Girl: Gender Discrimination and Inequality
Gender discrimination and inequality starts from the time when a baby is born. Gender equality can be achieved when everyone enjoys same kind of reward, regardless whether they are men or women. Although, men and women enjoying the same rewards would be an ideal situation, but that is not the case in the real world. Jamaica Kincaid, Antiguan-American novelist with significant role in the modern literature. This was her first piece of fiction published in 1978. Girl by Kincaid provides the glimpse of the relationship between a mother and daughter. The story represents the youth of Kincaid who grew up in a strict environment with advices from mother about the domestic pleasures and certain ways the women should act. She wanted her daughter to understand that women's place is in the house. "Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap."(Kincaid 320) The mother telling the daughter the way to do household chores. This gender based discrimination and inequality encloses upon the young girl's dreams and imagination into the rules of womanhood.
Gender discrimination continued exists between both men and women. But gender has been used as a weapon for discrimination against women. This gender differentiation starts early in a girl's life and the exclusion for women continues throughout her womanhood. Still the constant thoughts in the people of this leads to false beliefs that women are not as good as men, and they are needed to sit home and do household works, stay away from the outside world. Kincaid's short story "Girl" strongly suggest that women's role in life is to be domesticated. There's no introduction, no character description or a conclusion. All there's a list of instructions, who is assumed to by a mother, worried about her daughter turning in to a woman. The mother giving her daughter instructions and preparing her to be a perfect women. The mother is the main voice throughout the story. She is telling her daughter the ways to do things by herself. " this is how you sweep a corner; this is how you sweep the whole house; this is how you sweep a yard"(Kincaid, 320). The mother is showing her preadolescent girl how to sweep your corners, house and yard. The mother consider women is the only one that should do all kind of jobs in her house. Her mother wanted her to be prepared to accept the womanhood in this way. This unequal treatment because of gender by her protagonist mother is affecting the her physically and mentally, disabling her from the enjoyment of the her childhood days world outside and is also turn an aversion of fear towards the society: women should not be discriminated because she was born as a girl.
Eliminating discrimination against women will not come into existence if we people are not ready to change our thoughts about women being stuck inside home. "The struggle for gender equality cannot end with the Constitution "(Ngaba 81). The Convection on the eliminating of all forms of discrimination against women(CEDAW) made rights that are internationally acceptable, against discrimination of women. But these constitutional rights will be said to be meaningless and useless. The article also talked about how this creates disadvantaged position of women in societies. Relating to the story of Kincaid, "Girl", the mother is telling her daughter from what to eat and to not be a slut. She's telling her all this because of she is a girl. And she want her daughter to realize that she's not a boy and she have to behave certain ways to earn respect. The mother in the story seems to be grew up in a conservative and patriarchy family. And now she's passing her old ways of culture and rules to her own daughter, so she will be respected by society. The girl in the story says little things. There are only two lines in the whole story where the girl talks, to defending herself from her mother's accusations. " Is it true that you sing benna in Sunday school?", "Don't sing benna in Sunday school;" she replied: "But I don't sing benna on Sunday at all and never in Sunday school"(Kincaid 320) Benna which is a genre of Antiguan and it's a symbol of feminism, so her mother was scared of what if her daughter developed a talent in singing and indirect her from her domesticated works that woman have to do? The girl is defending herself from what mom said. Throughout the story there is no sign of mother talking to her girl about her studies or career because she disagrees with the fact that women can go out work. Even though she wasn't actually singing in Sunday school. Mother totally restricted her from doing anything other than the household works.
Males and females roles in all culture are distinct. Inequality towards gender grows with a girl, throughout her adulthood. The difference in wage, i.e. a women only earns one-fourth wage of the men in similar work position. The stereotypes that women is not strong and capable as men, is wrong. And women are not supposed to kept away from outside world. "The Literature on gender inequalities in education often treats all accepts of education as disadvantaging women."( Buchmann et al. 320) the article provide information's regarding the gender inequalities in the platform of education from early childhood to adulthood. The study was conducted and found out that the boys tend to score slightly higher than that of girls performances. This was an example of how girls are given a chance to prove themselves that they can be as higher to equal to men. Same thing the study is done at work places where the women are tend to be less slightly below the men's performance. The study showed that the advantage of growing the women learning skills and capabilities made big achievements. In the "Girl", Kincaid was forced to accept the womanhood at her preadolescent and her mother giving instructions of how to behave, homeless boys are referred to wharf rats, and she shouldn't smile at them, and she is also referring her daughter becoming as a slut in many ways. The mother wanted the girl to believe that women were needed at home. And she wanted her to understand that women were needed to be submissive to their own husband and women tend to have lower status in society than men. Her misconception of men as a wage-earner and women as home maker. "this is how you iron your father's khaki shirt that it doesn't have a crease;" the mother wanted her to serve her life for her own husband and for her children. Mother also warned her daughter not play like boy. "Don't squat down to play marbles- you are not a boy."(Kincaid 321) she is basically telling to stay away from those because of her gender. And stating another view that boys are allowed to do things but girls aren't allowed. "On Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like a slut you are so bent on becoming"(Kincaid 320). The mother here is giving her daughter a bad image of how women is, by the way she walk or by the presence of a men that she don't know. She is assuming that her daughter will be a slut one day and warning her that she is against it. This doesn't seem like a good way to talk to a girl who is not even have reached her age of adolescent. She is also trying to frame her daughters mind to stay away from the outside world. The role of women taking care of her house and her family, this the way for a women to be accepted by their community. This difference in treating women create gender based inequalities.
Gender stereotypes are still alive today, but are getting better. The discrimination and inequality towards woman, kept them from expressing their talents and views in general. Even though there are improvements, women are still mistreated in work place, in family, and also forced to stay home. Jamaica Kincaid short story "Girl" is an prefect example for us to know how society treats women by their unfair and unequal judgement based on gender.
Kincaid's "Girl" was her own life growing up as a child and the being judged by her own mother in different ways, e.g. becoming a slut or unintentional sexual undertone . The structure and tone of the story reforms the idea of women being inferior to men. And strongly suggest that women should act in certain way and should be domesticated. This differentiation towards women should be changed, and they are need to be treated equally in society.