The Office “Feminist Theory”
The sitcom series, “The Office,” deals with real-life struggles and the challenges people go through as they strive to tackle one day at a time. More particularly, the series looks into the life of the modern-day woman, and what it means to live in the male-dominated world, fighting for equality and recognition. Women are caught continuously between pursuing their personal goals and dreams and being the bedrock of the family. Unlike the men, women have to choose one or the other, and in most cases, they go with the easier option, compromising their interests. Majorly these interests are in terms of pursuing a career and becoming financially independent. While men easily have both their jobs and families, with a lot of excuses in between, the woman is almost naturally expected to put her family first, always at home for the children, and be a support system for her husband.
The Office questions these stereotyped systems of world operation. Why can’t the woman be given a chance to equally contribute to the development of the society around her without having to give up her family? Can she not have a career and be there for her family at the same time? What happened to the working mother and the career wife? These are some of the questions that The Office not only brings to the attention of the audience, but through a humorous approach, the film shows that it can be done. It focuses on the everyday life of the modern woman who fights to make her dreams come true, and strive to hold on to her marriage and family. Although it is difficult to achieve such a fete, The Office shows that it can be done, thus providing the much-needed solution to the modern woman fighting to fit in with the men at the table.
The theme of feminism is prominent all through the series, but it is more explicit in the “women’s appreciation” episode. This episode echoes the struggles of the modern-day middle-class woman who is always stuck between a rock and a hard place. The rock is the family, while her career seems to be the hard place. She either has to compromise her career by working part-time or quitting, or hold on to her work and be considered an absent mother. On the other hand, the men in the film are not held to the same standard, with a lot of excuses given to get them off the hook. From a feminist standpoint, the burning question is, “why is the woman held to a more unfair standard, pushing her to choose between her family and career, while the man walks scot-free?”
It takes two people to build a family. Two people to bring forth children, and in the same way, it would take two people to hold the home together, always being there for each other and the kids. At the same time, both partners have their dreams and ambitions in life. The woman’s dream and goals are not in any way any lesser than the man’s. She should not be denied the opportunity to exploit her potential and contribute towards the ailing society because she is a female. She deserves the right to be heard and be judged by her ability and potential rather than her gender identity. As a team, both partners need to work together to make their individual dreams come true and to have each other’s back. Both of them should equally compromise for both the children and the partner.