Virginia Woolf once pondered the question of “women and fiction.” She wondered about a woman’s role when writing, how she can improve her writing, and what she is to write about. With the turn of the century came new ideas about identity and the role of women in society; presumptions that women were somehow inferior were slowly but surely being overthrown, and Virginia Woolf was in the forefront of this battle by simply doing something she was good at- writing.
Though society has come a really long way from the days when women were expected to walk only on certain paths and were abhorred for trying to receive an education, women’s opinions are still sometimes considered below those of men’s. It is frequently suggested that women are naturally hormonal beings and are therefore unable to make rational arguments. Another ridiculous presumption states that women are more inclined to let their emotions lead their decisions as opposed to logic. And finally, people say that despite having intellectual freedoms incomparably improved to that of Virginia Woolf’s time, women still pull the “woman card”.
This I find interesting because though women have the freedom to speak their mind and defend their own opinions, we still live in a time and place where those opinions are frequently scrutinized and perceived as, somehow, less legitimate because of our gender. When we do have legitimate points, we face the possibility of being ignored and objectified as a way of disregarding things that people do not like to hear.
An indisputable, and potentially over-used, but no less disturbing, example of this is our President-elect, Donald Trump. On countless occasions, when he has been called out by intelligent women with legitimate points, he has resorted to the fact that because they are a woman they do not know what they are talking about. Then, there is, of course, much more subtle examples of this in politics; David Cameron using a patronizing, condescending phrase when disagreeing with a woman in court is an example of this.
Video of Trump Directly Insulting Women
David Cameron Tells Woman Politician to “Calm Down Dear”
Sexism is a multifaceted dilemma, and in a less blatantly obvious way, women’s voices are muffled simply by lack of representation. Out of all of the Permanent Representatives to the UN, 8.4 percent of them are women. If the UN Permanent Representatives only consisted of 10 members, less than one woman would be included in that group. This trend of men being significantly more represented than women in successful careers mirrors itself in other ways as well- 2/3 doctors and lawyers are men. Some argue that men are “simply better at these jobs,” but I strongly disagree.
Societal pressure for women to act a certain way still exists. Because women are often categorized as dramatic, many are compelled to act composed even when they are angry. Because women are considered high-maintenance, many are compelled to keep requests and opinions to ourselves. Because women can be mothers, many are compelled to take a step back from careers and passions. Naturally, with social stigmas like these, we see women less represented in positions of power. We hear less women’s opinions than we should. I would like to see this change.
Virginia Woolf emphasized that for a woman to write fiction, she needs a room of her own to write undisturbed and uninfluenced from everything around her. The idea of having one’s own space can be directly juxtaposed to modern day- for a woman’s voice to be acknowledged, the internet is a perfect platform. While Woolf ponders what a woman’s role in fiction is, we can explore the same topic - but in media. We have this giant virtual podium at our fingertips, and we should use it to our advantage. A woman has the freedom to contribute, criticize, and comment to her heart’s content without the fear of being directly shut down or criticized for something completely irrelevant (refer to video of Donald Trump). If we believe that we need more women doctors, let’s say something about it. If we need more than 8.4 percent of the UN’s Permanent Representatives represented by women, let’s discuss ways to make that happen. First and foremost though, people need to understand that although we face much more subtle forms of sexism than, say, seventy years go, it still exists.
New technology makes it easier to do thinks like sign petitions to eradicate sexist laws or movements, call attention to things that need to change, and just state our opinions without demeaning comments and unwelcome irrelevant criticism. Sure, there will be internet trolls, and there will always be people who disagree with you, no matter the subject, but with online communities comes support and validation.
Using the internet to spread word and make a point is helpful for many other movements as well. Black Lives Matter gained lots of support through the twitter hashtag that everybody started using to express their grief and dissatisfaction with the systematic targeting of black people everywhere. Social media gave support to LGBTQ folks everywhere during the fight for equal marriage rights.
So whether it is #LoveWins, #BlackLivesMatter, or #HeForShe, we can learn to use social media to work towards a more equal & accepting society.
