oppression can be hard to see and recognize: that is why we need to see it in a macroscopic view rather than a microscopic view.” That is why being a woman is not easy especially when men see us as incompetent.
Making Clear What Oppression Is and What Oppression is Not
Marilyn Frye said that “oppression is a strong word.” It is true, it is a strong word, it can be misused and we need to make clear of its meaning. The root of “oppression” is to press against, which can mean to reduce and create barriers for an individual or a group. For an individual or a group to be oppressed is to have limitations, harm, and suffering. It feels to be put down and not being capable of accomplishing a goal or to be succesful. Some people may believe that women are not oppressed but they are. “Women are being oppress for being a woman,” even if you are a minority or not. For example when a man opens a door for a woman the man is being helpful but that helpfulness is false. The act symbolizes that “women are incapable” and that women need to be dependent of a man. Why is it that men see women as “incapable?” The reason is we have let men feel superior and they believe that they have the right to minimize women. There are some that may deny their oppression. The word, to them, means weakness it carries a negative connotation. Now that we have a clear understanding of what oppression means we need to figure if all suffering, harm, and limitations relate to the word oppression.
One of the consequences of oppression is suffering but it is different from that of physical pain. Marilyn Frye gave examples of how they differ. One of the examples is a rich white playboy who breaks his leg in a skiing accident and he has to wait hours in a blizzard until he gets rescued. During that time he does suffer and is limited to move but a group or an individual did not oppress him. It is obvious that when one gets hurt you do suffer but there is no oppression. The other example is being restricted to drive on one side of the road even if the other lane is clear. This restriction is a benefit because it is for our safety and it is preventing us from getting harm. Now that it is clear what oppression means and what it is not it will be easier to recognize and see oppression in a macroscopic view.
Women and Barriers in a Macroscopic View
As we know women have experienced oppression just because they are a women. At work, women have experienced the glass ceiling effect. If we see it in a macroscopic view no matter how hard a woman works, how much skills, or experience she has, she will be blocked by any opportunities. Women cannot have a better job or get better pay because when they are competing with men the men will always get the better job and pay. Just as in the case of Jennifer Lawrence. She talked about how less money she made than her male co-stars. She is one of the best-paid actresses yet she still made less than her male co-stars because male actors are more demanding. We know that Jennifer Lawrence is an actress and that she has millions of dollars even though she has no equal pay as the male actor. Now, lets look at a woman who is working in a well-known company and she wants a higher position at work, it will not be easily given to her. The men would think that she will not be able to handle the hard work or see her as incapable in maintaining a higher position. Being categorize as a woman aside from “race or economic class, being a woman is significantly a disadvantage and we suffer.” Even though women will continue to fight for equal pay, women will continue to get blocked and have barriers in their paths.
It is not to say that men are not oppressed. On the contrary both men and women are oppressed but they are oppressed differently. Males can be oppressed by their race or ethnicity. It is just like Marilyn Frye mentioned, “men are not oppressed as men,” and women are oppressed as women no matter their race or ethnicity. Marilyn Frye just wants us to be able to recognize which group is being oppressed and why they are being oppressed. Also, there is nothing wrong with being a woman you are a strong independent lady who can overcome any obstacles even if others try to put you down.
