Agen[she]

The traditional/historic role of a woman in many societies (think: "the second sex") has often been solely conceptualized as that of a victim. Even the most progressive people I know only ever speak to the ways in which women have been unfairly treated in the home and the workplace both within and without marriage. I certainly don't wish to discount the various ways in which women were and still are victims (along with--and to a greater extent--many other gender identities). Instead, I'm trying to establish that we often take on deficit views of these, indeed marginalized, groups. It is almost a sense of pity that we feel perhaps partly because we are clouded by our discontent that is understandably roused by the injustice.

For me, these (albeit unintentional) condescending perspectives are not far removed from the very ones that oppress women to begin with. Many have discussed the ways in which women fought back--in fact, much is recorded on the stories of countless women who were responsible for revolutionary changes of a global magnitude (think: Wangari Maathai). Still, there are too few conversations about the ways in which women's strength to endure (and not just to fight back) is critically analyzed as an exercise of power in and of itself. I worry that in not having these conversations, we are instead conflating agency and resistance.

Can agency, instead, manifest itself as tolerance?

While some research has explored the trauma that stays with women from societies that box us into these traditional roles, not enough explores how we also possess power and creatively exploit it. This capacity may not rectify the circumstances of the oppressed but an appreciation of it allows society to move away from deficit perceptions of women who, in actuality, wield much power.

The resilience to endure oppression should not be used to excuse oppressive social or cultural practices but it should be appreciated as agency. As such, the contributions of women to society should not only be measured by the success of those who resisted but also those that found another way to fight.


"There are two ways to spread light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." -Edith Wharton