KITCHEN

Many men and women with patriarchal views would say that it is hard to differentiate between a feminist and an “extremist nutter” these days, but things really heat up when the talk turns to things such as children and marriage values. In the modern world that we live in, feminism is fast spreading, introducing new and fresh views of gender equality and female values to countries that have strongly inflicted views of what roles either gender plays. Yet even though it is right to think that we all have freedom to our own views, it is clear that these countries are old fashioned due to ignorance inflicted by previous generations.

 

One of the countries that is following modernisation, but is still stuck in mainly patriarchal society is Lithuania. A small country situated in Eastern Europe,  populated by just under 3,000 000 people. This country still has deeply rooted catholic roots which led to traditional upbringing of children, these children grow up to be adults that do the same and so the spiral continues. 

 

Veronika Sugintiene, 27, was born and raised in Lithuania, she is a housewife, married and a mother to two young children, she also believes that a woman must follow traditional values; “I love being a housewife, I know that today there are so many women who want to follow their careers, but where does it end? Until you own the company? I think that I as a woman serve a purpose in this life and that is to serve my husband and kids with love and care that every woman has been awarded with. I  want to see my daughter follow my steps, I hope that one day she meets a wonderful man like I did and becomes a great mother. I don't care that I might seem like an old fashioned woman, but these are my views and most of my friends follow similar lives. Feminism is the silliest thing that I've ever heard of.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be a feminist means seeing patriarchy as inequality and a wrong way to run the society. The trouble with making all women see it this way is the influence that they have from the most important people in their lives, like their mothers and views inflicted through education, which every country has a different way of approaching. 

 

Kashmala Khan, 29, grew up in Saudi Arabia, she came to England when she was 13, following her family sending her and her 2 siblings to grammar schools; “I grew up in Saudi Arabia and there women basically have no say as to what they want their life to be like, women there grow up to belong to men. Life in England is on a completely different end of the scale, when I came to UK I started going to a grammar school in Scotland. It was brilliant, because I finally was able to walk around in the clothes that I wanted, I didn't feel judged or unsafe by leaving the house on my own. No woman should feel like lesser than a man and I am so glad that I has the opportunity to leave Saudi. As beautiful as the scenery is there, no woman should go through life that the place offers if she ever wants to be treated equally.”