Women, Culture, and Voice: How The Narrative Change Begins

Women are coming into a new generation of voice in this age of social media, and change can be scary - but the old patterns of expectation are still strong. There is a deeply complex and unconscious idea that old beliefs and traditions are not only acceptable but necessary, to everyone. While social media has connected us in immediate ways of communication never before seen in the history of known mankind, it has also bolstered and empowered the unempowering and inequitable ways of the past. 

As women:

We are still expected to apologize for everything we (and others) think we do wrong.

We are still assumed to do most of the parental and household tasks, along with our "hobby" work outside the house.

We are still treated as sexual objects and our bodies and the judgment of them belongs to others.

We are still condemned for speaking up in public, as though raising our voice is an affront to those around us.

For all that America is a nation of rebels and many women - and men - do actively work to help change the narrative, women are still caged in puritanical and patriarchal roots in many ways. Changing this narrative is especially difficult for those with racial and social differences for both obvious, and unconscious reasons, rooted deep within the Western "tradition" of chattel economies - and using people as a cheap resource for both labor and recreation. 

One factor in this is the concept that freedom from direct enslavement automatically grants others autonomy and rights. Yet, social castigation and judgment can not only keep others enslaved on a public level, but it also reveals levels of social and potentially epigenetic* abuse and a long-standing "understanding" that American society has of what is "decent" and "proper". These concepts allow people to openly condemn others for acts which they deem impolite or an affront to their own sense of security. Being denied correct reciprocity in a business transaction, receiving a lack of empathy or compassion from family, or accusations of deceptive reports of physical and mental well-being are common in our culture - but age, gender, and social class create the hierarchy against which public opinion is measured. While this is not an absolute of gender and age, the numbers of those who are believed to be just and true in living an authentic life and being socially acceptable in their ability to confront things they believe to be wrong is unbalanced and biased.

Another factor is that social and consumer media editorializes, spins, and judges each and every image, statement, and action of our entire society. While no one is necessarily excused from this process, it also bleeds into our daily lives offline. We process and evaluate trillions of data points each day through our modern technological lenses, to be sorted out and exposed through our communication with others. No longer simply a water cooler meeting between co-workers on break, we are able to instantaneously photograph and comment on the world around us - usually without thinking too hard about how that world is shaping us, and our opinions and comments.

Becoming aware of how our past and present shapes our views and actions is an important step in changing the narrative of how each and every one of us is treated, and treats others, in our future. While our past and present can be neither positive or negative when we view them analytically - they are what shapes how we act and react to others and situations around us. Unconsciously moving in the world creates problems as we tend to replay and recommit acts against others that we'd consciously condemn or rebuke, and continue a cycle of inequity and enslavement of others without understanding how or why we're abusing them of their humanity.

Learning how to become a change warrior and an active participant in the experience of freedom which our country holds so dearly is a process, but requires a commitment to living a more actively aware and analytical life. Being mindful of the pieces of our DNA and upbringing that cause us to judge others, create action, and of the lenses we wear when we look at the world can become the new platform from which we can all see more empathy, compassion, equity, and hope - for all. Not just for women, but for everyone.

<3, Jonni Khat Santschi

* Epigenetics is the study of inheritable traits through our DNA, which we believe extends not only to physical traits but also to memory and consciousness. For more reading, check out the following links:

What is Epigenetics

A Simplified Explanation of Epigenetics

Epigenetics, The Study of Change

Video: Epigenetics (Funny, but informative from SciShow)

Video: Epigenetic Ancestral Ghosts in Your DNA (Michael Skinner, Biologist)