Women Complicit In Sexual Oppression

In countries such as Canada where sexual rights are equal, women are indeed complicit in their sexual oppression. It is so engrained in our society that many women are not even aware of when and how often they are being complicit. If women were not complicit, then women and men would truly be equal, there would be no “glass ceiling”, misogynistic behaviour wouldn’t be laughed off as “typical male” behaviour and the binary gender norms would not be so blindly followed. Where does this all begin? In a country with equal legal rights to our male counterparts, why are women complicit and how did it come to be so widely engrained in our culture and way of thinking?

Mothers themselves often teach their daughters how and when to be complicit.
One need look no further than the school cafeteria to see girls belittle, criticize and ostracize one another beginning at a young age. Even mothers are oppressive and competitive with one another. A working mom, for example, is often looked down upon by stay at home moms (who are presumably being supported and cared for financially by their husbands). Women in positions of power are often harder on female subordinates than they are their male counterparts. It almost seems as if they have been forced to act more “masculine” in order to be seen as worthy of holding positions of power. Hillary Clinton, for example, is a fine example of a woman in a position of power. The American public had many expectations and demands for her, first citing that she was too “masculine” of a women (presumably because she was vying for a leadership position) and then when she did demonstrate what is deemed a more feminine act (crying) she was again criticized – by both men and women alike. Hillary was complicit in the way she catered to the demands placed on her (and some may say even more complicit by staying married to her unfaithful husband).

In first year, a female peer of mine was sexually assaulted. I hear other women doubting her story and almost placing the blame on this victim saying things such as “What was she wearing?” and “Had she been drinking?” As if to say if she was dressed provocatively, it may have been her fault. This is a disturbing example of complicity – women are complicit every time we judge another woman by her clothing choices, every time we doubt abuse victim’s stories, and every time we choose to turn a blind eye to violence and abuse against other