Essay Sample on Gender Oppression: Assessing Different Contexts of Discrimination

Introduction

Oppression occurs contextually with the most common avenues being oppression based on gender, class, and gender. Gender-based oppression refers to genders being treated differently. As such, members of a particular gender may be treated as of less value in specific contexts. For instance, some professions such as engineering and information technology are referred to as the preserve of males. On the other hand, some professions such as secretarial posts, nursing, and serving in airlines cabin crews are seen as more womanly. This bias, in turn, contributes to members of the less preferred gender in workplaces being lashed out at. They may be treated with suspicion, be liable to stereotyping amongst other forms of physical and emotional abuses, therefore, affect their performance and subsequent productivity at their workplaces.

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In his study, Pittman signaled some of the disparities in the perception of women as teaching assistants or lecturers in institutions of higher learning in the United States of America. The study integrated women of color working as tutors in institutions. They gave some responses, which are key elements in understanding gender-based oppression. Among one of the concerns that the tutors reported was that white male students, to a certain extent, challenged the tutors' authority. This displays a high level of disrespect toward the tutors. Owing to the fact that there were both white and people of color students it is imperative noting that the specific disrespect toward women tutors, apart from being gender-based oppression doubled up as racism (Pittman 188). Another finding of the study by Pittman was that the female tutors of color competency was often under question. This indicates that some of the students did not believe in the ability of the female tutors with gender being a particular catalyst toward the perception, which is indicated above. Through intimidating and threatening behavior, the female tutors such as noted in the study above could not deliver optimally.

Women are also exploited as workers, as per the Marxist approach (Young 14). As such, a lot is expected from them, yet men shy away from domestic chores such as looking after their children. Women, at the domestic level, are often treated as wage workers, and men act superior to their wives as men mostly argue that they provide for their families. Therefore, gender-based oppression is extended even through activities which the society had become quite auto-tuned that it no longer seems as exploitation or oppression, but a keener focus displays it as dignified oppression.

Racial segmentation is a deep problem in the United States of America. While governments across regimes have suggested that there are heightened measures, the measures do not appear to attain their expected results. A particular case which almost tore the nation apart was during the run-up to the first election bid; won by President Barack Obama. In this stance, criticism emanated from numerous sources criticizing his operational strategies in approaching the elections. There were factions which viewed the former president as an individual taking advantage of his mixed-race status to mingle with the black people in the United States and therefore create a cordial relationship. The critics, in this regard, also advanced the perception that the former president was biased in key decisions, the lead one being appointing blacks in sensitive areas of the nation. (Orelus 7).

Focusing on the criticism hereby depicted, oppression on racial grounds. Despite the high standing of such a citizen, there were trolls all over the internet depicting the president as a racist and worse pulling his family into the propagandist entourages.

While past regimes have shown their commitment toward ending racial oppression in American society, a lot more is left undone. This is because the government only seeks to handle racism only at the high levels of the society rather than applying a cross-sectional strategy that is a bottom to up approach (Lebron et al 5). For instance, the whites in America preferred social cohesion as opposed to economic equality (Orelus 10), whereby the latter was the focus of minority races. Slavery, however, persisted Up to the end of the civil war when the minority races made their intentions known to have recognition, especially through achieving economic equality with the whites. However, the focus of the whites, as mentioned before, was not economic equality; as they possessed dominance already. Therefore, the whites sought majority race cohesion through which they could control all other aspects of the nation, such as the economy and governance.

The social class, which was attained therein depicting a more cohesive white segment of the American society, therefore, commanded influence and support of a majority of the race's members, therefore, advancing the rise of a purely white political class (Lebron et al 16). With the minority races still lobbying for better conditions, they inevitably fell to become the opposition and thereafter the aim of the political class was to counter the activities of the minority races, otherwise seen as the opposition in the American political arena. People such as reverend George Lee, Lamar Smith, and Martin Luther King Jr were murdered for their activist roles in advocating for equality in the United States of America.

