JUST A GIRL...

(Stefani, G. Dumont, T.1995)

https://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/cd/f7/0e/cdf70e07476fea84d8e3796cf489784d.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.pinterest.com/explore/no-doubt-lyrics/&h=640&w=640&tbnid=F-ufL2q6NLbXyM:&docid=iYgntOfrpoHuVM&ei=OuPeVra6FYO7Ud_6hYAI&tbm=isch&ved=0ahUKEwi2v-T1p7HLAhWDXRQKHV99AYAQMwgcKAAwAA 

Is a woman a woman because of her reproductive system and physical appearance?

Is a woman a woman because she adopts characteristics appropriate to society’s ideology?

Is a woman a woman because language dictates her position…?

Motherhood.... Natural??

(Mills, E. 2015)

‘The bodies of women give birth to children, anchoring motherhood firmly in what we think of as nature; but both women and motherhood are subject to the complex formulations of culture’

(Oakley, A. 2005)

Availble at: -https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQNXMrsx3WKlCCiVUjITG8GeuarYQmBqJTB1iC3cA4AOGveV-bLzg [Online] (Accessed 13/03/16).

Ann Oakley (Oakley. A. 2005) suggests that motherhood is overwhelmingly portrayed in society as the ultimate product of femininity. The images of fulfilment on becoming a mother are displayed in abundance (pp119-120).

The maternal instinct, the contentment, the happiness. The mother. In reality motherhood is often very different. When ‘postnatal depression’ ‘baby blues’ the lack of ‘naturally’ knowing what to do strikes, is when male patriarchy arises (Terry, M. 2014) (pp 22-23).

Mentally unstable?

(Burton, B. Callaway, T. Reverberi, G F. Reverberi, G. P. 2006).     (Cover version by: - Andrade, D. 2014. Crazy.YouTube. https://itunes.apple.com/album/crazy-... ) 

‘If men can have both families and careers without going crazy or being accused of greed, why can’t women?’

(Lakoff, R. T. Bulcholtz, M. 2004) (pp 22)

 Quickly the Freudian concepts of women being fragile of mind creep into medical practices and exclusively ‘female only’ medical conditions are implied (Collins 2002) (pp94).

The ‘Perfect mother’?

 (West, L. 2011).

Ann Oakley (Oakley, A. 2005) discusses the process of a woman entering motherhood is assumed to embrace the embodiment of her new role of ultimate femininity.

The pressure to be everything society has stylised around being the ‘perfect’ mother can be all-encompassing which can lead to unhappiness and a feeling of inadequacy. The trivialising of these feelings of postnatal depression as being linked to hormonal mechanisms is just another way that men can appear to be of sound mind unlike their female counterparts. This maintains the ideals that man is stronger therefore superior. (pp 119-120).

Expectations vs reality.

(Merrelltwins. 2013)

Google image result for http://www.veronicadearly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/what-i-thought-motherhood-would-be-like.png,  (no date)

Germaine Greer (Haralambos, M. Holborn, M. Chapman, S. Moore, S. 2013) implies that the intrinsic way in which motherhood is displayed is obviously to make it appear a life-affirming role. Women being coaxed into a role which rather than enhances their position in society serves only to reduce their significance to a greater degree. The man’s position within society grows in status as he has fathered a child. While the woman is expected to perform her role with little or no recognition. (pp 518).

                                                                                                      

Available at: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQO_MFgmpxPvgJnlBfJGr8LaB49wRPhjFgC0duNPwIiFrfrBzj2NA  (Accessed: 24 January 2016).

Wife…

(Idol, B. 1982) 

(No date) Available at: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ2EBZK_4KMBfaR9qi4olPJ4N3DBP0jAjoN37DPDfEugDsd1ghCig   (Accessed: 24 January 2016)

Abbot, P. Tyler, M. Wallace, C. (2006) argues that the way language is used is also a form of maintaining the male as the ‘norm’ and female as the ‘deviant’. By using the simple analogy of the wedding ceremony between heterosexual couples, when the Priest pronounces them ‘man and wife’ the implications of this small phrase raises issues of magnitude into the contract they have entered. The man is addressed as a representation of his greatness as ‘man’ in contrast the woman is called wife which is a representation of her new role and the expectations this entails. Her identity has already been lost (pp 354).

‘If one takes the maleness of language to go beyond a few specific terms, one will take language’s power to make women invisible to be even stronger’

(Saul, J. 2004. Accessed [online] 23/01/16.

Inequalities.

(Keys, A. Perry. L. Mostyn, S. 2008)

Biology, language and socialisation each play a part in the separation and inequality towards gender, as represented by the feminist point of view. There is clearly a link that weaves through them tying them together.

The way in which language is used is seemingly a product of the socialisation process. The socialisation process can be interpreted as a template created to envelope the biological form.

The biological form depicts the formation of language.

Therefore unless the stylisation of language changes and is integrated through the socialisation process inequality between the sexes will remain a biological divide.

I am what I am!

(Herman, J. 1983).

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT6L8eYcQ73EBopwCsCYKSntVXADujN-bsxhiuOr-MBSEanyxKH

Written by Sarah Newton. 24/01/16.