You must don skirts. You must learn how to cook. You must please the men in your life. You must clean the house. You must get married. You must have children. Well, you (those who feed off the patriarchy) ... must get off women's backs.
Being a woman anywhere in the world comes with a set of challenges, and in the Arab world, those obstacles are countless. The patriarchy has led people to believe gender-roles are a real thing. In 2017, a report revealed two-thirds of men (who took part in a survey) believe a woman's main role should be taking care of the household. Were we sweeping dust and whisking eggs inside our mother's womb without our knowledge? Since when is cooking/cleaning a skill embedded in one's DNA?
These gender-role stereotypes haven't gone anywhere. If they're still around in 2019, when will they ever vanish into thin air?
The nauseating definitions of what it means to be a woman are being reinforced quite heavily just ahead of Mother's Day (which falls on Mar. 21) in Lebanon. Sexist advertisements promoting gifts for mothers have been forcefully making their way onto our Facebook feeds. I would encourage everyone to just report the adverts as spam because they're spreading unwanted messages.
The generalization that ALL moms LOVE to cook. No. No. No.
A toaster? Will mom put it in her bedroom along with her personal belongings?
A pan? Please go away.
"Will make every mom's life easier" ... UMM not dealing with such expectations will make life easier.
A washer? A fridge? How are these even mom-related?
Imagine gifting your mother a water-cooler. No, thanks.
Just Stop. Stop. Stop.
