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As Mark Piper observes, gendered socialization processes disadvantage women when it comes to opportunities for self-expression, since young girls and women are often taught to be submissive to men and to focus on domestic life over other pursuits. (Piper, 2014, p. 256) It seems plausible to anticipate, for instance, a degree of condemnation towards mothers who choose to abandon their families in pursuit of interests which deviate from those that define a woman or mother's normative social role.
Comment: This passage made me stop and think before writing because I grew up in a very conservative family and society, where women are often expected only to do household work and take care of their families. My mom had to drop out of school to marry my dad. She faced tremendous criticism and discrimination. When she decided to work outside the home, my family had to leave her in-laws’ house because they opposed her decision. She also received a great deal of criticism from relatives who did not support her. All of this affected her mental health, but in the end, she chose herself. It is not that women do not want independence or do not want to pursue their careers. Rather, whenever women choose themselves instead of limiting their lives to marriage and household responsibilities, society often turns against them. This is especially common in communities where many people are unaware of gender equality, the importance of education, and the freedom that every woman deserves.
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This is because the individualistic tradition discriminates against women: it can reinforce their oppression by excluding them from access to choices that may be taken up freely by men, for example, or by underrating caring values traditionally coded as ‘feminine’ traits. But, if autonomy otherwise plays a “key justificatory role” in grounding entitlement to certain normative goods, such as being treated respectfully and having one's decisions taken seriously.
Comment: Here, “the individualistic tradition” values people who are independent, self-reliant, and free from responsibilities to care for others; a description that men are traditionally seen as fitting. In contrast, women are expected to care for their families and children and perform household work, responsibilities traditionally coded as “feminine.” This reminds me of my mother, who left school while she was still in the tenth grade and was married to my father. Although she was not yet fully mature herself, she was taught to remain calm and caring and to be responsible for the family she married into. However, autonomy plays a “key justificatory role” in determining whether people receive certain rights, freedoms, and forms of respect. When women like my mother are viewed as less autonomous, people may believe that they deserve fewer rights and less freedom. As a result, their opinions may be dismissed, their choices controlled, or decisions made for them. This is reflected in how my mother’s in-laws opposed her decision to work outside the home.
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Further, if social oppression is the topic of concern, it is plausible that non-oppression “requires that the personal affirmation of one's subjectivity be recognized by others.” (Krause, 2013, p. 202) It may therefore be a disrespectful denial or intolerance of an agent's subjectivity (Galeotti, 2015, p. 45), especially from a cross-cultural perspective, to declare their non-autonomy in light of choices which are perhaps questionably ascribed as capitulations to socially oppressive forces.
Comment: This paragraph helped me to understand more about who can be called an autonomous person and not and about cross-culture issues. If a person is willing to be a housewife or other things that are traditionally coded as "feminism" can’t be called an autonomous person. And, also the definition about ‘autonomy’ differs across the world. Like in Nepal, culture, tradition and norms are more valued than a person's personal opinion. Because of this, it’s really hard to practice being an autonomous person in Nepal.