Self: 2. The feminine sense of becoming

Sexism is by no means dead, cultural propaganda notwithstanding. It is simply changing form. Despite the legislations to curb it, sexist discrimination flourishes, and may be harder to identify.

India still grapples with male domination and female foeticide.  A recent census countrywide shows an alarming imbalance in the average gender ratio of women to men, 941: 1000. Other patriarchal societies of Asia and Africa also continue to be similarly backward in gender issues; in war and social unrest, women and children are primary victims. 'Celibate' priests in over 23 countries, notably in Africa, fearing diseases like HIV AIDS otherwise, have been sexually abusing nuns of their own diocese.

In liberal USA, recent empirical data shows that women’s experience of sexist behaviour is, on average, in two incidents a week. In UK, sexism may be implied rather than verbally articulated. In a scathing response to the “not quite a paedophile” interjection, made with regard to Jeffrey Epstein, Gold writes:

… he [John Humphrys] was saying, probably subconsciously, what our culture says – that the pubescent girl is the physical, and thus sexual, ideal. So what is she for, if not for sex? 

Discrimination causes distress, more so if it is based on gender. Women with self-esteem already low would perceive discrimination more easily in interactions, but high self-esteem does not prevent vulnerability. Memories of sexist incidents re-playing in the mind may actually push the latter more towards mental illness.

Fisher & Bolton Holtz explain that there is a powerful interrelationship between society, group, self and distress. They write:

… negative societal views of women (public collective self-esteem) … may lead to more negative personal views of women as a group (private collective self-esteem) and of themselves as individuals (personal self-esteem), ultimately increasing psychological distress.

The researchers observe:

Specifically, when coupled with lower levels of dispositional optimism, higher levels of perceived sexist discrimination predicted both lower self-esteem and greater depressed mood.

The sense of powerlessness is reinforced with continual reminders of their low status. The women tend to internalize the discrimination at home or outside, and some may even believe that their treatment is deserved.

I should think that women in collectivistic cultures, like India, live with heightened emotional trauma. Despite the apparent advancements of women’s groups in the new millennium, they are also burdened with guilt at breaking social traditions to pursue individualistic objectives.

Fisher & Bolton Holtz write that:

… living in a culture pervaded by institutional sexism, racism, and homophobia reflects a kind of psychic violence.

Attitudes to women in India may reside on a continuum, like the pedestal-gutter syndrome. Traditionally, the mother image is revered in the country. Yet women are taught from childhood to be self-effacing, secondary to men and dependent on them for their identity. A particular woman’s position on the continuum would then depend on her age, and social relationships.

For instance, a young bride coming into the family is by convention, consigned to the gutter. In a joint family, she is a pariah, treated with suspicion and contempt especially by the in-laws. She must keep going through fire to prove her “purity” (and servitude).

Her status begins to change somewhat only when she becomes a mother and, in many cases even today, delivers a male child. The woman tends to forge a close bond with her son, with intent to assume the pedestal of the queen mother in the future, when the boy grows up to head the family.

Thus, age has been an important factor determining women’s social status in India over generations. In fact, in ageing women, the thresholds for the distress and mental ill health may drive down.

The need for modern women to self-actualise is then confronted by the gender-self, conditioned by the weight of traditions, to nurture the collective in dependent existence. Women’s vacillation between orthodoxy and progressiveness creates internal stress that contributes largely to the health states of their mind and body.

Fisher et al write that:

Especially for those in less powerful positions, the effects of individual stressors are likely to be amplified … women’s personal experiences with sexist events would be connected to their beliefs about justice. Particularly in contexts perceived as unjust, women may also feel that they have less control over their lives.

Constant reminders of women’s second-class citizenship have a cumulative effect that is perhaps longer lasting. The point is the absence of overtness does not equal absence of sexism; chronic low-level stressors are equally effective weapons against women.

The hypothesis is that:

… frequency of Sexist Events predicted women’s Depression, Anxiety, and Well-Being both directly and indirectly, through the effects of PBJW [personal belief in a just world] and PC [personal control].

Research on ethnic minority groups appears to show that the men’s psychological adjustment is less influenced by personal self-esteem than that of the ethnic group. This is perhaps especially true in immigrant communities of any society. The group elders’ hard-line on traditions may thus be in fear of cultural assimilation.

In France, for instance, the recent French legislation to “ban the burqa” reflects the majority’s emphasis on ‘sameness’. However, the minority Muslim community may insist their women wear the veil to preserve the distinct ethnic identity.

From their studies on ethnicity in UK, Cassidy et al suggest that:

… compared with men, the degree to which women evaluate and relate to their ethnic group relates less to how they evaluate themselves as individuals  … Aspects of life other than ethnic identity, for example, interpersonal relationships, may be more influential for women’s well-being.

Certainly, Muslim women in France are finding themselves caught between a rock and a hard place in the clash! Their perceptions of sexist marginalizing along with religious discrimination would lead to their beliefs in a just world diminishing rapidly.

The women’s sense of powerlessness would deepen knowing that either way their personal wellbeing is harmed, with sexism within the community, as well as outside of it. While dress becomes the centre of a sociocultural tug-of-war, the psychic abuse of women, ignored by society at large, continues unabated.

References for this post:

1. Cassidy, Clare., O’Connor, Rory c., Howe, Christine and Warden, David. “Perceived Discrimination and Psychological Distress: The Role of Personal and Ethnic Self-Esteem” Journal of Counseling Psychology, 2004, Vol. 51, No. 3, 329–339. 2004. 
2. Fischer, Ann R. and Bolton Holz, Kenna. “Perceived Discrimination and Women's Psychological Distress: The Roles of Collective and Personal Self-Esteem”. Abstract. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 2007, Vol. 54, No. 2, 154–164. 2007.  
3. Fischer, Ann R. and Bolton Holz, Kenna, “TESTING A MODEL OF WOMEN’S PERSONAL SENSE OF JUSTICE, CONTROL, WELL-BEING, AND DISTRESS IN THE CONTEXT OF SEXIST DISCRIMINATION”. Abstract. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 34 (2010), 297–310. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 2010.
4. Gold, Tanya. “'Not quite a paedophile' – John Humphrys' strange correction” guardian.co.uk. The Guardian. Tuesday 8 March 2011. 
5. Kennedy, Frances. “Vatican confirms report of sexual abuse and rape of nuns by priests in 23 countries” independent.co.uk The Independent. Wednesday, 21 March 2001