Moroccan Popular Culture: a form of psychological abuse against women
Abuse can be physical, it can leave bruises but it can also be psychological and leave only internal pain and suffering. Psychological abuse is just as real as physical abuse. Our society defines domestic violence in terms of what can be seen with the bare eye, but it is time to acknowledge the internal scars of psychological and verbal violence. It is also the most difficult form of violence to identify because it does not leave any visible marks on the victim.
Hate speech is the term used to describe verbal violence. By using phrases that are considered offensive and demeaning within the social pattern, it frequently communicates hatred to the recipient. By placing the target of the insult in a lesser position than himself, the speaker tries to prove his identity by using hurtful rhetoric. The rationale behind all forms of violence, which is always aimed at destroying the dream scenario that upholds the identity of the person being damaged or even tortured verbally, is present in verbal attacks as well.
Societies produce languages, and languages also construct societies. The language that individuals employ to express their views is a reflection of their attitudes and underlying ideals. It is true that language may also be used to express violent thoughts and emotions. According to feminist scholar Cixous (1997), language drives us to interpret the world in terms of dichotomy that are frequently classified as male and female. She claims that language is a vehicle for the expression of patriarchal ideas. The patriarchal order actually exercises its power and dominance via language.
For instance, it is not surprising to encounter attitudes and sentiments that relegate women to a subordinate role in Moroccan society. Mohammed Derdar conducted a study in which he looked into the significance of these phrases that are deeply embedded in our culture.
The Word “Divorced”
When a spouse threatens his wife with divorce, it has been stated that he is engaging in significant verbal abuse. When their marriages are in jeopardy and the entire family is at risk, women carry the burden. Because most people in Moroccan society blame the woman for the divorce. The term "divorced lady" (mra mtalqa) implies that the woman is flawed. Her parents, who will have to provide for her and her children's needs, see her as a burden.
Additionally, her status as a divorcee would embarrass her parents and brothers, who are now in charge of maintaining her chastity. For example, saying a lady is a divorcee implies that she is no longer a virgin and is, therefore, a vulnerable target for prostitution and other criminal activities.
Such derogatory terms do not apply to a divorced guy. This is due to the linguistic idiom "he is a man anyhow," which denotes that a guy is significantly more shielded from people's tongues (lsan nass) regarding his chastity regardless of whether he is single, married, divorced, or widowed (hadak ghir rajel).
The Word “Spinster”
In Moroccan slang, a woman who has attained the age of 30 and up is referred to as "bayra." The derogatory name "bayra" is associated with a lot of prejudice, marginalization, and pitying stares.
The word implies that the woman has 'expired' since, in the opinion of the majority, she has reached menopausal age and is thus unable of having children. Because of this, the word "bayra" is frequently employed as a fatal weapon during a verbal conflict between two women.
Fatima Sadiqi, a well-known Moroccan linguist and sociologist, notes the lack of comparable phrases in the language to describe males who live to a ripe old age without being married. According to her, the exclusive usage of the term "spinster" for females emphasizes the idea that women's worth is intimately related to their physical appearance and their function as reproductive agents (Sadiqi, 1982).
More precisely, the feminine phrases denote weakness, servitude, dependency, and, in the instance of "spinster," failure in contrast to the masculine ones, which suggest strength, control, and independence ( Nye, 1988, p. 147). One of the numerous derogatory terms used to describe a spinster is her inability to find a husband like the other women in her neighborhood. Other unflattering terms include missed the train (fatha tran), unattractive (khayba), envious (masmuma), leftover (shayta), and spouse snatcher (khatafet rjal).
The word “ aqrusha ”
When a woman is referred to as "aqrusha," it implies that she is older than average and that other people find her social standing to be problematic. In other words, the lady stops being helpful and useful and starts being a nuisance to her family. When someone says, "We have an “aqrusha” in the home," they are referring to a lady who has exhausted all of her capacity for reason.
Older males are rarely associated with such unfavorable stereotypical terms. In reality, women's advanced age and men's age are in binary opposition. Men's mature age is connected with righteousness and knowledge in Moroccan proverbs and sayings, but women's advanced age is associated with wickedness and folly.
In conclusion, it is critical to stress that verbal abuse committed by males against women in everyday social interactions continues to be a difficult problem for feminists and scholars studying gender and women's issues. This is because the issue is complicated and has a strong linguistic and cultural foundation.
It doesn't take a particularly perceptive eye to recognize that popular culture in Morocco is a favorable environment for the verbal abuse of women. The verbal abuse that women encounter on a daily basis is so extensive that the phrases we have just reviewed are but a small sample of them. When women harm one another, it is clear how powerful popular culture is at replicating, supporting, and perpetuating this type of psychological abuse.
In Moroccan society, when a woman verbally abuses her husband is typically frowned upon. The wife is referred to as disobedient (meskhuta), shameless (mafiha hya), masculinized (mrajla), and other labels that consign her to the status of a rebellious woman who requires strict discipline and control. According to the myth of Moroccan popular culture, the ideal female partner is one who bends her head down when her husband is venting his words of rage, and who keeps tethered to her domestic work regardless of how stressful and monotonous this work is and regardless of her academic, social, and economic backgrounds.
References
Cixous, Hélène. (1997). “ Stories: out and out/ ways out/ forays. In The feminist Reader. (2nd ed.). Malden,
MA: Blackwell, pp. 91–103.
Derdar, M. (2017). Gender and verbal violence: A form of psychological abuse in Moroccan popular culture. Sciences, Langage et Communication, 1(3).
Nye, Andrea. (1988). Feminist theory and philosophies of man. New York: Routledge.
Sadiqi, Fatima. (1982). “Women, gender and language in Morocco.” Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/40326891
About the authour:
Fadoua Rzaiki holds a master's degree in Human Resources Development from Al Akhawayn university and is now working as a talent acquisition specialist, she is also part of our #Women4Leadership program.