One of the most common racially charged evils in the United States of America is the perception of racial functions, since the slave trade. In the past, whites played the capitalist role and by extension, the ruling class. On the other hand, blacks and other minority groups formed the laborer working class. Today, with the advancement of technology and communication, there are numerous changes (Lebron et al 16). In modern America, there is lesser disparity as compared to early slave trade eras where whites and minorities' roles were on inverse extremes- where whites provided capital and management while minority races provided cheap labor (Orelus 68). While there have been strides in the interconnectedness of the system, researchers have pointed out massive disparities in the nation on how minority race members are treated especially in workplaces. There are for instance wide thronged claims of bias against minority races in workplaces. As such, there are cases of malice in practice against minority groups. Such malicious acts include, but not limited to racial tags and assignments predominantly tied to specific races, lack of promotions and inequality at the workplaces whereby minority race members do not enjoy the same facilities as the majority race.

There exist various faces of oppression. Exploitation falls in as the first category or face of oppression. Exploitation occurs when there are depictions of inferiority against the superiority of the people involved. For instance, in the setting of a racially charged workplace, the majority of race members are treated as superiors while the minorities are treated as inferior (Young 11). Additionally, in a setting such as a woman working in the midst of male counterparts, the woman may be treated as inferior. Exploitation, therefore, refers to the seemingly superior categories of people taking advantage of the others (Orelus 128). Such advantage rendering may be lined with the promotion of unfair practices against the minorities, stereotyping and causing any kind of pain, be it mental, psychological, or physical. Exploitation is, for instance, noted in capitalism where a few wealthy individuals provide and own the factors of production. Factors of production include land, capital, labor, and capital. A lot of capitalists do not compensate their employees fairly, and this is a direct form of exploitation. In an equal measure, exploitation is noted in employers failing to provide the right working conditions for their workers (Orelus 66). There is a particular relationship between the provision of services or goods, their pricing, ownership, and subsequent delivery to the consumers (Young 12). As such, the exploitation chain may trickle down to the consumer regardless of their race or social standing. With capitalists and owners of factors of production controlling market pricing and supply, they easily manipulate prices in the market, promote pilferages or worse flood markets with substandard goods and services, which all substantiate to exploitation.

Another face of oppression in the United States of America is through marginalization. Marginalization refers to people being placed on the disadvantages of the extreme side of things. These are individuals who are hard to exploit as they do not necessarily have a hands-on role in the production cycle in the economy. Marginalization is, for instance, actualized on the old people in the United States of America. Such individuals, after retirement, are marginalized in that, they cannot find employment despite having many years of experience. Also, young people from minority races do not easily find employment opportunities as they have often turned away (Young 16). Elimination from the social life is a major effect of marginalization and thereby qualifying marginalization as one of the most dangerous and far-reaching forms of oppression. Deprivation of opportunities, amenities, and experiences hurts the social processes of a human being (Orelus 162) and ultimately continue widening the gap on other grounds such as in one circulation (Orelus 114). While efforts such as the provision of welfare services seek to eliminate marginalization in the USA, they may Bot achieve their desired effect. It is important, however, that all stakeholders play toward a more balanced society where priority is placed on all equally.

Conclusion

Having looked at oppression in the United States if America, some features are adamant first, oppression occurs across various context. For instance, there is gender-based oppression, racial segregation, and income disparity oppression, among others. These forms of oppression are often propelled or catalyzed through actions such as exploitation and marginalization. The government's efforts are undeniably evident. While it is worth indicating that oppression is still rife in the United States of America, the situation is not as bad as earlier tines during the slave trade era whereby the society was divided into the white supremacists and minority groups' laborer working class. However, there ought to be a cross-sectional approach toward eliminating racial segregation, gender-based oppression, marginalization, social class grading, among other vices which contribute to oppression in the nation. There ought to be more profound strategies, especially through the education system, whereby it would be an inculcation requirement to teach all Americans, from a young age, the ills of oppression and inequality in the society.

Works Cited

Lebron, Dottie, et al. "RACISM." (2015).

Orelus, Pierre Wilbert. Rethinking race, class, language, and gender: A dialogue with Noam Chomsky and other leading scholars. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2011.

Pittman, Chavella T. "Race and gender oppression in the classroom: The experiences of women faculty of color with white male students." Teaching Sociology 38.3 (2010): 183-196.

Young, Iris Marion. "Five faces of oppression." The community development reader. Routledge, 2013. 346-355.