In Iris Marion Young's "Five Faces of Oppression" she outlines what she believes are the five aspects that can qualify a social group as being oppressed; exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism, and violence. She also argues that oppression in contemporary terms is a condition of a social group and not just a one-way relationship between oppressed and oppressor as it has traditionally been studied in history. Oppression can also be, and is often systematic and unintentional, making it even harder to recognize and dismantle at times. Under this classification, "women" would constitute and oppressed social group.
In Catherine MacKinnon's "Difference and Dominance: On Sex Discrimination" she explores how women have been marginalized and constructed as the deviant male counterpart. Her example about medical textbooks and education points out how women's bodies have often only been studied as a second thought, after the neutral and standard male body. This type of marginalization is also linked to "violence" as a face of oppression that Young lists because as women's bodies have not been afforded the same time and resources as male bodies, various diseases, medications, and conditions have not received as much necessary research and attention and as a result women have been handed the short end of the medical stick, a violent act that has no doubt affected the lives of many many women.
Women are also exploited in the current economic system because they are excluded from certain job opportunities because of their parental status or the potentiality of that status. What the current economic system does not take into account is the reproductive labor that mother's do by having, and in many circumstances caring for, children that grow into adults and continue the labor force that drives the economy. This puts women in a powerless position to be exploited by employers and the overall economic system as a whole.
Kelsey, I really liked your focus on the body in this post. There is so much packed into both readings that I think focusing on a particular point that resonated with each was a smart move. Following the way the female body has been portrayed over time exemplifies the Young's faces of oppression and becomes a good symbol for trying to understand the texts.
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