Power Structures

Chelsea Martino WMST250
Assignment 3 Sec. 06

Considering the idea that various power structures have had strong effects on my life, particularly negative ones, seemed to be a bit ridiculous. Growing up I lived an extremely mainstream lifestyle and have unmarked characteristics. I am an American citizen who is white, middle class, and of Christian religion. In many cases I would have to admit that I am rather privileged. However, the closer I analyzed power structures and their influences in my life I saw where I was extremely well off, but I actually realized where power structures can have adverse effects on me, particularly because I am a female.
For most of my adolescence I never felt as if I was oppressed. This was probably because I did not grow up in a traditional household. From the time I was five until I was about eleven years old, my mother was a single parent. My parents divorced and I lived with my mother the majority of the time. However, no one would have guessed she was a single parent, because she ever complained or admitted that it was stressful raising three children on her own. One of the major reasons I think she was so successful on her own was because she attended a prestigious college and always believed women were just as capable of men in the work place and at home. She earned a Masters Degree in Biology as well as a teaching degree. She knew the importance of a good education, and was able to support her family because she had a reliable and an economically stable job as a high school teacher. Her decision to finish school before getting married influenced her opinion of education greatly. She is well aware that without an education she would not have a good job and would have been forced to remain in a marriage against her will so her children would have a secure lifestyle. Because of this, my mother always made education a major priority for her children. She was a good role model, especially because she always believed girls could do just as much as any boy. There was never any doubt that my sister and I would go to college and get any job we wanted. She never acted as if women were subordinate or incapable of some of the things that men take part in. Also, I have a younger brother, who was never allowed to do any more or less than my sister or me because of his gender. We were always treated as equals. Gender was not a factor in my house; if we worked hard and followed my mother’s rules we were reward, not given privileges based on our sex.
I think many families are different, and more often then not parents choose different techniques when raising their children than my mother had. My best friend, who was a girl, was treated differently by her parents than her older brother. Her brother was always allowed to do things she was not because he was a boy. He was allowed to stay out later, date more openly, and even argue back with her parents. She on the other hand, had strict curfews, helped with cooking and cleaning, and was always expected to respect her parents. She was also placed in traditional feminine activities such as, cheerleading and dancing, while her brother played football and baseball. In my household however, I was allowed to play soccer and basketball and my mother never discouraged it, but supported it. In my family structure I had a great deal of power compared to others.
However, as I got older particularly in high school, I realized that many people did not necessarily think the way I was raised to about gender equality. I know it may not be a huge comparison to extreme forms of oppression, but I soon realized that being a female had some disadvantages. During my sophomore year of high school, I realized the power that the student body had over people’s opinions. I had decided to run against a boy for the position of class president. He had been president the year before, but did a very poor job. I figured I would make a stronger leader. Even though I had a great deal of support, there were comments made by students about how males normally hold higher positions than girls and that a girl may not be equipped enough to handle all of the responsibilities that came with being president. I did end up winning, but it was clear that some people really felt that a boy should have been the president not because he was exceptionally good for my class, but because he was a male. Many of the students’ mentalities, about men being better leaders than females is probably shaped by what we see on a day to day basis. Our country is run by men and people are socialized into believing that it is the correct way of life.
Additionally, the decisions that affect our country are made by the white men in government. And for the most part, we live in a patriarchic society. It has been embedded into our culture that the majority of power is and should be in the hands of white men. However, many of the men who are holding high positions, often due so because of nepotism or due to the amount of money they have. Many people who would make better leaders are never given an opportunity because they do not have political connections or because they do not have enough money, or because they are a minority. The power of the government can be corrupt and extremely unfair. Women are at a clear disadvantage when entering into the political aspects of society. It is a clear misconception that women would not make strong leaders. It is common to hear that women are too emotional or soft to hold a position in government. However, women and minorities could probably make just as strong and valuable leaders, if not better ones than some of the men who head the country today.
