We all live in a sexist world, though less so than it once was. In our fantasy novels, however, more explicit sexism is often alive and well. This is partly due to the fact that in many fantasy novels, especially of the high or epic fantasy variety, the society portrayed is quasi-historical or what I call "medieval-ish." There's usually an aristocracy run by men, and a religion run by men, and an expectation that a woman must marry and have children. Even when women do seize power, they have to contend with the mysogyny of their societies.
Take Cersei from Game of Thrones for an example. None of the men in that series, odious as they might be, would ever have to take a "walk of shame." Or Danerys, who rose to power only after her husband's death. Westeros is a man's world, at least until things really start to unravel.
Even conttemporary fantasy Harry Potter portrays its share of sexism. There are only two female Death Eaters named, for example, not counting Narcissa Malfoy, who is more of a hanger-on. In the pro-Voldemort worldview, a woman's first duty is to produce pure-blooded wizards.
Then you have the works of fantasy that, rather than portraying a sexist world as a way to criticize misogyny, instead promote a sexist message themselves. I would put Twilight into that category, as it glorifies controling behavior by a male partner.
There are plenty of examples of sexism in my own work as well. The world of Hexborn is not kind to
its women. My imaginary country of Bryn
is a largely agrarian society dominated by a male-centered magical aristocracy. As it was during certain times and places in
our own history, women are treated as the property of their fathers or their
husbands, and the only path to a relatively independent life as a scholar is by
entering a religious order and forgoing marriage and motherhood.
Especially among the nobility, many women are married off at
young ages, sometimes to men old enough to be their fathers or even
grandfathers, and no one seems to think much about it. Many of the girls with magical ability, at
least the marriageable ones, drop out of school early lest they become too
powerful or educated, and thus too threatening, to prospective husbands. The queen’s value lies in producing a son,
and woe betide her if she fails. I think you get the picture.
The sexism in this society even extends to the titular
affliction. Our main character, Shiloh,
was born with a medical condition caused by the overuse of dark magic during
pregnancy. The extreme stigma around
this condition is caused partly by the misogyny of the culture, which does not
even consider the possibility that the mother might not be entirely to blame
for this situation.
Shiloh, in some ways, steps outside the gender order. Being hexborn makes her infertile, and her
facility with fighting magic makes her too useful as a weapon to confine her to
domestic duties. This leads some to
treat her, essentially, as an honorary man, as if they can’t bear to admit that
she is a powerful woman. Thus, she has
to walk a fine line in order to remain “acceptable” while retaining her value
to those in power.
Who are some of your favorite examples of women stepping
outside of convention, either in fiction or history? And how well do things work out for them?
