The representation of women in Moroccan proverbs

Abstract

This study looks into a number of Moroccan proverbs to see whether proverbs support women secondary position in society. The fact that a proverb's authority has the function of legitimizing certain role patterns as well as preventing those patterns from possibly being questioned, we want to discover the main attributions that are attached to women while talking about proverbs in Morocco. Women's secondary position is faithfully mirrored in culture. Nothing defines the latter as clearly as its language. This language, in turn, encapsulates a society's thoughts, beliefs and values. The fact that proverbs are part of people's popular culture which includes language, it is important to know how these proverbs function and how they are structured to both convey and maintain certain man made ideologies and policies. Moreover, since proverbs are based on common sense and practical experience of humanity, they call into question the extent of their truth and validity. This article focuses on the different representations of women in Moroccan proverbs. It shows an analytical comparison of these proverbs on the basis of women and gender differences. Our focus is based on the idea that proverbs maintain certain beliefs and attitudes that last for ages. Yet, these attitudes are not always positive, mainly when it comes to women. Therefore, we suppose that these proverbs with negative gender connotations should be altered.