"Men compel women to assume the status of the other." Do you agree?
The idea of ‘the other’ is rooted in being lesser – being a minority. In this instance, the question is whether men compel women into such a role and it is clear that this is not the case in modern, mainstream society.
The rise of feminism has enabled women to be stronger individuals and to take control of their own life. Therefore, as an enlightened, twenty-first century woman, it is difficult to see how or why a woman would ever allow herself to become marginalised by a man. Admittedly, some women struggle to find a balance between their domestic and professional selves and this is often due to a lack of support from their partner but, in practice, this too can be limited simply by taking stand and demanding more. Women do not need to be marginalised or forced to assume the status of ‘the other’ in today’s world and if they do, then arguably it is their own doing and not that of a man simply because women are empowered to be stronger and more independent in the modern world. For the vast majority of people, men and women are far more equal nowadays than ever before but there is still a significant number of steps that need to be taken to ensure that all women are as such rather than as ‘the other.’ However, all women have been provided with the tools to be treated as an equal partner and should, therefore, choose to use them or not.
Women, on the whole, are no longer compelled to be a minority or ‘other’ by men as they are stronger and more enabled to be equal partners in today’s world and as such, if a woman is marginalised then it is largely her own doing through weakness.
