Why on earth do you require more space when you have already got plenty in beauty parlors, kitchens, bedrooms and above all in labor rooms? Is that not enough?
So what if you are a critical thinker or an analytical writer?
So what if you are a humanist or a feminist?
So what if you are a socialist or a liberal?
So what if you have a stance on social or political matters?
So what if you are opinionated on class or gender inequality?
So what if you do critique on racial or ethnic prejudices?
So what if your analysis uncovers the hidden agendas of aristocracy?
You are a woman. Stay within your limits.
It’s ridiculous that you, being a woman, want recognition on social media and claim a right to voice your opinion.
Why do you think you can be anything other than a decorative dummy, docile daughter, productive wife, submissive sister or a caretaker?
You need to recognize the patriarchal hegemonic ideologies, social norms and values that are (re)produced, sustained and naturalized through discourses.
That discourse could be controlled thought, clothing, restricted speech, no-go areas, monetary dependency, and restrictions on education. It could be a check on a desirable job or your abstention from decisions. If you’ve got no room in your local context, you certainly do not deserve any space elsewhere.
To be a woman is perhaps even harder in societies like ours where your honor is attached to your male counterparts i.e. your father, brother, husband or son. But dare I ask what is their honor attached to? No answer at all – none logical at least.
Does that mean they aren’t honorable or is it that they don’t need to show certificates to prove their honor?
Why is a woman’s honor the whole family’s, but a man’s honor is out of question?
Why is the ideal woman depicted as passive, tamed and subservient through media discourse i.e. dramas, films and music?
Why is an unconventional woman i.e. a politician, writer, journalist, camerawoman, taxi driver unpalatable?
To make your speech heard you need to address and recognize the ideologies behind such prejudiced thinking. It is normalized through discourses embedded in our daily lives.
Such concepts harm one gender and favor the other to maintain the patriarchal social orders. Sometimes in the name of religion, sometimes in the name of family, respect, honor or any variation thereof.
Such discrimination, however, must be nipped in the bud so that everyone – regardless of their gender –can have a shot at their turn and become useful member of the society.