Songsoptok
INTERVIEW
Feminism & The Cult of Silence
SONGSOPTOK: Do you think that there
is a ‘cult of silence’ in the country and the society you live in, especially
for issues involving women’s position in society and their rights? If yes, then
what are the specific issues? Is it harmful? In what way?
ANA: In terms of legislation, it does not exist a “cult of
silence” in the society I live in. Romania has a legislative form of protecting
women in case of domestic abuse. Instead, inside the social environment, things
are totally different: in urban areas, women gained important professional
positions in the society and therefore, they changed their level of awareness inside
their families too, understanding that violence is an offence which must be
punished. Also, depending on the generation, we confront different mentalities
related to women power. Today`s youth understand better gender equality and
collaboration. Meanwhile, rural areas are confronting major gender issues and
the domestic violence is extremely high-leveled. Indifference and fear create a
vicious circle of violence and encouragement for the oppressor. The “cult of
silence” is very powerful here: women are being afraid and, because of
religious wrong advice, they tend to remain captive in this “system”. People
around the victim (neighbors/relatives/friends) are false advisors for the
victim, suggesting that it would be ashamed for the victim to make the whole
story public and that it is better to once more forgive the oppressor. The
major tragedy is that children grow up in a negative environment, becoming a
social danger themselves as adults.
SONGSOPTOK: Do you think that
there has always been a “cult of silence” in human societies regarding certain
issues? If yes, then for what reasons? Do you think that it is actually a good
thing to perpetuate such a practice? Please let us know why.
ANA: Yes, I believe that has always been a “cult of silence”
in every human society regarding women rights. The causes are the following:
-
religion –> the
woman is considered inferior to man;
-
collective thinking
-> which places women on an inferior level;
- business abilities
-> the limited access to certain job positions and entrepreneurship;
-
woman=wife and
mother only –> women limited social roles;
- educational
formation –> limited access because of the belief that women should only
stay at home and take care of the family members;
-
lack of education
for boys (!!!really important) – they should be taught from young age how to
stand for women rights and reconsider women social position/role, how to
protect and empower women;
- role-models ->
limited access because only men have the right to become models for their
children (fatherhood model);
- emotional and mental
capacities –> women are considered too emotional and less rational in
becoming leaders and business individuals;
-
lack of considerable
feminine movement;
Obviously, it is
not good to perpetuate such practices. Societies nowadays have changed the
perception over women social role: they have become more and more involved in
their communities: political leaders, entrepreneurs, role-models, scientists,
famous educators etc. Societies should run with both energies – masculine and
feminine – and create a balance, a harmony.
However, a woman is always working twice hard to reach a high social
position.
SONGSOPTOK: Is there a
feminist movement in your country? If yes, then what are the specific
objectives? In your opinion, is it necessary? If not, then what are the main
reasons for its absence?
ANA: In Romania we have certain NGOs and a Coalition that
fight for women rights but, in my opinion, their voices are not strong enough.
Therefore, I personally do not consider that there is a real feminist movement
in my country. Of course I believe it is necessary to exist one. I myself am
involved in certain creative activities that promote feminine voices (mostly in
my writing field initiatives). In terms
of legislations, there are some rules concerning the percentage of women inside
an institution, which is actually gender equality (50/50). The reality is that
the Romanian political scene is one of the most misogynistic in the European
Union, being on the second lowest place with 11, 5% women in the Parliament.
According to studies, Sweden, Finland and Belgium score between 40-45% women
leaders in their Parliament. At global level, my country is on the 133rd
place in the world, according to statistics, being surpassed by countries like
Egypt, Jordan or Turkey. In terms of reasons for women absence in the society,
I can agree with the ones mentioned above, plus the fact that women comply to
the absurdity of old ways of thinking.
SONGSOPTOK: What, in your
opinion, is the position of women in the country you live in? Do they have
equal rights in every domain as men? If not, then which are the main areas
where they receive unequal treatment?
ANA: As mentioned above, there are differences between the
urban and the rural areas, and the most common issues concerning women are
found in the countryside where most of the people lack education and are not
properly informed. From my experience with work in the rural areas, I know for
sure that it is quite difficult to determine women to get aware of their rights
and act accordingly. Not to mention that men do not want to hear that women have
a voice and a possibility of choice.
In terms of legislation, women have equal
rights in every domain. The hardest part is discrimination on the spot, meaning
that, as a woman, you may encounter difficulties for certain job applications
and salary (which may be lower). The most common fact is that a woman usually
works twice hard to climb the social scale. There are fields of activities run
by men – certain medical care, oil industry, car industry, politics – where,
although legislation do not restrict women access, there are barriers for women
imposed by the managers.
SONGSOPTOK: A ‘glass ceiling’
is a metaphor used to represent an invisible barrier that keeps women from
rising beyond a certain level in a hierarchy. Do you believe in this concept?
What is your personal experience in your personal and professional life? In the
country you live in are there glass ceilings in different professions?
