4 days ago
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Week 3 - Blog 4: Hegemony (Web Lecture)
Dr. Coopman describes that hegemony, ideological control, refers to "the dominance of one group over another, and the construction of that power relationship such that those who are oppressed accept and contribute to their oppression," and on example is the woman's suffrage movement in the US. I think in Japan they still, to some degree, follow this kind of ideology. As far as I know, women in Japan had been oppressed by dominants, mostly men, so even if they really wanted to get professions, it had been so tough for them to realize their wishes. I think it's based on old Japanese traditions like, "women should make the home while their husbands work outside." However, in 1986, the government amended a new policy, called the Equal Employment Opportunity Law for Men and Women." The government's thinking was to decrease the number of employers who avoided hiring much more females. The law resonated as if an epoch-making affair, but it was so difficult to change the ideological roots of the male workers' / employers' philosophy. Now they have more serious problems. Because of the worldwide economic crisis, many working women in Japan were laid off or are losing their jobs. In particular, some employers dismissed the women who tried to return to their jobs after the maternity or parental leave. Is there any hope for the female workers or candidates in Japan? One recent news article reports that many highly educated young women, like graduates from the prestigious Tokyo University graduate school, try to get married to successful male workers. Now the working women in Japan are hit with double punches: Hegemony and the Economic Crisis.
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Oppression of women is a hard concept for me to understand, as well as oppression because of race and religion. These demographics should have no indication of how people work; they may interfere slightly (ex: women on maternity leave and people leaving to pray in the afternoon(, but they are not indicators of a persons work ethic or competence.
ReplyDeleteJapanese women are oppressed, but think of middle eastern women who are not only oppressed by men, but by their religion. They are held as inferior in every way and do not have the freedoms that American women do. I am glad that I was not born there because it would be very hard for me to keep my mouth shut.
When I first read professor Coopman's definition of Hegemony I though to myself, "why would anyone who is knowingly oppressed accept and even CONTRIBUTE to their oppression?" However, upon reading further and also by reading your post, I was reminded of the club I went to last night. Although women always complain about the objectification of their bodies and think men calling them 'bitches' and 'ho's' is the most terrible thing ever, I cant help but find what I saw last night the definition of hegemony. Sure everybody wants to look good, but nobody forced them to wear their barely there dress and dance to music with obscene messages. Overall, I have come to the conclusion that oppression is not always a one-sided dilemna.
ReplyDeleteI think your examples are great. Even though laws excist to protect workers there are still those inequalities we impose on each other. Women's oppression is definatly one of the most obvious yet common practices. But this happens with different laws that have been passed to protect differnt groups. I think its very important for orgs to provide trainning to their employees to promote diversity and equality.
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