A Feminist Critique of Patriarchal Hegemony and Ideological Discourse in Rum’s A Woman Is No Man

Abstract

The language has consistently been utilised as a potent weapon in creating, maintaining and reproducing the power structure even in societies that apparently look liberal and progressive. This study evaluates the patriarchal restrictions on women’s access to education and analyses how patriarchy normalizes women’s financial dependence on men in Rum’s A Woman is No Man. The study is qualitative. The researcher employed Fairclough’s Three-dimensional model of critical discourse analysis for analysis of the selected text and Lazar’s Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis has been used as the theoretical framework. The findings reveal that the ideological discourse sustains gender-based power imbalances and rationalizes the restriction of women's access to education and financial self-sufficiency. Cultural norms and societal discourse intersect to restrict women's access to education within a patriarchal Arab society and the patriarchal culture normalizes women's financial dependence on men which reinforces the patriarchal hegemony. The community's discourse discourages women from pursuing educational and career ambitions with social consequences for those who challenge these norms. The study underscores the need for a more comprehensive examination of the challenges faced by women particularly in relation to education and financial independence in societies that may outwardly appear to be liberal.

Keywords: FCDA, patriarchy, hegemony, ideology, discourse