Furthermore, women face oppression in the work world in addition to the government. They often do not get the highest jobs, not because they are unqualified or less intelligent compared to men, but because is not as socially acceptable. There is factual evidence that shows that women are still making less money then men, even when they are in similar careers. For the women who do venture into the work world, they are expected to be mothers first or hold feminine careers such as, nursing or teaching. Also, working women will commonly partake in a second shift where they maintain their households by caring for the children, cleaning, and making dinner, while many husbands relax and do not contribute to the work load. Because of this, women are taking on a great deal more than men without getting any credit. However, women are being educated and deserve the chance to change the power structures of corporations and other career institutions and be ale to get better jobs. At the same time though, men are under pressure by society to be breadwinners. Men who lack “masculinity” and do not make as much money as their wives are thought, by some, to be inadequate. People need to realize that it is ok if women make money equal or above men. It is ridiculous to believe it will alter a person’s image. It should not matter the gender, but the qualifications. People should stop dwelling on stereotypes and do what is best for themselves.
After my experience of running for president and realizing sexism stems from deep within greater power structures in society, such as the government and work place, I also started noticing more and more where girls dominate and where they are oppressed. I had been naive believing that my mother’s mentality of equality was that of everyone’s. I became aware that the media had a major impact on the way people perceive gender rolls. The media holds a great deal of power that enables it to create ideologies for the way people treat one another. My friends and I would often watch music videos and movies where a man would be portrayed as dominant, powerful, and wealthy, while the women were portrayed as sex objects for the men to use and abuse. Some of the lyrics and videos would openly allude that women were subordinate to men, thus making it acceptable to treat females as property. Women were clearly not holding any form of power. Where were the strong independent women with men waiting on them? Or better yet, where was the equal power and equal treatment between both sexes? I realized that although I found the media’s perception of males and females’ to be warped, many of the teenagers around me were internalizing and tolerating what was being presented to them. I had a friend in high school, a boy, who used to have rules that he created and followed about how to treat women. He called them “Bitches Don’t” rules. They encompassed things such as: “bitches don’t pay, bitches don’t sit in the back seat of the car, bitches don’t open the doors for themselves.” Although girls may have found his rules of edict to be a bit unconventional, they also assumed that they were meant in a polite way. However, looking back I realized that even though he thought he was being polite, ironically, he was doing just the opposite by using the term “bitches”. I do not feel that it was his intention to use such a derogatory word, but I do feel that the media has placed this idea in society that women can be disregarded and disrespected, as long as it sounds cool or is of good intention.
Also, the media today has placed unattainable goals for the appearance of women. TV, magazines, and movies all display women who have thin figures with large boobs paired with a flawless face. Girls look at these pictures and assume that “perfection” is the only form of beauty. However, many girls are not able to achieve the body type that is presented in the media without developing an eating disorder or getting plastic surgery. Girls often struggle with low self esteem and do not realize that they are naturally good looking. Plastic surgery is a form a mutation that people instill upon themselves because the media has used its power to define beauty. One of my best friends in high school used to hang pictures up of bikini models on her refrigerator as a diet method. Every time she would go get food she would see the models and decide not to eat. She eventually became anorexia to a point where her parents needed to seek the professional help of nutritionists and therapists. The worst part about it was that she was skinny and pretty before she stopped eating. And in the end she only ended up damaging her body. Thankfully, she is ok, but the media is clearly impacting women’s self image instead of promoting female accomplishments, intelligence, individualism, and personality.
Coming to college also opened me up to the realization that safety is a major factor in a female’s life. I would definitely say I am a cautious person. I never walked alone at night, I always park my care in a well lit area, and I make sure that my doors are locked. All of my percussions however, are often not taken by men. More often than not, men are not as commonly targeted as women when it comes to muggings, rapes, or other acts of violence. When going out at night, especially in situations where alcohol is present girls need to be exceptionally careful. A friend of mine was roofied her junior year of college. Luckily, her friends found her just as a guy was trying to lead her outside, but before he could do any more harm. She was completely incoherent. Her friends took her to the hospital, where she was treated. After sometime, she recovered, and when she did a police officer was there who told her that she should have been more responsible and should not have been out drinking at a party, even though she was of legal age. His comment was a little harsh. Girls have just as much right as any male to go out at night and wear what they want to and drink what they want to. Females should not be reprimanded for drinking or attending parties; the predators that attack women should be the ones who are in trouble. However, more often then not the officers in power are not able to do anything for victims of date rape particularly when alcohol is involved. They find ways to alter the situation where it makes it seem as if the girl was partially to blame for the attack. Being a woman puts myself, along with other girls at a higher risk of assault. We do not hold power because there is not much anyone can do when society judges a girl on her moral behavior instead of condemning the criminal for violent, dangerous acts.
