Patriarchal Culture

Though women in general have struggled with patriarchal culture in regard to how they should be treated in comparison to their male counterparts, there have been a variety of changes that aim to eliminate the disparities between man and woman. Specifically, women have become actively engaged in politics as they fight for equality, a louder voice, unique health care issues, equal pay, and a deconstruction of gender roles that are thrust upon them in a society that is wholly controlled by white, privileged males. However, the changes are not near what they should be for 100 years later. While women are accepted into the workforce with less hassle and can receive healthcare that caters to their distinctive needs, it is an uphill battle against a predominantly male government that clings to archaic ideas of a woman’s place in society.

In regards to their health, women are more susceptible to biases than males. Essentially, “social or cultural biases…could be inadvertently affecting the delivery of medical care” (The Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, n.d., par. 1). The inevitability of biological differences between males and females results in a slew of health problems that are, simply, unique to each respective sex. In addition, medical and “Social attitudes, including stereotypes, prejudices and other evaluations based on gender roles may play themselves out in a variety of subtle ways” (The Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, n.d., par. 5) and actively perpetuate the concept of particular ideas. In other words, if a man or woman needs healthcare, the male has the stress of being the breadwinner, so he needs medical attention to counterattack his ailments; whereas, the woman is ‘overreacting.’ 

In addition, while clinical researchers use female populations in their studies, women are under-represented. The Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (n.d) has suggested that because of their biological making, women often see the doctor or require medical intervention more often than men. Researchers often have clinical studies that are solely made of women, but they are usually based on pregnancies or other female related issues. Thus, while women have a place in clinical research, it seems as though it borders on sexism. Nevertheless, women and men are often susceptible to medical conditions such as high blood pressure, but the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (2010) explained “it is well documented that many diseases affect women differently to men”.  Therefore, any previous research based on males’ tolerances for specific treatments and interventions would more than likely be obsolete for females. Consequently, while women are fortunately capable of receiving treatments that are suitable for them, “many drug treatments can end up being better suited to men” (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2010). For the most part, it seems as though drug treatments are woefully under-tested as to whether or not they are effective for women at all.

While change that has occurred for women is certainly most visible in regards to white, cisgendered women, contemporary females are now able to make their own earnings from their jobs. Aside from their gender, and dependent on their backgrounds, females are virtually the same as their male counterparts in regards to education and skill level. In large part, this success is based on the National Women’s Organization (NOW). NOW strategized movements such as the Equal Rights Amendment that forced employers to eliminate ads based on gender such as “‘Male Only’ and ‘Female Only’” (Gonda, 2004). Fundamentally, the Equal Rights Amendment eliminated preconceived biases based on gender so employers would only view successful candidates based on their credentials. However, this did not apply to wages. On the other hand, while the wage gap is the smallest between white females and white males, a minority female, such as a black woman, may continue to experience this financial inequality. Even then, wage gaps are wildly variable and depend on whether or not the profession is considered to be a ‘man’s job’ or a ‘woman’s job.’ 

Furthermore, the cultural factors also influence wages. Eleanor Roosevelt, speaking of post-war era women, said that “many women, because of the urge to help their country and their own men during the war, will have acquired skills … but I do not think they will use them if they have families and homes” to tend for (Cold war, warm hearth, n.d.). This is less true of contemporary women who are more graciously ‘allowed’ into the workforce, so they are able to make their own income and, more or less, operate as independent individuals. 

Living in a society where the white male is identified to have a surreal entitlement is essentially the norm for nearly every minority, especially in America. Women are affected by this considering that “poor and middle-class women of all ethnicities noticed a disparity in the rhetoric of ‘freedom and liberty for all’” (Gonda, 1995, pg 9). Wage disparity is hardly a new problem by any means; however, it is one that does not receive the proper scrutiny. Fundamentally, it is an antiquated idea that women are suited to no task in particular and instead should be assigned to positions of leisure or homemakers. This ideal of a bygone era invokes the nuclear family of Leave it to Beaver, with the perfect American woman (Cold war, warm hearth, n.d.). Jane Cleaver was a homemaker, mother, wife, and, most egregiously of all, she was passive and willing to go with the man’s decision, no matter what it was. 

