Women Are Not Decoration

Sexists are those who base their beliefs on traditional and/or cultural stereotypes on gender roles. These gender roles are implemented in our society; it’s somehow something we’ve been raised to believe without questioning. Many of these stereotypes aren’t only descriptive, but are simply beliefs on how women and men should act and behave; anything contradictory to that is against the nature of that particular gender. For example, a man who’s thin is criticized because men shouldn’t be skinny whereas a person who’s overweight is criticized for being unhealthy only, that’s one stereotype for men. On the other hand, the ladies’ stereotype is that they are always dependent on their family, and they can’t do anything productive on their own. Discriminations such as these can affect both men and women; however, women have been receiving the tougher side of the spectrum for years, which has led to everything becoming dominated by men.

When a boy is born, that family receives congratulations from everyone. A boy gives security, and someone who will take the family’s name for one more generation and will be able to support the family. When a girl is born, the reaction is quite different; a girl here is just another expense to the family. You always hear fathers complain on how much daughters demand extra care and lots of needs ranging from make up to dresses etc. Some families believe that a girl’s place should be in home, not in the world of men. When a family treats a boy like their savior, a girl has nothing to do but to feel down; when everything around her indicates that she is less worthy, she will sense the superiority of the boy over her, and the extra attention he gets. Poverty and the strong biases against women will prevent women in developing countries from living up to their full potential no matter how rich the country.

Every time a Saudi woman appears on television, she is always judged according to the clothes she wears, the way she wears her hijab, and her looks thereby belittling what she stands for intellectually as she explains one of her achievements. We always focus on the minor details that have nothing to do with why that smart woman is being hosted. Sexism has the power to affect every woman’s opportunity to accomplish her full potential. Also, women are always treated as if they were objects. In my opinion, most likely divorces are outcomes of this gender discrimination, which is due to men treating their spouses as objects and using violence as a way to control them. Someone tell our men that it’s a marriage contract and not a property contract! Moreover, women are being taken also as sexual being; that they’re here to fulfill their husbands’ animalistic sexual needs, and also as baby vending machines.

According to the United Nations, there is no society where women are not being discriminated against, or have equal opportunities as men. Even in the West where women’s rights have improved the lives of women, they still suffer from this discrimination and the unfairness of something called ‘glass ceiling’, which is a term that refers to women in the working field in which they can’t get promoted beyond a certain level. Our social dictionary has defined women as primarily sexual beings who are unproductive, and dependent by connecting their dreams and achievements to their dependence on men. 

When this will end? Because the last time I checked a lot of women are being denied the opportunity to continue their studies and achieve their dreams because their families believe that they should stay at home and comfort their men’s needs. 

Note: "Men of Quality respect women’s equality" I believe that women are human, as well as men. The only differences are physical, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they can’t have their rights; both sexes in humanity are equal.

By: Faris Alothimin
You can follow the writer on twitter: @AlothiminFaris