Blog post #11

The next 100 pages of my book focused a lot of the route of the abuse women receive. In many countries, women are viewed as inherently inferior. They are not considered professionals, and are labeled as incapable of achieving anything past  having children and taking care of the household. Any woman who practices otherwise is subject to physical punishment and harassment. A women is taught to obey EVERYTHING a man says, no matter  how obscene or unreasonable. She belongs to her father, or her husband. She shares an equivalent status as a slave. Even the slightest bit of hesitation to obey a mans command leads to excessive beatings. If a woman's performance is less than satisfactory in any field she receives the same punishment. So, if a woman does not behave accordingly, she faces a life of hell, or sometimes, no life at all. In rare cases, like women who run brothels, a women can adopts a man roll. Even though she knows how it feels to be abused, she abuses her fellow women. They are expected to treat her as they would treat a man. In our culture, if an adult asks something of us, it is not necessarily viewed as the largest sign of disrespect possible to not immediately do what is asked of us. If my parents wanted something of me that I found unreasonable, I might try to negotiate and compromise with them. Such behavior is equivalent to near murder is other countries. As a woman, you do what you are told. So, when a woman is kidnapped and forced into prostitution, and there are multiple adults telling her to please a client, sometimes she sees no alternative to complying. It is how she is raised. She has never, ever questioned an adult before. It simply is not an option. It is in her nature to do what they request of  her. She knows the consequences of disobeying. Just as a man sees her as inferior, she sees herself as this way. In brothels, women are treated like complete garbage, and are constantly regarded as nothing more than such. She begins to feel this way. This is how many, many women end up stuck in brothels their entire life. They don't know how not to follow orders they are given. They believe they aren't good for anything else but pleasing clients. It is a deadly, unbreakable cycle that the gender norms of society has created and continues to breed.