8 of the most misogynistic rules and laws women have encountered

WHEN many of us hear the word misogyny we think of overt or obvious Trump-like expressions that show a dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women. But what we don’t hear about often enough are those laws and rules that govern our daily affairs that are, in fact, misogynistic, but we never pause to reflect on how truly troublesome they are.

We asked women: What’s the most misogynistic rule, law, or experience you’ve encountered as a woman?

Anthea, 30:

It happened when my father died and we read his will — all the good assets had gone to the sons, and the daughters got raw cash, and not much else. It was so typical of the old bugger — we were to inherit less than our brothers because there was the assumption that our husbands would provide for us. My brothers got land and access to real estate and stocks that they could use to build generational wealth, while us three girls got enough money to probably take us to the salon a few times, no cap.

Keidra, 38:

Nowhere are the rules more prejudiced towards women than in the court — I remember applying for custody of my daughter and everyone being generally dismissive because it appeared that I was a single mom going against my wealthier, married ex. On one occasion, my husband, who’s in the army, accompanied me, and everybody’s mood shifted. Suddenly it was Mrs this and that, and respect was suddenly granted because I now appeared to be an honourable woman.

Kim, 40:

My daughter wants to be an architect or a civil engineer, and is doing CSEC [Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate] a year from now. I had to pay for outside tutelage for industrial technology and technical drawing because her very fancy traditional school doesn’t offer them because she’s a girl. It’s madness — like they don’t believe that girls will aspire to these careers too. And to make matters worse, everyone she talks to about her career path tries to steer her into a more “appropriate” direction for a woman, much to her frustration.

Neveda, 43:

I was living in this Caribbean country, I won’t say where, but a native woman could not pass on citizenship to her children born there if her husband was a foreigner. It was crazy. While the reverse could be done quite easily, the woman would have to go to court to get these rights for her children. There are many countries that make life so, so hard for women for no reason.

Timoya, 24:

You want to know the most bothersome rule in Jamaican medicine? A married woman cannot get her tubes tied without her husband’s permission. Yes, in 2022, the husband has to sign a consent form, like he owns her womb. We’re still treated as chattel, and there’s nothing we can do about it.

Jody-Ann, 44:

My daughter got pregnant at 15 and had her baby in the summer before she was to enter grade 11. I didn’t have to tell the school, but I thought it was the right thing to do. She was kicked out of school, while the boy, who also attended the same school, was allowed to continue. That’s the most sexist thing ever — having her being punished for a “crime” that two people committed, even though no one at the school had seen her with a belly. So we had to navigate the Women’s Centre and placement in another institution, while I pushed her to complete her schooling, even while her old school treated her like a pariah and made even the simplest thing — like getting her past reports — difficult.

Laura, 27:

The fact that up to two years ago we were still debating whether to change a law that would allow spouses to be charged for raping their partners. The law has long held that rape could not be committed in a marriage, and many women have suffered with this — having their husbands violate them with no support from their families, communities, or the State.

Anna-Kay, 38:

My company, and many others I’d imagine, does not allow equal pay for work of equal value. There’s the boys’ club, and then there are the rest of us women who must take what we get. I wish there were rules against this, but we all know that rules are for the stupid.