On November 19th last year, I wished my male fellows as it was International Men’s day. One of them was taken by surprise, so much that he went gaga over my wishes. No wonder after all these years, we have been celebrating Women’s Day with great pomp and show, while Men’s Day is getting recognized slowly. I feel the celebration of Women’s Day is more of the previous guilt that people have inside them for taking the feminine power for granted.
Favouring sons over daughters, wishing the birth of boys instead of girls, making the world a better place for men than women, this gender discrimination was and is still being
witnessed in many parts of the world. My dad tells me that when I was small, I used to feel angry if in any television show, the mother-in-law made a face over the birth of a girl. I used to ask my parents, “Why do the eunuchs come for the custom of badhaai (congratulatory ceremony) only when a boy is born?” I used to often laugh at the older generations who used to make a queue of baby (girl) births for the want of a boy!
As I grew older, I was very much sure that our generation is going to knock down this
practice of wishing and celebrating ‘son birth’ only. But I was wrong. In spite of the
educated lot, including many women today still prefer a son because of some silly reasons.
“It’s so difficult for a girl to roam around freely. It’s so unsafe these days.”
“It’s always a burden to have a girl, so many expenses on her marriage you know.”
“You don’t have a girl na, you won’t understand.”
It’s a plight to know their state of mind.
In a study by the University of Virginia in 2011, researchers concluded that women were 47% more likely to get hurt in car crashes due to the car safety features which were designed keeping men in mind. The features neglected the varied musculature, neck strength, height, preferred seating position of women, making them more vulnerable to injuries. Why?
Is that only men drive and women don’t?
Is it because women are born with safety features, unlike men?
Then, why this perspicacity?
The discrimination is in their pay-scales too. Assuming that women will not easily quit
because of their family responsibilities, they are taken for granted and paid less as compared to women. This pay-gap is visible in film industry too. Renowned Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut says, “My male counterparts are paid thrice the amount. No one can guarantee the success of a film so why such discrimination?”
Women are still considered as economic burden in many households, even if they are
economically independent. It’s an irony that a woman is addressed to as the weaker sex,
despite the fact that she leaves her parents after marriage, works at home and manages office too, carries a baby inside her, goes through terrible labor pain and the post-partum trauma. Still the weaker sex?
I feel Women’s Day is more of a hullabaloo.
I don’t need a reserved seat in the metro.
I can stand too.
I don’t need a special quota either.
I can work hard too.
Just give me the equal status. I am also like you.
Candles Online 