WOMEN SUBORDINATION IN PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY IN  DEAR ZARI: THE SECRET LIVES OF THE WOMEN OF AFGHANISTAN

Authors

In this paper, the writer analyzes about women subordination in patriarchal society in

Afghanistan which describes in Dear Zari: The Secret Lives of The Women of Afghanistan

by Zarghuna Kargar. The novel captures the patriarchal system in Afghanistan and the

treatments experienced by women characters as subordinate position in Afghanistan. The

analysis has two goals which are describing the patriarchal system and the women subordination.

The writer uses Feminism theory. The technique that is applied by the writer is close reading to

gain understanding of the structure of the novel. The result of the research is the patriarchal system

has two form that experienced by women characters. The first is the domination of male. The

domination of male happens in private sphere which male dominate women’s life in several ways

such as dominate in decision making, domination of inheritance by male, and control over women’s life.

The second form of patriarchal system is social construct on women. As the impact of the patriarchal

system that applied in women’s life is women subordination. The women subordination is manifest in

several forms such as being discriminated through lack of educational opportunity and son preference,

being disregarded, being insulted, being physical abused and being exploited. In conclusion, patriarchal

system is being the cause of the emerge of the women subordination and women have to face the

subordination and get the inequality in life.

Keywords: feminism, patriarchal system, subordination, Afghan women