Patriarchy & Misogyny: Denying Women Their Rights & Role in Politics - Essay Sample

Introduction

Patriarchy societies are countries where men in the communities have the primary power of running the affairs of the country. The men have social privilege in terms of having the moral authority to occupy political leadership positions. Misogyny is prejudice against women. Patriarchal misogynic society is societies that show their hatred towards women by denying them their rights by failing to recognize their role in political leadership. Women are significant stakeholders in the development of any country of society; therefore, they need to be allowed to contribute to the affairs of their communities. The film handmaid tale has some aspects of patriarchal communities where women get discriminated against.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The society is gradually changing when it comes to treating women. The federal and state government are against discrimination based on sex or any other grounds. Misogyny is a form of sexism to an extreme extent and is characterized by hatred towards women (Gilmore). Most of the people with misogyny beliefs are not aware that they hate women, but their words, as well as behavior, portray prejudices as well as hostility towards women. Misogyny prevalence is evident when, for example, a woman who has been abused by her husband is told that they cannot report the matter to the police because this is a family matter. Different authors have addressed the issue of misogyny.

In "The Handmaid's Tale, there is a demonstration of a misogynistic society. Gilead's treatment of women is based on the interpretation of the Bible. Women are considered as the property of their husbands, father, or any other household head (Schlondorff). This means that women are expected to submissive to men. This is being one of the characteristics of a misogynic society. In this novel, women are forbidden from speaking loudly as well as whispering. Women are vulnerable in this context as they scream but get no help. The society is not only misogynistic but also patriarchal. In the society described in the film, power is primarily vested in men, so they dominate the in political leadership. Men are in power, and they dominate the women who are perceived as their property. Also, in a patriarchal society, there is discrimination based on gender, as it means that the male should rule. In The Handmaid's Tale, the futuristic society is portrayed as one which enforces patriarchy to the citizens.

The Handmaid's Tale warns against patriarchy and power and is a document that provides insights on gender inequality. This futuristic fiction acknowledges the importance of granting equality in economic freedom, human rights as well as social access (Institute). The government described in this fiction does not grant women access to financial institutions. This would be achieved by closing all the bank accounts owned by women and subsequently transferring the money to their family members or husbands.

The women's body determines their role in society. In Gilead women, bodies are viewed as instruments for politics. Gilead formation was a response to a decrease in the birth rates. The women are prohibited from voting, holding property, working, or engaging in any other activity that may make them independent and, subsequently, not (Schlondorff). This is based on the belief that when women are allowed to work, they will attain economic freedom and undermine their husbands. The bodies of the women are viewed as beneficial when it comes to reproduction.

Women's bodies are used as vessels for bearing children and are prohibited from using their brains. Their bodies are vessels for childbearing. In this regard, women who are at work are fired and expected to stay at home. This feminist literature, therefore, depicts what goes on in a misogynist society. In such a society, women are not even allowed to choose their clothing. They are oppressed physically, emotionally, and sexually. There is sexual violence in Gilead and is evident in instances such as when the command attempts to impregnate Offred (Schlondorff). There is a whorehouse in this society, and there is adultery as well as rape.

There is a similarity between the Nazi treated in Germany and of the women were treated in the handmaid tale movie. In the movie handmaid tale, the women get mistreated where they are denied the constitutional right of being equal with men in society (Schlondorff). The right of women has been stripped away to favor the men who use the opportunity to mistreat women. The women were rounded up into a life of sexual servitude and surrogacy. There is a close relationship between how the women were treated in the movie and how the Nazis were treated in Germany. The Nazis experienced hostility from the authorities as they were denied equal opportunities as the rest of the people living in Germany.

The women in the handmaid's tale have a similarity with the Nazi community were the people get segregated in one area. The women in the movie were made to wear similar clothes to make their identification easier (Schlondorff). The clothes that the women are told to wear have the color of red to represent what defines them. The way women get treated in the film is a representation of how society sees women and wants the women to be their slaves by forcing them to become the weaker gender. The actors argue that the reason women are mistreated is an aspect of Gilead culture; hence, the women deserve to be treated so.

The society as a whole believed that women need not have their freedom because society is a patriarchal society that does not value the role of women in community development. The values of society have a role to play in creating a culture where the leaders only think about themselves. The women's rights are eradicated because the leaders do not want to lose their power to women by allowing them to have equality. The leaders not that if they allow the women to be in leadership, they will demand more rights.

Women are judged based on how they look; therefore, the body determines the role the woman will play in society. The women that re considered to be more beautiful because of the look of their bodies, the leaders want sexual favors from the women; hence, they have higher chances of getting into leadership positions. Many different leaders want women with figures, and good body looks; hence, they always have an opportunity to influence the men towards getting favors that they want.

Gilead explains the social possibility of radical simplification of injustice; there is always a room for women to utilize in getting into leadership positions (Schlondorff). The body figure is an added advantage because men will have a challenge in rejecting women with good bodies. Men have a weakness of getting attracted to women based on their looks. Women live with men, and every man wants to live with a good looking lady. Women with better bodies are more likely to be given the responsibility of being in charge of their fellow women.

Works Cited

Gilmore, David D. Misogyny: The male malady. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010.

Institute, Fraser. "What The Handmaid'S Tale Can Teach Us About Gender Inequality." Fraserinstitute.Org, 2019, https://www.fraserinstitute.org/blogs/what-the-handmaids-tale-can-teach-us-about-gender-inequality.

Schlondorff, Volker. The Handmaid's Tale. 1990. film.