Women’s Rights: Between a Systemic Order and a Deep-Rooted Heritage

By Molhem – Walid Smalali

Observe the debates that erupt whenever the topic of women arises, or make a small mistake, and you’ll quickly be compared to them. It doesn’t stop there; mocking women has become part of daily life, woven into jokes, conversations, and social behavior until it solidified into a lasting culture and a traditional mindset that’s hard to uproot.

This condescending view of women is not new; it is a legacy passed down through generations for centuries, fed by populist discourse, social and cultural traditions, and even certain laws and media narratives. This mentality still thrives, nourished by ignorance and a lack of awareness.

The issue of women is not merely a social debate, it is a deeply entangled dilemma. Worse still, discrimination is no longer confined to men; women themselves have, at times, become part of the system that oppresses them, repeating its judgments and justifying its logic, until women have, tragically, become enemies of one another. This is where the danger of a systematic heritage truly lies.

The first step toward change is for women to free themselves from the image imposed upon them, to recognize that they are complete human beings, equal in worth and importance to men. They must understand that they are victims of a system that confined them in a shell, then blamed them for their limited vision and potential. What they deserve is participation, not subordination, equal opportunity, not conditional inclusion.

They lied when they said, "Your destiny, woman, is motherhood. Woman? Naturally, you are a wife and a mother,” they declare, as though it were a fate, not a choice.

But life does not revolve solely around care and nurturing. And if a woman chooses that path, let it be out of love, not societal obligation. Feminism is not a battle against men, it is the freedom to choose, to refuse, and to decide for oneself.

Anyone who opposes women’s rights does so out of ignorance of them.The man who defends women’s marginalization under the pretext of “protecting society” ignores that society cannot progress without women’s participation. Legal, social, and economic discrimination against women only slows development and undermines the advancement of nations.

Behind such opposition lies a patriarchal discourse that distorts the struggle for women’s rights as a threat to male dominance. Yet what women are fighting for is simply to be seen and treated as full human beings, with complete rights, competence, and dignity, not as extensions of a gendered stereotype.

Patriarchy has reached dangerous levels, guardianship, violence, harassment, and even murder in the name of “honor.” Crimes committed coldly against women stripped of their humanity under false banners that protect perpetrators and condemn victims.

At its core, what women demand is simple: that the world stop limiting their freedom and integrate them into society as active participants, not subordinates.

Change begins with education. We must rethink curricula that plant inferior images of women in children’s minds, producing boys who see women as servants and girls who internalize that subservience as destiny.

Awareness is our strongest weapon. Only through it can we confront the patriarchal mindset embedded in media and culture, and dismantle this intellectual and social tragedy that has exhausted us all.

Molhem (Walid Smalali) – A young Moroccan writer, novelist, and poet who believes that the power of the word can shake rigid ideas and rebuild collective consciousness.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely the author’s and do not represent the views of Nisaba Media.