What Is Audre Lorde's Mythical Norm?
The last century has seen many movements for change in Canada, yet there is still much work to be done. Our society views a certain group of people with a high regard and an authority over others; these same people fall into the group that Audre Lorde calls the ‘Mythical Norm.’ Although Canada claims to be a land of equal opportunity, the ever-present conception of the mythical norm creates a breeding ground from which oppression grows in Canadian society. The idea of this norm is what leads to the domination of white males in the Canadian economy and within the country’s justice system.This essay will explore the ways in which the mythical norm creates sexist, homophobic, and racist oppressions in society. First, this essay will summarize
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The Canadian economy predominately consists of financially secure white men. Though all Canadians are promised equal treatment, this is not illustrated in Canada’s business world - with wide wage gaps and a lack of diversity in those holding powerful positions, discriminatory oppression arises. In the case of job salary, white men excel to a large extent. Elizabeth Comack (2014) presents the facts that Canadian women working the same position as a man will be paid 29% less than he, even with the same level of education, and that there are no professions in which women collectively make more money than men (p. 5). For women to be paid less than men for no reason other than their gender displays sexism and occurs solely because society’s ideal norm is not a female. Perry (2011) states that this is one of the ways in which society “maintains women’s economic dependence on men” (p. 60), further proving how society emphasizes male domination. Women are not the only group subject to oppressions in the labour force; racial minorities are at the same disadvantage. Racialized Canadians are paid 18.6% less than those who are not racialized (Comack, 2014, p. 3), further emphasizing the oppressions created due to the mythical norm. As well as receiving higher pay, white males also hold the positions of the highest
The Canadian economy predominately consists of financially secure white men. Though all Canadians are promised equal treatment, this is not illustrated in Canada’s business world - with wide wage gaps and a lack of diversity in those holding powerful positions, discriminatory oppression arises. In the case of job salary, white men excel to a large extent. Elizabeth Comack (2014) presents the facts that Canadian women working the same position as a man will be paid 29% less than he, even with the same level of education, and that there are no professions in which women collectively make more money than men (p. 5). For women to be paid less than men for no reason other than their gender displays sexism and occurs solely because society’s ideal norm is not a female. Perry (2011) states that this is one of the ways in which society “maintains women’s economic dependence on men” (p. 60), further proving how society emphasizes male domination. Women are not the only group subject to oppressions in the labour force; racial minorities are at the same disadvantage. Racialized Canadians are paid 18.6% less than those who are not racialized (Comack, 2014, p. 3), further emphasizing the oppressions created due to the mythical norm. As well as receiving higher pay, white males also hold the positions of the highest