Patriarchy In The Handmaid's Tale

Throughout history, men have always held power over women; physically, economically and socially. Although time has progressed, and women have made significant strides up the ladder, the patriarchal structure of our society still holds firm. The very basis of our culture was built on the oppression of minorities; women being one of many. Creating expectations on how they cover up, show off, and they are expected to behave, all play into the benefit of men. There has always been a discrepancy among the expectations of man and woman. Even with the freedom we have gained today, there is still an injustice to the gender. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is one literary example, that touches on a variety of topics all with one common similarity; using women to benefit men. The patriarchy’s ideology about females, even in today’s world, continue to hold them back. If our culture continues to think in such an oppressive way, Atwood’s idea of a dystopic Gilead future for America, could not be too far off. The U.S. legal system is one of the most oppressive powers that men still hold today. Every day, women are denied the justice they deserve. It was up until the late 1970’s that a majority of U.S. states “did not consider spousal rape a crime” (Girls …show more content…
Our culture could very well burgeon from equality, if only we give the opportunity to do so. Feminism and equality do not exclusively help out the women of our country, but its beneficial to men too. “It encouraged men to rethink outdated masculinity standards” (Plank 2014). The patriarchy has created a standard of living for everyone, not solely women. Giving us, as a country, more reason to break those boundaries. Nonetheless, men have consumed power for far too long. The answer to this, is not to switch roles, and fall into a matriarchal society, but there needs to be a common