COORDINATED COOPERATION HISTORY OF WOMEN'S SUBORDINATION

 COORDINATED COOPERATION

                   HISTORY OF    

                    WOMEN 'S

             SUBORDINATION

     

For society to advance with collective spirit and express its full vitality there must be close cooperation between its members. This cooperation should be coordinated cooperation, not subordinated cooperation. It should not be the relationship of master and servant, but that of people having mutual respect and cordiality. Coordinated cooperation should be the norm in all human relationships. There should be coordinated cooperation in the workplace, in political life, in religious life, in educational institutions, in international relations, in relations between ethnic groups, etc. At present, however, there are many spheres of social life in which interactions occur on a subordinated basis.           One sphere and n which subordinated cooperation has long been pervasive is in the relations between men and women. In most societies and social settings, women do not enjoy the same privileges, they are not given the same respect, they do not possess an equal measure of independence, and they do not have the same opportunity to develop their potentialities as do men.    

      Not only to be women suffer from oppression at the whole society is burden When women are confined to the household or to menial occupations, society's progress is stunted. This condition is much less prevalent in industrialized countries; yet even here, where women's capacities are better expressed and their rights better established, they often don't enjoy full dignity and opportunity. It is the birthright of women to enjoy the same dignity and opportunity as men, and this birthright must be established within the homes, at the workplace, in the schoolrooms, and on the streets. As many women have come to understand, these rights cannot be easily established if they wait patiently for their due. Securing one's rights does not occur spontaneously but comes through struggle and the exertion of power.

     Women should not be alone in this struggle, nor need they depend solely on social agitation to secure respect. It is the duty of men to see that their sisters, mothers, wives, daughters, and women friends obtain equal access to skills and resources, knowledge and culture, and challenges and opportunities. Men have privileged position in the society in part due to the self- sacrificing nature of women. Women trustingly surrendered a measure of their rights and privileges to men, so it is the obligation of men to help restore women's independence and respect.

  History of women's subordination

Women were always subordinated to men prehistoric times, women had at the same adversities of a bostile environment as did ren, and they had to be self-reliant de dere was often not the support mate who identified as the father of the offspring. In such conditions, women not only survived on their own strength but did so while caring for their children.

 In the late Paleolithic era, when the social structure became more evolved, women held prominent status. Archeological evidence suggests that these early societies were mainly matriarchal. The wisest and most spirited women were made group mothers, and other members of the clan took the name of the group mother in designating their lineage.

Even today there are matriarchal tribal societies, and among many tribal people matrilineal descent is still followed. Many Native American societies were matrilineal. "The Great Law of Peace", which defined the governing structure of the Iroquois League of Six Nations, stated that "The lineal descent of the people of the Six Nations shall run in the female line. Women shall be considered the progenitors of the Nation. Men and women shall follow the status of their mothers." And even today, in tribal societies where matriarchy and matrilineal descent are no longer followed, there is no lack of liberal-mindedness with respect to women's freedom.

Anthropological evidence does not support the view that it is natural for women to be in a servile role, or that woman's place is in the home under the man. Instead we find that at the birth of human society, women were often the recognized leaders and that their social status is still respected in tribal cultures.

How did the status of women get degraded? In the early phase of civilization, as population grew and tribal territory expanded, the masily male warriors and chieftains fought to enlarge their domains or to protect their realms from conquest. They engaged in their warfare with a respect for the values of dignity and honor. This awakened in them a sense of conscience. To slay the unarmed or the aged; to stab a person in the back; or to murder those who surrendered- all went against their code of honor. Human values began to supplant their brutish ways. This sense of conscience led the males to develop feelings of responsibility towards family life, so there came to be a sense of duty towards mate and offspring. In this social context, the institution of marriage evolved, and the husband assumed increasing responsible to provide for the family. Women, in turn, became more dependent on men. With this social change, the status of men increased, and group mothers lost their status. And, due to the prestige of the heroic warriors, children sought to become heirs to their father's tradition and rank. So matrilineal descent eventually died out, and patrilineal descent became the norm.

Subasish samal

In the warrior cra women may have lost their ruling position and some social rights, but they lost little of their social status. In the Age of Antiquity, women. generally possessed dignity, and their privileges were comparable to those of men in many spheres of life. On the whole, they WITO regarded as men's coworkers

It was during the next ers when society came to he dominated by the priestly clas that women lost their dignity, became wage-less slaves, and were treated as objects of men's enjoyment PR Sarkar observed that, "Conspiring to cripple women in every way the [priestly class] evolved divine commandments together with numerous scriptural injunctions, para-logical tencts, and imaginary yarns of sin and virtue. Listening to these it seems to one's mind as though man alone is the chosen human of God, the rest of humanity have taken birth only to provide him with the wherewithal for enjoyment."

The instructions on "right behavior" for women found in Confucius' book, Anelect. illustrate this point: "Man is the representative of Heaven and is supreme over all things Woman yields obedience to the institutions of man.... Woman's business is simply the preparation and supplying of wine and food. She may take no step of her own motion and may come to no conclusion in her own mind." Much the same attitude is expressed in the Kama Suara. written during India's medieval period: A vinuous woman who has affection for her husband should act in conformity with his wishes as if he were a divine being. and with his consent should take upon herself the whole care of his family. When she hears the sound of his footsteps coming home, she should at once get up and be ready to do whatever he may command

her and wash his feet" Women were more like slaves than servants, for servants at least receive modest pay and dignity. Women were objects of enjoyment, necessary tools of the household, and child-bearers maintaining the family line. Their very sense of existence was defined in relation to men; they were allowed no independent identity Girls were often forced to marry old men and were neither allowed to divorce, nor to remarry. once widowed In India, when the husband died, the widow was often burned alive on the funeral pyre with the dead man's corpse In feudal Europe, the church dealt severely with independent-minded

women Many such women were accused of being witches and, after being "convicted" by church on the despair authorities, were burned at the stake. Commenting of women in this cra, Shrii P. R Sarkar said, "Millions of women wept and sobbed themselves to death in the darkness of many a sleepless night. They were just ground and leveled flat like the soft earth under the administrative steam roller of the priestly class]."

In the more secular capitalist era which has followed, religious scripture was less effective of a mechanism for keeping women subordinate (though religious dogmas were still an oppressive influence). A less blatant means was initially used to maintain women's oppressed status they were kept economically dependent. It is not easy for a woman to be assertive with a demanding and abusive husband when he controls the resources for the family's food, clothing and shelter. For long into the capitalist era, women could not even hold property or establish bank accounts in their own name.

In modern industrialized societies women have attained greater control over personal property and more opportunity to work outside the home. But they are often blocked from job advancement beyond a certain point, and they may have to put up with patronizing and sexual harassment.

In a few progressive societies social equality is now better established, and the independent woman has come into her own. But has she attained fully liberated status? Not if she is socialized to define herself largely on the basis of consumption, personal image, and material or sensual experiences. Capitalist society has co-opted the rising aspirations of women; it has not supported their genuine liberation.

     

                                         subasish samal🌍👁️