Equality between Unequals
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It's new year! It's the time to celebrate, make new resolutions and write some new chapters of life. Sadly, this new year began on a shameful note for all of us. The mass molestation incident of Bengaluru was all over the news on 1st January 2017. Several politicians and celebrities expressed their views and opinions over this incident. Some were angry, some were shocked, some blamed women and their "wrong" dressing styles, etc etc.
While reading all the statements and articles I thought, what is it that motivates/instigates/compels men to attack the dignity of women? The simple answer is, even in 21st century, men consider women to be inferior to them. One would not think of doing this to someone at par(or superior) with oneself. So what's the cause of superiority complex among men?
Let's go back to a man's childhood. As a child, he sees his mother taking care of the household chores. She cooks, makes sure the dishes are washed, makes sure the clothes are ironed, takes care of the cleaning. etc. On the other hand, the father sits like a king, giving orders and judgments. "Give me my breakfast", "Press my shirt", "Where are my socks", etc. Father orders, mother complies, and hence it implies. He notices that people jump in excitement on the birth of a boy, and console each other on the birth of a girl. Hence, it implies. He sees that his parents ask his sister to avoid going out late night, to learn basic household chores like cooking etc. However, no such instructions are given to him. No such restrictions are imposed on him. Hence, it implies. When he becomes a working professional, he notices his female counterparts are paid less despite being on the same position as him. Hence, it implies. In his journey of becoming a man from a boy, he sees numerous examples which highlight the inequality between men and women. And hence, he starts thinking of himself as a superior species. We are collectively responsible for inculcating this superiority complex among men, from their childhood itself! Therefore, simply condemning such incidents is not going to take us anywhere. We must teach our little boys that men and women are equals.
How about a scenario where a boy sees his mother cleaning the house and father lending a helping hand? How about sometimes mother bringing the breakfast and sometimes the father? How about both parents working and earning their livelihoods(which already happens nowadays)? How about people being equally excited about birth of a girl or a boy? How about parents teaching their sons how to treat and respect women?
Give it a thought...
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This article is very informative and help full. So friend you keep sharing and writing these types of blog post. Places to Visit in Rajasthan
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for appreciating.
DeleteGreat opinion on a topic of vital importance Radhika. I feel equally strongly about this issue and wrote an opinion about it some time back in my blog:
ReplyDeletehttp://bbepositive.blogspot.in/2014/07/the-reality-of-gender-equality-in-india.html