Oppression: Sexual Violence and Marginalization of Today

According to Iris Marion Young, oppression is structural, and America is not ready to talk about it. In a traditional sense, oppression is defined as the political dictator preventing people from exercising their freedoms such as voting or protesting. It is also defined that oppression is the evil perpetrated by others. Young defined the oppression as people suffer from some inhibition of their ability to develop and exercise their capacities. Oppression is also defined as the people’s ability to express their thoughts, feelings, and needs because they are part of a group. The most important concept of oppression according to Iris is that she does not tend to mean it in an individual sense, but rather in the structural sense. For example, if a person says demeaning words to women, that individual will immediately judge as a sexist. In like manner, for Young, the important features of oppression are that it designates injustice to some groups because of the everyday practices of a well-intentioned liberal society. Iris also mentioned in the article that it is a common misconception that oppressions suffered in the past are no longer cause for concern today. Young divided the faces of oppression into five categories. Therefore, in this essay sexual harassment and the massive unemployment rate of refugees apply to violence and marginalization.

Violence is the most common and obvious form of oppression today. The oppression of violence as Young defines it in standard definition, it is an act of a person that commits against another who is causing physical harm. Young mentioned in the article that the members of some groups live with the knowledge that they must fear random, unprovoked attacks on their persons or property which is the result of damage, humiliate, or destroy the person. People in society do not have to experience physical acts to consider that they are under threat. Violence is systemic because it is aimed at the member of a group simply because they belong to that group.

Sexual harassment is an example for both men and women, which is still one of the major issues today. In several countries such as Turkey, Brazil, France, United States, Australia, China, Germany, and Japan has a greater percentage of women that are victimized of sexual harassment while Mexico, and United Kingdom has a greater percentage of men are being harassed. In the Majority of this issue, women are usually being harassed. There has been an annoyance over the behavior of women toward at work. According to a 2016 report from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, as many as 85% of women will experience sexual harassment throughout their careers, and women of color, immigrants, and low incomes are particularly vulnerable to workplace abuse. This is where #MeToo movement has made them more concerned for young women and sexual harassment or assault young men and false allegations of sexual harassment or assault. Sexual intercourse without consent, groping or fondling, masturbating in front or showing one’s genitals without their consent, watching someone in a private act without their permission, sexual intercourse with someone who is intoxicated by alcohol or drugs, and unpleasant verbal comments that are tantalizing.

Moreover, marginal is a group of people who cannot or will no use by the system of labor due to their race. However, it is not only by race; elderly who are fired because of their age; young Blacks and Latinos are striving to find their first job or second job; single mothers and their children; some people are unwillingly unemployed; physically and mentally disabled people; and American Indians. Because marginals are dependent on others or the system of welfare, the people pushed them to the margin of society.

Refugees from Syria who now reside in the United Kingdom are experiencing marginalization. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that they are 120,000 refugees in the United Kingdom, all permitted and have the right to work, but according to the studies the unemployment rate is at 18%, which is three times of United Kingdom-born population. UNHCR said that refugee’s job expectations are usually disrupted by their poor understanding of language and business practices. The highest percentage of refugees are depending on their social security in Austria. After they are granted by the nation of Austria, unemployed refugees can take their welfare support for an unlimited period. Insufficient knowledge of the country's language and lack of formal qualifications will lead to a high-risk factor for unemployment. Psychological symptoms reduce a refugee’s chances of finding a job due to posttraumatic stress and collectivist attitudes. Those mental issues wherein an article called injustice of marginality remains the form of uselessness, boredom, and lack of self-respect. Thus, collectivism mitigates the psychological consequences of being unemployed and decreases the readiness to find a job. The impediment of women among refugees, they are often denied access to the labor market, and their origin of higher education. Multiple women suffer from social isolation due to their traditional roles as mothers and housewives. As women isolating themselves from society, this issue also involves the lack of culture.

In conclusion, Iris Marion Young had made an amazing contribution to the study of oppression. It is cleared that oppression is the people who are suffering from self-consciousness, and their ability to express feelings and thoughts. Iris's idea clarifies the meaning of oppression to those people who may have had use it in the wrong way concerning the oppression of a country. The oppression today, which is the major issue is sexual violence and the marginals in Europe apply to Young’s structural. In this present day, offenders are usually men doing inappropriate gestures to women, and #MeToo movement has been helping and taking actions to speak up regarding harassment. As a result of terrorist attacks and war in different places of the Middle East, the people moved and became a refugee in Europe. Where they experience the hardship of employment due to the language barrier.