The great majority of contemporary societies are patriarchal. The unequal distribution of power and resources in patriarchy rather benefits men in terms of gaining authority as well as respect. One can still observe its projection onto social life even in the developed countries despite their laws to ensure equality of women and men.
One of the most powerful means to perpetuate inequality is through language. Most of us have probably witnessed the use of sexist language or even used it at least once. Although we may not have been fully aware, we may have helped perpetuate gender bias and gender inequality since the effects of the use of sexist language extend beyond words. For example, it is normalized to call an unmarried man a “confirmed bachelor” whereas his female counterpart would be derogatively called a “spinster” or an “old maid”. While doing something “like a girl” implies incompetence and clumsiness, responsibilities like housework which has been assigned to young females than young males are also deprecated. Even in the developed societies, women are deprived of equal pay, rights and treatment they well deserve, or not hired at all because of their gender. They are subjected to gender-based discrimination and have to struggle against oppression in every aspect of their lives. Leyla represents the struggle against discrimination.
Leyla originally means dark-haired woman in Arabic, but used in Turkish to describe drunk people. The struggle against discrimination and inequality shall begin in language, so Leyla stands upright, on her own, as herself.
