Exploring the Universality of Feminine Subjugation

Abstract

History is witness to the fact that women have been the objects of suppression and subjugation in the world. This oppression has been institutionalized in nearly all the societies of the world. The end result of this process of institutionalization has been the absence of women from the corridors of power, her absence from the fields of knowledge production, her absence in the histories of their places. The objective of this paper is to analyze the near universality of this feminine absence in history. What are the factors that led to this situation and how did feminity end up being valued as ‘inferior’ in comparison to ‘masculine’ attributes. This led to her existence being limited and defined by her corporal self. The end result is that one half of the population of the world had to live a miserable life till feminism emerged on the scene. This paper also traces the emergence of feminism as a reaction to this universality of feminine subjugation. The methodology adopted has been textual and literary analysis.