Ocampo, Justin Philip N.

11537132 Dr. Tondo

Essay on Ortner

In her essay, Ortner describes how humans have always and without exception, made
women subordinate to men. In every culture accessible, she notes that the female or female role
will always be lesser to males. She reasons that women are put closer to nature because of their
association or jobs that put them in domestic places and to child nurturing, which in retrospect is
true, especially for the model of thinking that the early Americans have created. She simply puts
that men are put in a higher status because of their sex and abilities. Although we may have
exceptions to it as to teaching such as in China, the case and reality is, women are still treated as
the lesser.

Is it still applicable to our culture today? Most certainly. This is not an idea that will
never be unapplicable to us. Sad to say that even now, even when women are placed in
situations women have never been before, we still close-mindedly put women in the categories
that never fails to be lesser. History has taught us and what we have repeated our mistakes many
times.

Even in the Philippine politics, only two women have managed to become president.
Cory Aquino as a president was a relief. Imagine, the first housewife to be a president. We may
at that point regarded the women to be of high status, but we were in fact blinded. Cory was
romanticized by the media as salvation to the Filipinos. It should be I guess LIBERATION of the
Filipinos. But in totality, several mistakes still ensued in her presidency. Filipinos of recent need
not reminding of what Gloria has done to our country and what she left behind for us to either
solve or contemplate. Even in politics, I am sad to say that though we may be able to put women
in higher status, we always say that women have done well. Not that other presidents have done
a good job. The point of this paragraph is to say that even if we jump to this situation, this sadly
cannot be the proof of women being given higher status (in the way Ortner thinks). This sadly
can give more to the idea that supports Ortner’s essay.

People have been blinded. The saying “It’s a man’s world” cannot be more true today
than yesterday. We may have allowed women to be in the games that men usually play. But are
women really regarded as equals to men? Are they really finally saying that women has a new
place in the world? Or are they just seeing women in new places an oddity to look at? This may
be harsh but I believe that this is a reality that still exists. Things have not changed that much in
the hearts of many. Will it ever?

I respect women and in awe of what they can do, since I am the only male in the family besides
the family driver. But I try to point out harsh realities. Change eludes even the most sincere
man. Ortner somehow shows a fatalistic point of view. A bit also on her other essays. But I am
not disregarding the fact that people have changed and have seen women as either equals or even
superior. Just a note.