What if I want to fly: How can we continue to work against patriarchy?
The Netflix series, Bridgerton, has received a lot of attention since its debut in December 2020. Bridgerton is based on a series of romance novels by Julia Quinn. The story takes place during early 19th century London in the midst of high society with Lords and Ladies, Dukes and Duchesses. Apart from the romance, humor, and entertaining fictional glimpse into the high society of the Regency Era, the show brings subtle attention to issues of gender and patriarchy.
“Why must our options be to squawk and settle or never leave the nest. What if I want to fly?”
The show takes place during a time in which women have little to no rights and their choices are at the mercy of men. It is a time of dowries and duels for the sake of honor. It is a time when women within high society are born and raised to marry well and produce a male heir. However, the show portrays strong women who are clearly aware of this inequity and open to share their frustrations.
“You have no idea what it is to be a woman. What it might feel like to have one’s entire life reduced to a single moment. This is all I have been raised for. This is all I am. I have no other value. If I am unable to find a husband, I should be worthless.”
Clearly during this time, patriarchy and the laws of coverture were in place in the United Kingdom and similarly in place in the United States. Coverture allowed men to have control and power over women as rights under the law (Blackstone, 1765). In other words, women were the possessions of men. Although the intentions of these laws were viewed as a way for men to protect their wives and daughters, these laws took away the rights of women. The implications of coverture created a power dynamic and belief that women were in need of protection and could not lead or take care of business outside of the home.
“You think that just because I am a woman, I am incapable of making my own choices.”
In the U.S., it was not until the early 20th century that these coverture laws were changed. Women gained the right to vote in 1920, however, the early women’s suffrage did not provide rights for all women to vote. It was not until 1965 that the Voting Rights Act prohibited racial discrimination (Congressional Digest, 2018).
While a lot has changed since the early part of U.S. history, the foundation on which our country and laws were built upon continues to have a strong influence on women and leadership today (DeFrank-Cole & Tan, 2021). We see this impact, especially, on how women are perceived and the struggles that they have had to endure. Access to certain privileges, such as education and finances, that women are now afforded took a long time to materialize.
Gender Inequity Continues Today
Unfortunately, gender inequity continues. Despite the fact that more women graduate from college and receive higher educational degrees than men (Johnson, 2016) and make up nearly 50% of the workforce (U.S., Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019), women face barriers as they strive for leadership. Although women now have greater access to education and other opportunities, there is still something amiss. There is still plenty of work in our journey toward equity.
The challenges for women of color are even more pronounced. Latinx and Asian women make up a larger percent of the labor force, yet are less represented in leadership and experience a larger pay gap along with other women of color (Catalyst, 2020).
Today, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the U.S. still has not passed. Proposed back in 1923, it was not fully ratified until 2020. It was ratified 38 years past the deadline and now we wait to see whether the U.S. Congress will pass it and remove the ratification deadline (Moyler, 2020).
Laws and public policies have slowly made change toward gender equity. Without many of those movements, we would not see the number of women leaders that we see today. It is a far cry from the time of Bridgerton, but we have not reached parity yet. Clearly, gender equity has not been achieved. There is still work to be done.
What can we do? Educate. Advocate. Vote.
Educate yourself and others about gender equity. Issues of gender are not only women’s issues. Gender equity benefits all genders.
Advocate for public policies that are focused on gender equity. For example, write Congress to support public policies that prohibit gender discrimination and support paid family leave.
Vote and encourage women to run for public office. We need more women to be represented in position of elected office. We need women and men to support gender equity issues and policies.
References
Blackstone, W. (1765). Commentaries on the Laws of England: Book the First. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Catalyst. (2020). Women of Color in the United States: Quick take. Retrieved from https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-of-color-in-the-united-states/
Congressional Digest. (2018). Voting rights overview: Disenfranchisement and legislative remedies. Retrieved https://www.justice.gov/crt/history-federal-voting-rights-laws
DeFrank-Cole, L., & Tan, S. J. (2021). Women and Leadership: Journey Toward Equity. Thousand, Oaks, CA: SAGE Publishers.
Johnson, H. L. (2016). Pipelines, Pathways, and Institutional Leadership: An Update on the Status of Women in Higher Education. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.
Moyler, H. (2020, January 15). What you need to know about the equal rights amendment now that it has passed the Virginia legislature. Newsweek. Retrieved from https://www.newsweek.com/what-you-need-know-about-equal-rights-amendment-now-that-it-has-passed-virginia-legislature-1482417
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2019). Employment Projections“ Table 3.1 Civilian Labor Force by Age, Sex, Race, and Ethnicity, 1998, 2008, 2018, and Projected 2028,” Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/civilian-labor-force-summary.htm
