Oppression: Marilyn Frye

Marilyn Frye discusses how the term oppression applies to women and refutes some popular claims for why women are not oppressed. I really enjoyed her discussion of why men opening doors for women is not a favor but is actually a form of oppression. I, like many women, tend to perceive men opening doors for women to be a polite and, in today’s society, even chivalrous deed. Although I would never want someone to believe that I could not open a door for myself, I generally take the deed in a positive manner. However, Frye explains the phenomenon in a different way. She says that, because men do not help women in situations where they actually need it, and because the act of opening the door is not determines by practicality but are a symbolic gesture that belittles women by casting them as incapacitated. Although I can see Frye’s point and I especially agree that it is curious how men rarely (although, I would argue, certainly not always), fail to help women when they actually need it, I am somewhat skeptical of her argument. I did a couple of internet searches to explore some other points of view and it became clear that while some individuals perceive chivalrous acts as sexist, others see them as a sign of respect for women. Although I, as a feminist, agree with many aspects of Frye’s argument, I also think that one could easily make a convincing argument of how opening doors for women and other such actions amounts to respect. After all, if women are so busy constantly cleaning up after men in the home, it only seems right that men should sometimes do something for women!