Have you ever felt less than or diminished because of your gender? Has anyone ever harassed you on the street or at work because you are a woman? Have you ever experienced objectification? Have you ever felt your voice didn’t matter and consequently remained quiet to prevent embarrassment or mockery? I have, and I am certain most women have experienced most of these things. We learn early on to take it, to bury it, to ignore it, and those patterns continue throughout our lives.
I am quite alarmed at the normalization of things from horrific to the mundane, but all go against moral decency and truth. As women, I think some of us are acutely aware of manipulation, dumbing down, and blind acceptance. Many of us have spent a lifetime undoing the damage done by these things that are steeped in our culture and perpetuated by the patriarchy, and I am weary!
Patriarchy assigns clear gender roles and establishes male authority in the family and in society, institutions, and controls a woman’s autonomy. It also normalizes violence against women and girls. Of course, the results varying degrees of limitations for women. Many organized religions, educational institutions, and the media reinforce those systems and the objectification of women. Our culture is steeped in it.
Misogyny takes it one step further and overtly shows hatred, prejudice, and outright contempt for women. This belief firmly takes root in the idea that men are fundamentally more important than women. It operates on many levels, impacting women both financially and in leadership roles. It often manifests in harassment, discrimination, and domestic violence.
What steps can we take as women to dismantle these outdated and harmful systems? We certainly can not remain passive. Hit them where it hurts – in the pocketbook. Support women-owned businesses, artists, and organizations. Women must come together and claim their financial independence and continue to negotiate for equal opportunities and wages. We must lift other women up by supporting them, mentoring them, and building strong networks that work toward systemic change. Call out the violations, big and small, when you see them; don’t just let them pass. We were conditioned to remain silent, but silence will not achieve our goals. Challenging these systems on every level and using our voices will. Yes, this is what we call feminism, and it is not man hating its calling for fairness and justice for ALL, and half of that ALL is women.
We must fight bullying, support political candidates that support gender equality and a woman’s right to govern her own body. Donate or volunteer at grassroots organizations that support women and empower them. Education is critical. Explore feminist theory, listen to women’s life experiences, and show the younger generation that a cultural shift is possible if we change the way we think.
“These are burning times. And they call for Burning Women. Women embodied in their passion. Woman feeling in their bodies. Creative women. Courageous women. Women who have learned to run on a different power source to the world which is falling into flames around her. She has already disentangled herself from the wreckage of the patriarchal culture, so she will not be dazed, confused and disorientated by the systemic changes happening around her. Centered within herself, receptive to the Earth beyond her, she knows how to cultivate from the ashes, she knows how to find the embers to fuel the new fire. Burning Women arise. Our time is now. Our time has come.”
-Lucy H. Pearce, Burning Woman
