Feminist Peace Network

Sonali Kolhatkar has a very well thought out analysis of what “liberation” means in the context of Afghani women’s lives.  She writes,

“Women’s liberation is a concept that has become widely touted though rarely applied. Men have promised us liberation to justify war, capitalist exploitation, and other forms of degradation. Instead of liberation, we have been delivered oppression. It is past time for women-led movements to reclaim the concept of liberation and continue the on-going struggle for women’s rights.”

With that definition, she goes on to talk about the reality of what has happened to women in Afghanistan and also talks about the silencing of women’s voices,

“Finally, women need the power to influence public opinion in order to liberate themselves. In my years as a journalist, the one thing that strikes me constantly is the shocking dearth of women’s voices in the media. The media is an extremely powerful force that influences all of us, from the way we dress, to the music we listen to, to the political opinions we have. If the media was not so important, corporations would not hire expensive public relations firms to push products that we do not need. The US military would not hire public relations firms to sell war and other destructive policies to the public.

Among the plethora of voices we hear on the airwaves and see in newspapers, how often to we hear women’s voices and read women’s words? Look in any major newspaper today such as the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, etc, and count the number of women op-ed writers versus men. Or count the number of women experts interviewed on NPR versus men. You will find a disparity that exposes a deep bias against women and toward men.

Of course there are plenty of women’s bodies in the media - usually headless ones, or bodies with heads that all look alike. Just look at any magazine rack and you’ll notice that both women’s and men’s magazines flaunt near-naked bodies of women. But what does that tell the public? It tells us that women’s bodies are available for men to consume, and that other women better follow along and make themselves available as well.

If women are shut out of the media, women’s liberation does not become a public priority. Just as we fight for the power over our bodies and minds, we must fight for the right to speak to the public.”

It’s a long essay but a worthy read, Kolhatkar’s is one woman’s voice that we really need to hear.

Filed under: Uncategorized, Sheroes, Commentary