As an ideal example, it is harmful and glaringly transparent because, ultimately, post-war era women were caught between a rock and political hard place. With the government actively fighting them out of the workforce that women had joined up out of necessity and support for their country (Women and World War II, n.d.), it is the first piece of evidence that the government, controlled by white males, really only sought to further subjugate women and deny them a voice in society. For women, particularly diverse females, this is a truth that still holds true. 

At the same time, on the surface, women’s roles appear to have changed. As an illustration, from as early as the 1950s, a woman’s role was to be a mother and nothing else. Jane Cleaver painted a picture of fulfillment in a relatively vacuous and monotonous life. This idyllic life is entirely unnatural, especially for diverse women of the time. Currently, this expectation is contradictory for a working-class family who might struggle with maintaining a standard of living with only one wage, especially if their wage is further deducted because of their minority status. Since the ‘ideal’ American woman is white and heterosexual, there is no such model for diverse women who have potentially failed to demonstrate these qualities. This is only exacerbated by the wage disparity. Female-headed families are more likely to hover around or below the poverty line, and it is by no fault of their own other than being paid less for no discernible reason.

This emptiness of life was apparent in the norms for women in the 1950s, as they were afforded no agency of their own. They were very simply powerless objects who existed to care for the children in order to further establish their husbands’ legacies. If these women worked, they were underpaid and hardly eligible, no matter their qualifications, for any professional work. Due to their objectification, sexual harassment was less of a crime, as it is now, and more like an inevitability. In addition, despite the skills that these women may have earned during World War II, they were valueless despite proving their ability in spades.

Subsequently, Gonda (2004) has emphasized that the civil rights movement of the 1960s was a momentous occasion for women. Essentially, “women who were active in the movement realized they could not get beyond subservient roles assigned to them”. In other words, women realized that they could go beyond the familial home and began to take part in rights such as voting. However, minority women still had the disadvantage of their ethnicity. Minority women had to fight against “racial and class discrimination” (Gonda, 2004), so their civil rights movement extended beyond their gender. Either way, this era in our American history provided the foundation for contemporary women today.  

Considering that the government is still dominated by now elderly white males with privilege, this concept of the ‘ideal’ American woman is still aggressively pushed and is something that is particularly ineffective in an era wherein feminism is a rightly popular idea. This alone is the most beneficial and apparent change because the acceptance of feminism in any discourse encourages dialogue for proponents of women’s health care and paid wages. For diverse women, this is a necessity. While white women certainly face their share of discrimination, it is, generally, indisputably more difficult for minority women to overcome. There is certainly progress being made in regard to wage parity and healthcare that is more tailored to female needs, but it is slower than necessary. Due to the discrepancy in wages for diverse women, it is erroneous to suggest that there have been significant changes.

In spite of the changes over the past 100 years, discrimination against women continues to exist. It would be accurate to say that discrimination against diverse women is still prevalent and that white women appear to reap the majority of the benefits. However, this discrimination is of a much subtler breed. While it is certainly widespread, it is less apparent because of how it is constructed. Consequently, the current construction suggests that it is the norm.

References

Australian Broadcasting Corporation. (2010, June 10). Fill gender gap in medical research: Scientists. CBCnews. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2010/06/10/gender-bias-medical-research.html

Cold war. warm hearth [PDF]. (n.d.).

Gonda, S. (2004). Their right to a voice: The women's movement since 1945. In J. Baydo (Ed.), Modern America examined: A reader (2nd ed.). San Diego: National Social Science Press.

The Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs. (n.d.). Gender disparities in clinical decision-making. American Medical Association. Retrieved from /resources/doc/code-medical-ethics/9122a.pdf

Women and World War II [PDF]. (n.d.). Houghton Mifflin.