It's On Us: Eliminating the Dichotomy

“An Iranian woman convicted of murder -- in a killing that human rights groups called self-defense against a rapist -- was hanged Saturday” (Sanchez, 2014). How is it that a single woman’s story became so well known throughout the world and a heated topic especially amongst US news sources? Because this case and the final sentence have generated discussions about gender inequalities that women around the world can relate to. The death of Reyhaneh Jabbari signifies the ultimate price a woman can pay for gender inequalities and it has gotten people talking.

According to Islamic law, which is the law that governs the theocratic country of Iran, rape can only be proven if the rapist confesses or if there are four male witnesses (Religion of Peace). The Qur’an also establishes that a woman’s testimony is worth half that of a man’s in court as to avoid any “he said/she said” gridlocks (Religion of Peace). It is due to laws like these that women are given such little power in regards to something so personal as their sexuality. Women are given very little power in a court of law generally speaking. But the law goes on to give men more power in regards to the sexuality of women by being able to decide for them what constitutes something as serious as rape. This case in particular demonstrates one of Kim’s heterosexual scripts in which men are given the power to decide how women will be judged in regards to their sexual conduct (Kim, 2007).  It is just one example of many cases in which heterosexual couples behave in ways that sustain power inequalities (Kim, 2007). Although we have not discussed religion or race extensively in this class, this case exemplifies some of the dichotomies we have examined between men and women. This reinforcement of gender inequalities is arguably something that transcends national boundaries, cultures and religions.

Sexual assault and gender inequalities are topics that hit close to home all around the world and even specifically on University of Michigan’s campus. Not too long ago, a Michigan Daily article was published discussing the “It’s On Us” campaign to address the problem of sexual assault on college campuses. The author, who is a female sexual assault survivor, addresses what she feels to be a problematic distribution of power amongst men and women on this campus specifically in regards to how Michigan’s central student government is responding to the issue of sexual assault on campus. She expressed her disdain for this power dichotomy when she says that the It’s On Us campaign at UofM has meant, “A small group of elite white men with no clue what sexual assault is…have tasked themselves with single handedly stopping rape on campus from happening” (Palle, 2014). It is evident that women across the globe feel as though they are being cheated out of their right and power to speak out in regards to their own sexuality. Rape and assault, both very personal subjects, are being discussed in a seemingly one-sided manner that favors the voice of men and not women and this power distribution is problematic.

 However problematic they may be, I think the power of media to spread counter-narratives holds promise for the future. Not to sounds too cliché but the very fact that one woman’s story from Iran became so widespread that people all over the world spoke out challenging her sentence, is promising in and of itself. And the fact that articles, like the one featured in The Daily, are making an effort to challenge these heterosexual scripts and power dichotomies that we adhere to, is a sign of progress and hope for a more equal balance of power between genders and diverse voices.

Reference 

        "Islam: What Must a Woman Do to Prove Rape?" TheReligionofPeace - Islam: What Must a Woman Do              to Prove Rape? N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.

Kim, J. L., Sorsoli, C. L., Collins, K., Zylbergold, B. A., Schooler, D., & Tolman, D. L. (2007). From sex to sexuality: Exposing heterosexual script on primetime network television. Journal of Sex Research, 44 (2), 145-157.

Palle, S. (2014, October 8). Viewpoint: Horrible leadership at the Univresity, starring Dishell and Schlissel – A hilariously painful tragicomedy in four parts. The Michigan Daily.

Sanchez, R. (2014, October 25). Iran executes woman who killed her alleged rapist. CNN World.