Media Screening

            Traditional gender roles have long been a part of standard American and European cultures. These gender roles often favor men over women. What is more surprising, though, is that similar concepts of men over women exist across the globe, in various cultures. From the military of the United States to general society in China and India, women continue to be treated as the lesser gender, dismissing their worth and objectifying them.

            The movie The Invisible War describes the belittlement, sexual harassment, and objectification of women in United State military. The movie focuses on the numerous instances of rape, sexual harassment, and abuse of power that occurs in the military. Often, when these cases are reported, the victims are told to “suck it up” or are simply laughed at. Investigations into the reports are often shallow, and fail to produce any meaningful results. Women are often preyed upon since the traditional gender roles indicate that women are weaker, and thus more vulnerable. The vast amount of sexual harassment of women shows that the, generally male, culprits view women as people to be dominated and view them as people that are lesser than themselves. Even in the military, where the soldiers need to work well together to defend the country, women are still looked down on by their male counterparts.

            The movie It’s a Girl details an outright favoritism of sons over daughters, implying that a female child is not worth as much as a male child. In India, where a large dowry from the wife’s family is considered a necessity for a marriage, a daughter is often viewed as a liability. If a daughter gets married, the family will lose money due to the dowry, whereas if a son gets married, the family will gain wealth. In India, as well as in China, the son carries on the family name and works to provide for the family, while a daughter will just be given to another family through marriage. This system leads families to favor sons over daughters, and is especially strong in China where only one child is permitted. The tradition of giving a dowry in India and the one child policy of China have spawned this powerful preference of having a son over having a daughter. The cultures in these two countries essentially view children as commodities, and have placed a lesser value on girls. Not only does this objectify children in general, but it diminishes a woman’s worth.

            Although the environments in China, India, and the United States military are all very different, the devaluing and objectification of women is present in all of them. This goes to show the similarities that have developed in different countries due to the traditional gender roles. Many cultures around the world view women as lesser, which leads to the objectification of women and reduces women's own senses of self-worth.