The weight of the patriarchy makes me walk slow
Maryam Jamadar reflects on her experiences of womanhood and talks about the broader discourse of the benevolent patriarchy and culture surrounding it.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
As a slow walker, I am often teased about the pace in which I walk.
I recently joked that it is the weight of the patriarchy that makes me walk slow, whilst funny at the time, it made me think of what this truly meant on a broader scale.
The idea of “benevolent patriarchy” is one that is often pushed on to women, men are their benevolent protectors often acting in their best interest. However, time and time again, we have seen that this is just rebranded control.
The rise in right wing values: “tradwife lifestyle” and “princess treatment,” fail to acknowledge how women in the global south are disproportionally affected by the brutality of the patriarchy.
In our plight for a ‘soft life,’ we have disregarded the millions of women that continue to be victims under the patriarchy. Whether it is child marriages, female genital mutilation (FGM), or sexual exploitation; women continue to be oppressed.
The practice of FGM has always been unfathomable to me, yet the World Health Organisation estimates that that 230 million women today are victims to this practice – a brutal violation of human rights globally.
The removal of genitalia serves as a means of economic, sexual, and social control as women are made to leave school and are forced into marriage early. In turn, women are left financially dependent on the same communities that disregard their personhood. The abuse of power by those who are supposed to protect these girls forces them into a lifetime of mental and physical health complications, a painful reality for many.
Under the patriarchal guise of financial security women and girls are then forced into marriages – exposing them to sexual exploitation and further infringements on their autonomy.
One in five women worldwide are married before 18, with a child being married every three seconds. The communal isolation, economic depravity, and implications on physical health makes this a gruelling and dark prospect that many women face. With 27% of women worldwide being subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner, it is unimaginable to contemplate how this would impact the most vulnerable in society.
These shocking figures should hopefully indicate the dire reality of girls globally, as their childhoods are violently stripped away from them.
Unfailingly, the patriarchy continues to oppress women systematically. The global realities of what the patriarchy encompasses undoubtedly does not align with the “benevolence” that is pushed onto women, particularly those in the West.
Western women are victims; however, this is rebranded as security if women conform and adhere to gendered expectations. This is not an attack on relationships, having men provide or being a housewife – in fact, this article is not encouraging any lifestyle choice.
Rather, it is encouraging people to be critical of the frameworks in which their interactions and community exist, acknowledging the benefits and challenging systems of oppressions.
Nonetheless, I am hopeful that this article reminds us of the frightening consequences of unchecked patriarchy and the cruel realities of women and girls globally; regardless of country.
Written by Maryam Jamadar