Gender Inequality and the Human Future :: Equality Feminist Feminism Essays

Gender Inequality and the Human Future On Tuesday March 26th, Allan Johnson gave a lecture, "Unraveling the Gender Knot: Communities, Nature, and the Human Future." Johnson describes himself as being neither pessimistic or optimistic on the subject of the human future on the earth. He mentioned a quote, "We are of no more value than the simplest bacteria" and said that other species will not miss us when and if we’re gone. He attributes this to the general human disregard for the environment. This disregard has some relationship to gender inequality which stems from the patriarchal qualities of our society, since nature is viewed as feminine and as something that men can control. Johnson says that there are four characteristics of patriarchy that are embedded in the social fabric of our society as well as in that of many other societies. The first characteristic is that there is a male dominated social system. This does not mean that all men are powerful or that all women are powerless but rather that where someone has power it tends to be a male. The second characteristic of patriarchy is that such a society is organized around an obsession for control, which is used to elevate men. Johnson mentioned a belief that was widespread during the 19th century even throughout prestigious colleges. This belief was that women should not attend college because doing so would result in the diversion of blood from uterine function and cause them to run a muck. The third characteristic is that patriarchies are male identified. This means that male experience is taken as the experience for human beings. Some examples of this that Johnson mentioned are the word mankind and the use of the word guys when referring to a group that includes women. Members of many societies prefer to have male children, mostly for economic reasons. In India, amniocentesis is used to select males, since they have greater earning potential and do not result in the paying of a dowry. In China, there are "millions of missing girls in the age pyramid." Although male preference isn’t as extreme in the United States, it does exist. This is demonstrated by what Johnson mentioned about unmarried couples being twice as likely to keep a baby if it is a male. The fourth characteristic of patriarchies is that they are male centered which is evident from the movies that Hollywood produces. Johnson says that "the path of least resistance is to pay attention to what males do. Gender Inequality and the Human Future :: Equality Feminist Feminism Essays Gender Inequality and the Human Future On Tuesday March 26th, Allan Johnson gave a lecture, "Unraveling the Gender Knot: Communities, Nature, and the Human Future." Johnson describes himself as being neither pessimistic or optimistic on the subject of the human future on the earth. He mentioned a quote, "We are of no more value than the simplest bacteria" and said that other species will not miss us when and if we’re gone. He attributes this to the general human disregard for the environment. This disregard has some relationship to gender inequality which stems from the patriarchal qualities of our society, since nature is viewed as feminine and as something that men can control. Johnson says that there are four characteristics of patriarchy that are embedded in the social fabric of our society as well as in that of many other societies. The first characteristic is that there is a male dominated social system. This does not mean that all men are powerful or that all women are powerless but rather that where someone has power it tends to be a male. The second characteristic of patriarchy is that such a society is organized around an obsession for control, which is used to elevate men. Johnson mentioned a belief that was widespread during the 19th century even throughout prestigious colleges. This belief was that women should not attend college because doing so would result in the diversion of blood from uterine function and cause them to run a muck. The third characteristic is that patriarchies are male identified. This means that male experience is taken as the experience for human beings. Some examples of this that Johnson mentioned are the word mankind and the use of the word guys when referring to a group that includes women. Members of many societies prefer to have male children, mostly for economic reasons. In India, amniocentesis is used to select males, since they have greater earning potential and do not result in the paying of a dowry. In China, there are "millions of missing girls in the age pyramid." Although male preference isn’t as extreme in the United States, it does exist. This is demonstrated by what Johnson mentioned about unmarried couples being twice as likely to keep a baby if it is a male. The fourth characteristic of patriarchies is that they are male centered which is evident from the movies that Hollywood produces. Johnson says that "the path of least resistance is to pay attention to what males do.