Another ideology that is thought of when regarding women is that women are more cautious drivers than men. Because of this, I have lower car insurance than my brother, even though he is a much better driver than I am. But that does not matter, car insurance companies use power by implanting higher costs for males. I do not mind that one bit though, because it is cheaper for me, even if it the reasoning behind it is not necessarily true. Not all boys are reckless drivers and not all girls go the speed limit and use their blinker when changing lanes. Maybe if there were more programs about driver safety the insurance companies would not need to have unequal rules for male and female drivers.
However, even though there seems to be many negative ideologies associated with being a girl, I soon realized that there are many advantages. Everyday, women band together and work hard to overcome oppression. Over the past fifty years, women have made changes that have altered how they are seen in the world. Women are now making their own power structures through support groups, activist groups, and education. There are communities of women who work together to make change. There is power in numbers; larger numbers that were not always there in the past. Because of this more women are going to college, holding better positions in the work world, and earning the equality they have always deserved. As a girl, I have many people behind me that will route for me because they know how much harder women must work in order to get ahead.
Being a female was just the beginning of stereotypical groups that I am apart of. I am white as well. But, unlike my gender, being white definitely has its advantages. It is common to see that people who are white tend to dominate in education, opportunities, and high paying careers. The majority of the country’s leaders are clearly white men who have money. It is nice to think that I am capable of fulfilling the stereotype that as a white person, I have many advantages that minorities do not. It is not common that I would face oppression because of being white. I will never be a target for racial profiling or be thought of as threatening when I walk down the street.
Additionally, I am middle class, which only enhances my opportunities. I have always gone to strong academic schools and lived in nice neighborhoods. I have never been exposed to areas of high crime and always felt safe in my surroundings. My high school had new computer labs, competitive and upper level classes, and a variety of extracurricular activities. I am not familiar with people who go to schools with metal detectors, live off of food stamps, or cannot afford to buy new clothes just because they feel like it. Because I am middle class, I also have access major cities such as, Manhattan and Philadelphia, where I my parents have job opportunities and I am able to learn about different cultures and art. Also, my family is able to afford health care and the best doctors. We have insurance, but many people do not have the money and cannot get health care because the country does not do enough to help pay for people who cannot afford it. Many people do not have these opportunities because they are either a minority or poor or both. People of middle class definitely hold power over people who do not have money. Middle class adults own businesses and are bosses. They are able to hire and fire people at will. People who work for large corporations are able to exploit workers. I know money is not everything, but it does have advantages. It is clear that when I graduate college I will get a job and make more money which will more likely than not ensure my place in the middle to upper class, where I will rarely face the adversities the poor deal with on an everyday basis.
Not only am I a middle class white person, but I am also an American citizen. People in authority such as police and other forms of security are more inclined to trust me over an immigrant. I do not have an accent for any cultural attributes that would single me out of a crowd. Going through the airport I am never stopped or questioned. I also speak English, so no one has ever insulted my intelligence. People from other countries are often treated with percussion or negatively because they are not like everyone else. I have even seen situations where men and women with accents are treated cruelly by American speaker’s who are impatient and do not want to accommodate them. But there are many professors at the University of Maryland who are brilliant and have PhD’s and are a valuable resource to the campus and learning opportunities to students; however, if they meet people on the street there is a good chance they will be judged or discriminated against.
Power structures are everywhere and are affecting people in large and altering ways. My analysis of power has opened my eyes to personal pros and cons that structures have on me, I have also realized how structures affect others, and where they need to be changed. White men, especially those of middle to upper class are in a very stable place in society. Because of this they have the power and potential to make change. They can support women and minorities and accept the fact that they do not need to dominate at all times. Women need to work together and support one another. We are discriminated and poorly represented in government and in the work world. Also, the poor need better health care and schools from the government. I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to go to school and have health insurance because my family can afford it. But the many people do not have they money to do so, and the government needs to step in and uses its power to benefit everyone. Females also need to promote and fight for safety. We have just as much a right and any man to not live in fear. We have the right to feel safe to walk the streets, sleep home alone, and go to a party. There needs to be less emphasis on physical beauty. Women need to learn to love themselves as they, and not how the media says they should be. It is difficult to make these changes; however, it can be done. The more educated people get, particularly women, the more power they will have. People need to move on from the 1950’s and forget about traditional ideologies. We live in a new time period where monitories and women are just as capable as men to hold power, and they should do so.