The Sounds of Silence – As Heard through Patriarchy

Abstract

It is the drive from work that transmogrifies her even more. She is a black, South African woman. At work, she adapts to meet expectations of her professional competence. At home, she adapts and shifts to her husband and/or father’s expectations of a woman in their culture. Within herself, she shifts her needs, emotions, and aspirations to fit into these contexts. Through it all, she carefully chooses what can be spoken, and what remains unspoken. Many factors influence this inner debate, chiefly patriarchy, race, religion, and culture. This article reflects on the premise that many black women are deprived of their spontaneous and natural being, because they have to evaluate their conversations and contexts at all times. Through the lens of patriarchy, the article seeks to identify some of the factors contributing to this inner debate, followed by real-life evidence of the shifting adaptations made by selected black, South African women. These women volunteered to share their stories by answering a questionnaire. The data they provided was then analysed through phenomenology and critical theory. These are the sounds of their silence.