The movie North Country, starring Charlize Theron, came out in the year 2005. The screenplay for the movie, written by Michael Seitzman, was inspired by the book entitled Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law penned by Clara Bingham and Laura Leedy Gansler. The book documented the case of Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Company. The case was filed in 1988 on behaf of Lois Jenson and the other female workers of the EVTAC mine in Eveleth, Minnesota. The case was the first ever class-action harassment lawsuit in the United States.
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Charlize Theron plays the part of Josey, a single mother with two children who, in an effort to provide for her family, seeks work at the local mine, which is the town’s main source of steady income. Yet once she begins work at the mine, the men who she works with begin to verbally and physically harass her as well as the rest of the female workers.
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By far one of the most important themes throughout this movie is the actual oppression women encounter when participating in a job that is non-traditional, or in other words "a man's job". And Josey's situation epitomizes the struggles and hardships of a woman dealing with oppressive behavior from the opposite sex. From what was shown in the movie it appeared that the men who harassed her thought that they could do so because she was a woman. Superiority played an essential role in fueling the abusive behavior against Josey because by harassing her, the men were demonstrating their power over her. A particular scene from the movie which is a prime example of this can be seen here, where a fellow female worker, Sherry, is tossed around in a port-a-potty:
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Some questions that we came up with after watching the movie are as follows:
1. Back around the time when the case of Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Company took place, how did women in the workforce face harassment? And if they chose to stand up for their equal rights, how did they deal with the possible negative repercussions for their actions? Take some time to compare the possible actions of women from that time period and the women in our modern society.
2. What are some of the ways societal expectations categorize women based on the jobs they hold and the family dynamics expected of them back in that time period? Do these expectations still exist today?
3. In the movie, Josey's relationship with her father took on various forms. How do relationships between a woman and her loved ones abide by and/or resist the ideals society has placed onto it? Does society play a significant role in influencing a woman's relationship with another person dear to her?
Feel free to express your ideas and opinions on the matter and thanks so much for stopping by!
-Raymi D. and Melanie C.
The women's role in a hispanic typical Hispanic consists of staying at home while she stays home and takes care of the children. The father would go to work to support his family. This example has been seen in other cultures as. A male would be pressured into taking roles are such because he has been seen his father.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have not seen this movie, the questions you asked sparked my attention. In regards to you first question, I believe that many women that did stand up for equal rights viewed it a "high risk, high reward" effort. Although they knew that they would be facing an extremely difficult road ahead of them in order to get what they wanted, they knew in the end it would be worth it. Today I believe that women are not as afraid to speak up against inequality they face. With just about everyone having access to a computer it would be difficult for a clear form of harassment to go by unnoticed. For the second question, many times women are thought to be the keepers of the house while the men are the sole breadwinners. This goes back to the early Victorianism ideals shown by the separation of spheres, women only being apart of the private sphere (the home) and men the public sphere (the marketplace) this shows how society's ideals of this view of women date back to the early 1900's. Luckily, nowadays it is not uncommon to see a woman running a company, or holding a position higher than a man. For your final question, I do believe that society plays a role in the relationships women have. Women are meant to bear children, and in order to do that they must have a significant other. This means that society encourages them to seek out a mate and still be "the perfect couple".
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite movies. There is multiple scenes that raise awareness of women oppression and uneguality in the workplace. Charlize Theron does an excellent job playing the role of a woman who seeks equal rights in the workforce as well as in society as a single mother. She face many barriers during her time as a single mother for example, the disrespect from her children and other men at work as she gets beaten and raped. One thing that bothered me was that she was willing to stand up and fight for women's rights and none of the other female workers were willing to stand with her through the fight till the end. Why is it that women are always affraid to stick up for themselves, and more importantly, tolerate this sexual, mental, and physical abuse. It it not a crime to stick up for yourself or demand equality. In this film women are being degraded and called sluts, cunts, and rats. Men have no respect for women and are always trying to over power them when they are alone at work, or even in school. There is one scene that really gets to me, the rape scene when Charlize Theron is being assulted by her teacher. Her frend Joey did not help her and she was completely helpless as he sexually abused her as a child. In the end she won her case and got equal rights, but the fact that she had to go through all those experiences is unreal. Women shouldnt have to fight for safety, equal pay, or respect, we are humans too and we work just as hard as men. Women deserve the same treatment.
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