Ungendering Women’s Language through Economic Empowerment

Abstract

Heavily codified by societal norms, women’s language is obliged in most situations to follow strict patterns. These features limit a woman’s freedom of expression and submerge her personal identity. In the name of preserving social propriety, women are consistently denigrated in their own language use as well as in others’ discourse about them. This article seeks to locate these strategies of linguistic subjugation in women’s relative economic position through close reference to two texts from different periods, namely, A Doll’s House (1879) by Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, and Top Girls (1982) by British playwright Caryl Churchill. The speech and mannerisms of the various characters in different circumstances in the text are analysed from relevant theoretical perspectives to identify the intricate relationship between women’s language and their economic status. The article then attempts to prove that women speak and are spoken of in an inferior language precisely because they are economically deprived of privileges and rights. The oppression is systemically perpetuated by a number of social institutions like marriage, motherhood, religion and education. On the other hand, if a woman breaks free of these set roles, and acquires financial autonomy, then, no matter what her class in the societal hierarchy might be, her language changes significantly. It deviates from the linguistic norms imposed on her by patriarchal culture and becomes ungendered. The article thus concludes with this need for women’s financial empowerment to liberate women’s language.