assets such as homes and land may be very asymmetrically shared.” In other words, men will get more inheritance because society think that men able to
handle and manage the property better than women. Therefore, it is clear that women do not have equal rights to own assets and property possessed by their
family and it makes women suffering not only in economics but also in social life. In short, women discrimination in patriarchal society that occurs in the form of
marginalization excludes women to participate in any activities that are useful and valuable for them. It happens in many aspects of life such as work field, public
and family.
b. Subordination
Subordination is a term to describe “the inferior position of women” Sultana, 2010: 7. Women are often seen as weak creatures that are lack of ability
and power. It makes the society labelled them as inferior. According to National Organization of Women NOW in Tong, 2009: 2:
“women subordination is rooted in a set of customary and legal constraints that blocks women’s entrance to and success in the so-called public world.
To the extent that society holds the false belief that women are, by nature, less intellectually and physically capable than men, it tends to discriminate
against women in the academy, the forum, and the marketplace.” In other words, subordination refers to the domination of patriarchal society that
prevents women to take part in public life because the society has wrong assumptions and beliefs that women are weak and lack of skills and education.
This wrong assumptions and beliefs cause discrimination toward women in economic, state and education.
Patriarchal system becomes the cause of women’s subordination in all spheres of women’s life. Men hold the authority and power in the family, society
and state. Meanwhile, women belong to the second-class group in the society. Sultana 2010: 8 states, “women’s subordination means the social situation in
which women are forced to stay under the control of men.” Thus, subordination puts women under control of men. Men control women by creating certain
customs and roles that makes women lose their rights and forced them to accept the situation.
Different perception of society toward women that sees women as weak, irrational, and less intelligent than men puts women in unimportant position.
Women subordination occurs in many forms, which are different based to the place and time. One example is in Java where in the past people believe that
woman did not need to pursue higher education because they will only end up in the kitchen. Moreover, in poor family only boy who got priority to go to school
Fakih, 2015: 16-17. Another example of women’s subordination in patriarchal society is the
preference of boys over girls Sen, 2001: 1. This kind of discrimination is the manifestation of gender inequality, which occurs in male-dominated societies. In
some of East Asian countries, parents are able to perform abortion if they do not want to have girls. Boys are more preferable because society has an assumption
that boys are more precious and high valued. Boys will make the family get higher status and respected.
Subordination of women also occurs in some public facilities. As stated by Sen 2010: 5 in most part of the world, women “receive less attention and health
care than men” whereas girls “acquire less support than boys.” It means that not only women that receive subordination, young girls also suffer from subordination
but in different form. Discrimination towards girls happens since they are young. For example, boys get more attention and care from the family compared to girls.
Boys will get more previleges and opprtunities in getting access to be involved in social activities, on the other hand, girls are often prohibited to do what they want
because their family limit their access to join public activities. It can be concluded, that patrairchy makes women and young girls suffering from different types of
subrodination in public and family institutions.
c. Stereotype
