The POWER of women?

Ever since the beginning of time women have been seen as incapable of fending for themselves. Men have this notion that women need them by their sides in order to survive. They believe that they are the the ones who make the world turn round each day and are the reason as to why we function with each passing day. However, in the Japanese film Onibaba, this notion is proven wrong, as two strong women, a mother and her in law, are found fending for themselves as their son and husband is off fighting in a war. They come up with the idea to kill samurai and steal their armor, something that is extremely valuable. They sell this armor to other men in the area in exchange for a few scraps of food. Their ability to survive without a man by their side proves to us that women do have the capability to survive on their own. However, despite their efforts, they are still taken advantage of, and in a way, mocked of their efforts. Each time that they go to exchange food they are not given the amount that they should actually receive. Instead, the man asks for sex, hoping that the older woman will be desperate enough to give it to him. By doing this, the man is proving just how insignificant they consider women to be, and how easily they can be taken advantage of. Although women try to survive on their own and do whatever they can to become strong individuals, we are constantly being beaten down by men like that, who try to prove to us that we can't do something.

Later in the film, as the husbands/sons friend comes back, he joins the two women on their journey. As he goes to sell the armor, we see that he is given more food than has been given to the women previously. This simply proves that men are seen as the predominant, more powerful figure in society, no matter the efforts that women make.