Gender and

Womens Lives
PHIL 226
Kayla Gates, Hannah Christensen,
Sabrina Green

Thesis:
The structure of gender and sex
in society oppresses women
and creates inequalities that
can lead to internalized
oppression.

Gender Oppression

Gender oppression is defined as

oppression associated with the gender
norms, relations, and stratification of a
given society. Modern norms of gender in
western societies consist of the
dichotomous, mutually exclusive categories
of masculinity and femininity. (Patil,
Vrushali. "Gender Oppression.")

Macroscopic

Oppression
Three main points

Group targeted
Benefits to some and harmful
to another

Perspectives on Gender Oppression

According to Marilyn Frye,
gender oppression is
viewed in the way of being
caged in. Specific
barriers are purposefully
constructed to create the
cage. A single barrier does
not create oppression
without the other barriers
in place.

There has to be benefit to

a party. For a group to be
oppressed there must be a
another group who is
benefiting from those
shortcuts to those who are
being oppressed. There
are people on the outside
of barriers and hose
inhibited by the same
barriers.

Oppression does not exist to

individuals, but to groups as a whole.
One must belong to a group of
oppressed individuals because
barriers are not created for a single
person but constructed for
parties/groups.

Oppression is not
only physical

Oppression becomes
internalized and becomes
psychological

Stereotyping, cultural
domination, and sexual
objectification

Labels and
double
standards

Gender and sex causing harm to women

Societies dichotomy of male/female and masculine/feminine is not
oppressive in its nature of categorical reference, but the connotations of
subject/object and dominance/subordinate that have become ingrained
in the core of the organization.
This creates harm to women. Being born with a vagina no longer
means that you simply have a vagina anymore- it automatically
prescribes you to an oppressed group: the cage of oppression.

Sex
Gender
Biological categories based on
reproductive systems

Male

Female

Socially constructed roles to follow or

personally identify with based upon your
sex

Masculine

Feminine

Femininity/
Female

Oppression

"When man makes of woman the Other, he may, then, expect to manifest deep-seated
tendencies towards complicity. Thus, woman may fail to lay claim to the status of subject
because she lacks definite resources, because she feels the necessary bond that ties
her to man regardless of reciprocity, and because she is often very well pleased with her
role as the Other." (Simone de Beauvoir p.92)

sets apart women's

sphere is
maintained and
promoted by men
generally for the
benefit of men.

Oppression of
Women

Many of the restrictions and

limitations we live with are more
or less internalized and self
monitored and a part of our
adaptations to the requirements
and expectations imposed by the
needs and tastes and tyrannies of
others. (Frye p.15)

Women internalize oppression and think lesser of

themselves as a result of the oppression that they feel