ANA: Yes, I believe that this concept applies in the society
I live in, and it translates all the comments made above. Also, the “glass
ceiling” effect is sometimes applied for women-managers or women-mayors or in
any other political position, where men run as a majority in administrative and
executive boards. I personally
encountered misogynistic attitude when trying to join certain literary groups
that were mainly conducted by men. Along with gender discrimination, I also
faced discrimination against young generation, especially young women.
SONGSOPTOK: What is your
opinion about the feminist movement? Do you think it is necessary, both at a
global and a more local level? Why? In this context, what do you think are the
major achievements of the Feminist movement, if any?
ANA: I do believe that feminist
movements are necessary nowadays. Fortunately, at global level, I observe that
they exist and they are doing a great job, even in the countries where women
rights used to be totally banned. There are many countries where women earned
their rights to: free speech, abortion, vote, punishment for rape, quality education.
I remained positively shocked when finding out that in certain parts of Africa
boys are being educated in standing up for girls` rights; at the same time,
girls were taught how to physically fight against a possible oppressor. There
is a major positive shift in this matter and curriculas should definitely
include human and women rights as subjects in schools.
SONGSOPTOK: A recent study
(conducted by HuffPost/YouGov) concluded that only 20% of Americans identify as
feminists, even though a whopping 82% believe that "men and women should
be social, political, and economic equals.” Do you find this contradictory, and
if so, why? What, according to you, would be the result of a similar study in
the country you live in? For what reasons?
ANA: Interesting question to be addressed. Just a few days
ago, I encountered this topic during a literary event I initiated, about
feminist literature, where one participant (a woman) affirmed that, even though
she stands for equal rights, she is afraid to write on feminist topics, because
she would be considered a “feminist”. It came as a surprise for me, because I
have never thought that having a voice (as an artist, a journalists etc.) and
standing for women rights would automatically put you in a box and make you a
certain kind of fanatic. Having a voice in this term, does not actually mean
you become a men-hater as some may consider. I think that in most cases, people
are afraid to be put in a box from where the others would look at them
differently: “What would people say about me if they found out I`m a feminist?”
or “How would I look like if I stand for the feminist movements?” Actually,
between the two studies presented above, I agree that there is only a
difference in perception, engagement vs. neutrality, I act vs. I just
affirm. Personally, I stand for both because they should act together in
the spirit of common sense. You stand and act for a healthy society where men
and women are equals and live in harmony. As Trudeau (Canadian Prime Minister)
once said, the word “feminist” should not be having a controversial meaning,
instead it should be used as a normal concept both by men and women, with which
they can “describe themselves anytime they want”. In my country, I do not think
I have ever met more than 10 persons to be declared feminists. We usually do
not have extremist movements of any kind.
SONGSOPTOK: One of the main
areas of the feminist movement is sexual objectification of women almost all
across the globe, especially on media. What is the reality in the country you
live in and / or your country of origin? What is your opinion about this? Do
you think that there is a “cult of silence” around this issue? Why?
ANA: In my country, the reality is that sexual
objectification of women really happen, especially on media. There is a cult on
women TV appearance in shows and news, where most of them wear certain kind of
clothes for drawing attention and…money. I find them extremely ridiculous,
especially when talking about news where the important aspect would be the
information and less the sexuality transmitted by the presenter. Also, most of
TV presenters are women, again used for commercial and financial matters.
Relating this topic to the “cult of silence”, there is no point in even mention
it, because people usually agree that women appearance on TV should be exactly
as it is. At the collective thinking level, Romanians mostly appreciate women
to be obscene in their style, because they wrongly find beauty and feminism in
this look. Talking about media, it is worth mentioning that there is a number
of women working in journalism for investigation. Sometimes (depending on the
topic), these women are being harassed for their work, because they bring to
light some aspects of the economic, political and business life.
SONGSOPTOK: Finally,
according to you, to what extent is feminism relevant in today’s society?
ANA: In today`s society, feminism is
more than relevant. After decades of disregarding women, it`s high time we give
them the dignity and respect deserved. Woman empowerment is more than necessary
in societies where we still face war, hunger, abuse and lack of education. I
believe that societies run equally by men and women, would not be subject to
war and decay. War is a consequence of manhood desire for power, where this
power is gained by destruction. This is why, I do not believe that women rights
issue concern ONLY women, but they definitely concern men, because they
challenge their beliefs and usual way of relating to womanhood. We ought to
follow our great feminine voices in history like Nina Simone, Rosa Parks, Maya
Angelou and others, who loudly spoke about women and their real social role. We
ought to follow great contemporary leaders, men who have finally understood
that women have a meaningful social voice.
My name is Ana-Lucretia Nedelcu
(pen name LiterAnART) and I am from Romania. I have been writing for ten years and I have widely
published in my country and abroad, having multiple international
collaborations. I am a writer, poetess, journalist, researcher, book editor and
translator. I also teach creative writing workshops and represent the World
Poetry Canada association in my country. Together with the association, I am
about to publish this year the “Creative writing 10”- a series of
workshops dedicated to literary and journalistic creation and implemented in my
country in 2016. My writings include topics as human rights, women rights,
environmental issues, peace, activism and artivism.
We sincerely thank you
for your time and hope to have your continued support.
Aparajita Sen
(EDITOR)
Songsoptok
0 Comments
