WOMEN HOLD HALF THE SKY

 From Sampath’s Desk:

 

 

WOMEN HOLD HALF THE SKY

 

Is there gender discrimination today? Is it a myth or reality? Have we really carved out a society sans inequitable gender divide? All these questions do arise when we talk of women and their current status in society.

 

For centuries, women were deprived of equality on lame pretexts of religion, caste, creed, race, customs, traditions, beliefs, practices, and a wide range of reasons the male-dominated society found it easy to trot out. It suited male chauvinism to conveniently and successfully keep females out of reach of many essential tools that made a person socially, educationally, and economically independent.

 

Even marriage - supposed to create a reciprocal bond between a man and woman, and designed and expected to bring equality - worked inversely in some cases. Instead of treating the wife as an equal life partner, many males dominated and wanted their spouses to simply follow their diktats never giving them freedom much less any say in decision-making in life.

 

Womanhood - in all forms - was outwardly venerated, but the voice of women was kept muzzled. There could be no denial of the fact that women remained mute without raising any demur for long.

 

Is this trend being reversed? Yes, but slowly. Much more remains to be done. A question arises as to what extent our society has achieved the emancipation of women. It is a reality that the empowerment of women has been going on for quite a long time now. And, of course, positive results are trickling in.

 

Today we make tall claims of gender equality. Of course, we have taken many steps in that direction of which the first and foremost one being women's education. Education means enlightenment and empowerment. In the field of education, women achieve twin objectives. In addition to getting self-enlightenment through education, they educate and share their knowledge with others. They burn the light of education to drive away the darkness of illiteracy and ignorance. That is why women are the best-preferred lot for the teaching profession. If a male is educated, he generally confines his knowledge to himself. Contrarily, if a woman is educated, she spreads it benefiting the whole family and society at large. That many women have, of late, developed into effective and efficient public speakers in many forums is a pointer. That is why we now see children of educated women feeling more comfortable in their studies and getting help from their mothers.

 

Woman is a creator of life who sustains the human race. The marvel and miracle of creation take place in the womb of the mother taking her flesh and blood. She gives birth to her offspring after nursing it for 10 months.

 

Remember, a boy is always a boy, but a girl is also a woman. That has been the norm for so long. Men must share the domestic chores. Parents should groom their wards - boy or girl - treating them equally, making them share the joy and responsibility of life equally without any discrimination.

 

In our age-old prejudices, we earmarked only certain areas for women like teaching, nursing, and hospitality, assuming that their capacity was limited. That myth bubble has now been burst. Young women of today have widely spread their wings, making forays and inroads into hitherto unchartered areas like medicine, engineering, aeronautics, driving, policing, flying airplanes and helicopters, taking part in spacewalks, the army, politics, and whatnot! There is hardly any field or area left untouched by the women of today. Women are also now intensely and increasingly exhibiting leadership qualities in many countries including India.

 

Gender is not an issue for them anymore. In the present-day world, what is important is the ability to come up with tangible and positive results.

The womenfolk felt imperiled as a race, irrespective of their age throughout the world. Much water had flown under the bridge. Enough is enough. That of late girls are more colourfully coming out of the educational corridors than boys is a glaring and optimistic pointer. There has to be a drastic psyche change in men to bridge the gender gap once and forever.

 

Women have now broken the yokes and shackles and shattered the glass ceiling.  Wisdom has dawned and knowledge spread. Horizons have widened. They have proved their mettle in all walks of life. They can no longer be kept fettered at home, unduly loaded down as they have been for long by the burdens of domesticity. Male members of the family, especially the husbands, should partake in domestic activities to considerably reduce the woman's workload.

Let the natural and biological differences between a man and a woman be as they are, but those differences should not and cannot make a big difference to generate or generalize an inference of the former being superior and the latter being inferior.

Our traditions and ways of life should pave way for convergences and not divergences as you can't imagine a world with only one-half of the population of men to the exclusion of the other. After all, it takes two to tango. It is well-nigh impossible to think otherwise.

Why do you call your own girl children 'Paraya Dhan?' Why do you treat them with a difference and give preference to boy children shunning your own girl children?

 

Age-old acquiescence treating women as inferior and/or subordinate to men should go in its entirety. The mindset considering a girl child as a burden and encumbrance to parents, dowry atrocities, making females subservient to fathers in their childhood, brothers and other male members of the family during their adolescence, husbands in their family life, and son(s) in the evening of their life, etc., smacking of disgrace should go lock, stock, and barrel. A solution lies in making the wedding expenses to be equally shared by both sides by a law to be strictly implemented.

 

Since women form one-half of the population and hold half the sky, they deserve increased participation and say in every field of human life and activity. There should be a change in the mental make-up of all concerned in the male-dominated society.

It is not my intention to blame the entire menfolk as many men very well see rhyme and reason to treat their womenfolk well. Hats off to them! They should prevail upon their inflexible and unyielding peers and friends to follow suit.

 

(R.SAMPATH)

(This article was published in the 'Timeout' column of THE INDIAN EXPRESS on 18.6. 2008 under the caption 'WOMEN HAVE SHOWN WHAT THEY CAN DO'.