Patriarchal Pressures on Women's Freedom, Sexuality, Reproductive Health & Women's Co-optation into Their Own Subjugation

Starting from the conceptualizations of patriarchal power, the present paper explores the destructive control of girls and women under classic patriarchies. Examples include female infanticide, Chinese foot-binding, dowry and bride-price systems, forced virginity tests, genital mutilation, honour killings and sati. Despite the myriad of its manifestations, it is argued that the uniting ingredient in all patriarchies is the obsessive control over women's freedom, sexuality and reproduction. What is also noteworthy is that patriarchal systems often co-opt women, especially older women, to become enforcers of the rules that bind younger women and girls. Borrowing Kandiyoti's term (1988), the co-optation is perceived as a “patriarchal bargain. ” The paper ends by suggesting changes at the international, national, regional and local levels. It is argued that to end the patriarchal choke on women's lives, a human rights approach which binds the signatory states is very helpful but not enough. Simultaneously, both women's and men's expectations, behaviour and standard of life ought to be addressed. Social scientists often define 'power as the ability to assert one's own will on others, regardless of the will of the others (Crosbie, 1975; Homans, 1974). This definition of power emphasizes the relational aspect of th