Women and Equality - How We Look At It

Come International Women’s Day, suddenly we see messages and contests all over the place hailing women and celebrating her status. International Women’s Day has also acquired the pop culture and the crass commercialization that goes around marking such days. I am talking of the Indian urban cities. In rural areas, International Women’s Day does not make any impression or impact. Some of the urban women are the most outspoken. They form mahila mandals and highlight the grievances of women. Given widespread acceptance that women have been discriminated against, there is an overwhelming argument that the women have everything to gain from greater gender equality. The Women’s Reservation Bill, a potential game changer in Indian politics will soon be introduced in the Parliament as a gift to the women on March 8, the 100<SUP>th</SUP> International Women’s Day. While I do not support quotas, my support for the Women’s Reservation Bill is mainly due to the crude behavior displayed by the opponents like the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Samajwadi party who represent such sadistic communities which never treats women with respect.
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In urban cities, women more often go to work and invest their energies to achieve career and public success. Many of them call the shots in match making and selection of their worthy husbands. They are smart, have excellent networking skills and climb the ladder of success as skillfully as men. No one can match these urban women in multi-tasking. They choose their child care centres, take care of their husbands and in-laws and manage their house with considerable flair. In fact, I have seen many housewives not able to run their houses competently as their counterparts who go to jobs as well as manage their houses. Some of these housewives cry and crib and force their husbands to take leave to take care of their nagging children when they fall sick. The downside of working women is that they are more prone to stress like working men and their success in career leads them to shed their softer sides, their relationships, their children – everything.

That does not mean that all the housewives in urban cities are less smart or disadvantaged. I have seen my mother who is excellent in managing our home than my father who is better working at office rather than at home. The net value of a woman who manages the household cannot be quantified but cannot be deemed less significant. Her role in shaping the future of her child and helping her husband in setting his priorities without bothering much about the home front is very vital. In fact, I have seen women in government offices coming to work just to avoid the hindrance of their nagging in-laws or dirty household work, as perceived by them.

So, there are pros and cons. There is no doubt that jobs provide women that much needed confidence and independence, but it can also lead to a false ego. We do not need arrogant women to outwit arrogant men. That will not lead to a healthy society. While I agree that domestic violence is a reality, there is no need to pit women against men and make triumphant noises. It will lead to nowhere.

Man and Woman must share the burdens of parenthood and family matters more equally and look at it as a win-win situation rather than a win-lose situation. We need to re-think the way we look at equality and empower healthy relations between women and men.

 

thanks iyerviji for your comments

We must look at increased participation of women with men
Equality should not be viewed in terms of pitting women against men
and claiming superiority

Regards
Suresh

 

HI tubelight

thanks for your detailed views
What I have presented in my blog covers only one facet that covers middle class men and women.
There are many others, rural folk, constructions workers and several of women and men which cover majority of India.
There are women who serve as maid servants or work as labourers, it does not lower their dignity.
They earn their wages in their own right.
Your point on Education of youth is very much valid.
But despite higher education, we see well educated MBBS, MBA and Engineers taking hefty dowry for marriage.
So, in that respect just being educated does not inculcate values in youth.
There has to be a value based education and it will come from one's own home, school and surroundings.
We have ample laws to curb domestic violence of women, but it wont help unless the outlook of the society as a whole improves towards women.

Regards
suresh

 

hi Usha

thanks for your views

ya, i agree with you
united we stand to gain

regards
suresh

 

hi kamalji

thanks
Nice to see you here

regards
suresh