Gender Prejudice in The Stoning of Soraya M - Movie Review Example

Cross culture management Introduction The Stoning of Soraya M. is an American movie produced in 208. The plot in thePersian-language drama film follows the life of a woman living in the Islamic State of Iran. Soraya is an ideal Islamic woman who lives by the religious laws and the social prejudices of the society. However, she is a victim of a heinous plot to accuse her of infidelity in order to pave way for her unscrupulous husband who wants to remarry a teenager but cannot do so because of his marital status. He therefore accuses Soraya of infidelity and succeeds in convincing the mayor of the fact. The village gangs up and stones Soraya to death despite her pleas of innocence thus the film’s title. The horrendous plot shows the application of Hofstede’s dimensions of Power Distance, Individualism, and Masculinity as the discussion below portrays. The Iranian society is chauvinistic in structure with the men showing disregards to the rights of women. Iranian women do not enjoy any liberties owing to the fact that they depend on their male counterparts. The structure of the society does not accord the women any social liberties with the religious laws of Sharia devising extremely punitive ways of punishing the women (Hofstede, Gert and Michael 42). Ali, Soraya’s husband is abusive and does not regard his wife’s rights and position in the society. Soraya and the other women in the society have specific roles key among which is raising children and pleasing their husbands. Such a social structure views women as commodities used and replaced by the men at will. Iran, as portrayed in the film, is a perfect example of a patriarchal society. The sharia laws in the society and as explained by the Quran, a man serves a guardian to the female in the society. The guardianship role in such societies gives men the right to determine the life of the women in the society. Such structures influence the gender roles in the societies. The men for example protect and care for their families, which include the women. The women on the other hand are obedient wives and effective mothers who besides giving birth care for their children. According to the roles, the society domesticates women by monitoring their movements within the society. The woman must remain faithful to their husbands and undertake their roles from home. The film presents voiceless women whose survival relies on the men. The men are dictatorial and use women as objects of pleasure often changing them as they wish. The unjust nature of the society to women influences their roles. Women do not have rights and liberties in the society. Their husbands must for example approve in order for the women to take up jobs in the society. Women give birth to sons. Unfortunately, the society indoctrinates the boys to disrespect their mothers a feature that informs the way they treat their women when they grow up. In yet another show of discrimination, the women face stricter punishment (Sahebjam and Richard 67). They must prove their innocence to prejudicial men who judge them in their absence. Soraya faces an awkward judgment in which the society expects her to prove her innocence to prejudicial men who judge her without granting her the right to attend the hearing. Additionally, the society does not punish the man. They stone Soraya to death but leave the widower who continues to live a full life in the society. Ali desired to marry a second wife, a teenage girl known as Mahri. A man’s desire overrides the woman’s rights and privileges. The men enjoy large amount of resources at their disposal most of which they use to achieve their desires. Ali wanted the teenager but he could no marry her unless he divorced Soraya. Soraya refused the divorce, a feature that influences to Ali to collude with the Mullah Hassan thereby devising a foolproof lie against Soraya. The entire court case is a conspiracy against Soraya that makes it difficult for her to prove her innocence. Only men took part in the judgment. Furthermore, all the men involved in the case were part of the conspiracy with both Ali and the Mullah threatening some to take part in the vote. Such is a skewed judgment makes it impossible for Soraya to prove her innocence especially after the old widower makes a false testimony about the entire scandal. The case above is a perfect example of a scenario where the men use the dictates of the sharia law to brutalize, terrorize and kill women indiscriminately. The sharia laws are stringent on the religious and cultural values. Infidelity in marriage for example is major concern with the sharia laws outlining, “stoning to death” as the most probable punishment to unfaithful women. However, the laws do not explains how to punish the men who engage in the acts with the women. Such is a prejudicial approach to punishment since it explains that the men must stone the women to death. Soraya’s father begins the stoning followed by her husband and her two sons. This portrays the extent to which the society indoctrinates the men to mistreat and brutalize their women (Hofstede, Gert and Michael 23). In his dimensions, Hofstede explains individualism as a social framework in which an individual protects his or her specific interests. At most, one considers those of his or her immediate family. The social structure in the early Iranian society shows the climax of individualism as the men considers their selfish interests. The conflict in the film originates from Ali’s self-interests. He desired the fourteen-year-old girl and purposed to marry her. He therefore causes pain and even death to Soraya just to gratify such a promiscuous desire. The society defines men in terms of “I” thus protecting their interests especially in cases where a conflict arises between a man and a woman. The men show complete disregard to the value of a woman’s life thereby brutalizing and humiliating the women publicly just in order to achieve their selfish ambitions. The film provides an equally skewed and prejudicial representation of both masculinity and femininity. The society views men as heroes, assertive and achievers. They have the divine atonement by the virtue of their gender. The men in the society grow up knowing that they are superior to their female counterparts who live in restricted social circles with limited freedoms. The society expects humility and obedience from the women. The women must endure the men even in cases where the men override their rights. Ali wants to divorce Soraya in order to create space for a new woman. Such a ridiculous reason portrays the way men view the women in the society. The sharia laws permit men to use women as objects of desire thus change them at will. In a show of male superiority, Ali conspires with the leadership of the society thus using their power to kill Soraya just to achieve his desires. The society suppresses the economic rights of the women by demanding that women stay at home to look after children. This leaves them dependent on their male counterparts who disregard their liberties. In case a woman wants to work out of the family, she must seek the permission of her husband who the sharia laws refer to as a guardian to the woman. Such is a prejudicial law that forces to rely on the men economically. As a child, Soraya worked without receiving a salary. She worked for long hours without resting. Just as is the case with other female children in the society, Soraya belonged to her father who then decided to marry her off to Ali. The father did this with the view to receiving a plot of land, herds of cattle and rugs among other things of economic value. The society views women and female children as objects traded for economic favors. This denies the female children and women any economic liberties. The Iranian society just as is the case with many other Islamic states has ways of introducing social values in the society. The society promulgates cultural values in their children. This way, the children grow up knowing how to relate with either gender. Soraya’s two sons begin hating her from a tender age a feature that portrays the social structure. At the scene where they stone Soraya, the men force her sons to stone her. They do so in obedience of the society. This way, the young boys understand how to treat women and uphold the cultural values. The men are superior to women and every adulterous woman deserves to be stoned to death. The boys learn this by stoning their own mother. In retrospect, The Stoning of Soraya M. is an ideal film that provides an exquisite view of the prejudicial cultural values of the Islamic state. The film presents skewed gender roles as the men enjoy various liberties while the women have a strained social space one that begins with the society determining their attire. Saroya is a victim of a vicious society ruled by men as the men conspire against her just in order to achieve their selfish desires. The structures in the society key among which is the sharia laws enhance the formation of a biased social system, one that discriminates against the women and female children. Works cited Hofstede, Geert H, Gert J. Hofstede, and Michael Minkov. Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind : Intercultural Cooperation and Its Importance for Survival. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print. Sahebjam, Freidoune, and Richard Seaver. The Stoning of Soraya M: A Story of Injustice in Iran. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, Inc, 2011. 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