Society has appropriated their bodies: as morality presses on women much more than on men
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women have been deprived of many privileges that were men and even their body often were for them prison.Throughout human history, society has established various forms of control over the female body – from dictating appropriate clothing to restriction of reproductive rights. This control is often due to the fact that women consider their bodily choice because of the prism of morality, which is less concerned with men. This discrepancy can shed light on more strict social judgments and rules faced by women about their body, writes Psypost.
Dr. Tekla Morgenrot, Associate Professor of the Department of Social Psychology of the University of Purdy, tried to understand the origins of these gender restrictions. “We observe numerous restrictions on the bodily autonomy of women around the world-much larger than men,” Morgeny said, “this applies to women unique for women, such as abortions, but even in actions concerning representatives of both sexes , there are differences. For example, for men topless on the beach is a common matter, and for women is unacceptable. ”
To study this phenomenon, scientists conducted two studies in the US. The first study was attended by 335 people who evaluated different types of behavior, some of which were related to the body (eg, tattooing, public appearance of topless) and others did not (such as clogging, delay). Participants evaluated the moral consequences of these actions in view of who performs them – a man or woman. as a moral problem when it is associated with women than with men. This pattern was maintained even after taking into account social acceptability, which indicates the clear moralization of the female body.
The second stage of the study was dedicated to public topless – a context in which the bodily autonomy of women is often limited, while men do not face similar problems. Researchers found that participants more often resorted to moral arguments in the evaluation of women's topless compared to the male. In addition, people with the highest level of friendly sexism – forms of prejudice that idealize women in traditional roles, were more likely to moralize the female body. the restrictions and judgments they face. Understanding this bias is crucial for solving the problem of unequal standards imposed on bodily autonomy, the authors believe. This study clearly shows the extent of the moral condemnation of the female body and makes it possible to understand the social mechanisms that consolidate gender inequality for bodily autonomy in different corners of the world.
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