Oppression Against Women: The Impacts and Outcomes

Oppression Against Women
Author Name(s), First M. Last, Omit Titles and Degrees
Institutional Affiliation(s)
Abstract
Oppression against women persists across the world, even in modern times. Religions, cultures, and political institutions are at the forefront of perpetuating oppression against women. For many years, women's roles in society have been limited to household management and the upbringing of children. As a result, women have had little or no say in important political or leadership decisions, even at the local level. They are, therefore, left out when education and employment opportunities arise. Some governments around the world have imposed religious restrictions that increasingly inhibit women from pursuing education and dreams. For many years, men have made decisions for women regarding even their sexuality. Further, women continue to face various if forms of violence they endanger their physical, mental, and psychological well-being. This paper seeks to explore the subject of the oppression of women. The paper will begin with a historical context to examine the origins of inequality and, therefore, oppression. Further, the paper will explore various forms of oppression women fall and, finally, focus on the impact of the oppression.
Oppression Against Women
Introduction
The plight of women in our societies goes a long way into ancient times. For many years, nations around the world, through patriarchy, have subjected women to unspeakable conditions leading to the gender inequality that exists in modern society. In 1792, through A vindication of the Rights of Women, Mary Wollstonecraft summarized the plight of women as follows; 'Women spend many of their lives in acquiring a smattering of accomplishments; meanwhile strength of the body and mind sacrificed to libertine notions of beauty…can they govern a family with sound judgment or take care of the poor babes whom they bring into the world?'. Further, or as Simone de Beauvoir (1949)aptly put it, '…women's wings are cut, and then she is blamed for not knowing to fly', Wollstonecraft's and de Beauvoir's frustrations that lead to their books stem from the unjustified treatment of women in their respective societies and around the world. This paper seeks to discuss oppression against women and how it impacts the world we live in.
Historical Perspective
The origin of oppression against women has been a subject of debate among scholars to date. Different theories have been fronted regarding the matter, each with an element of truth. In her book, Patriarchy and Accumulation on a World Scale, Maria Mies (1986) argued that men's role as hunter enhanced his expertise in simple weapons of capture and aggression. According to Mies, women were the early agriculturists cultivating crops using early tools and making vessels used to store surplus food. In their role as hunters, men acquired surplus private property, through force and pillage, making them richer and powerful as they enjoyed more freedom than women who were tied down by the tasks of providing for the fetus and young children. In Mies' perspective, the oppression of women by men began in the same epoch as slavery. 
Lewis Henry Morgan argues that in the period of 'primitive ...