Lesser Gender: The perception error

Being born and brought up in Indian society led to an agglomeration of self-realization. Since
childhood women are bound to the protocols which they have to adhere to the rest of their
lives. Everything from her appearance to her personal choices is according to the whims of
society. Age is not just a number but also a spectrum of the decisions which are to be taken in
life. The decision of getting hitched is not based on the affection and love towards a person
but solely on the fact that the person has reached the appropriate age for getting married. No
one, other than the person who has to face the consequences of the nuptial bond has the right
to decide the age or time when he has to get married. A woman in older times was not even
allowed to reject a proposal of marriage. She had to accept the person selected by her family
and live with the stranger for the rest of her life. Who will she blame if the marriage fails?
Who will be responsible for the pain and trauma she went through? The society will prey
upon her for a failed marriage. People will start calling her with names. Life of a woman is
not tough but made complicated by the societal norms. Why is a woman judged when she
stands for herself and takes a step ahead in her life. Why is she questioned when she files for
a divorce as a result of being drained by the strained relationship. A man who is self-
sufficient as well as a good earner demands dowry as a sine qua non for marriage. Why is a
man with a job is always at the pleasure of rejecting a woman anytime without a reason? Is it
because he is independent enough to make his choice? Why can't women be made
independent so that they can reject such money mongers? Men fear the freedom of a woman
because they have the potential which can out power men.

A woman is made to believe that they are ancillary as compared to men. She is made to do
the household chores at the age of playing and frolicking around. She is portrayed to be
dependent on her family and later on, on her husband. Why isn't she taught to be dependent?
Rather than controlling her life and conditioning her to be dependent on others, encouraging
her and letting her experience the downfalls would have made her feel the strongest of all.

Why is a fear created in her mind about being alone? The society considers it a taboo for a
woman to be alone, whether she is divorcee, a spinster, a queer or just a woman. A woman
can live alone and prosper, no it is not a myth but a much-ignored reality. It is not hard for a
woman to live on her own but it is harder for the society to accept that she can live alone. The
Indian culture preaches the concept of keeping the relationship together even if, it is the
woman who suffers and loses her identity in the process. She is the one who has to keep fast
for the well-being of her spouse. But a woman is equally a spouse and well, in that case,
shouldn't the husband also fast for her well-being?

The country still witnesses a myriad of female foeticide cases. People resort to illegal gender
determination and abort if it’s a female. Why is woman considered the lesser gender? Is she
not strong enough? She bleeds 7 days a month, she nourishes a child for 9 months and brings
a new life into this world. She fights for the country by serving in the Army. Navy and Air
Force. She is a commando, she is a judge and she is a doctor. She blooms wherever she goes,
she is a homemaker too. Is there any work she cannot do? From Space to Sports, from
Entertainment to Science women leave their mark everywhere. From P.T Usha- the fastest
athlete, to Marry Kom- the inspirational boxer, from Pratibha Patil, the first female president
of India, to Nirmala Sitharaman, the first woman Finance Minister, women had outshined
men in all fields.

We never give a thought about why do we need women empowerment. Women and men
came together on this earth. Adam was sent along with eve and not alone. Both the genders
have their distinct identity then what dwindled the status of women in the society? In ancient
times, man used to go hunting while the woman was in charge of the household. Does this
mean a woman cannot go for hunting and man cannot manage the household chores? Both
are created equally, both can perform each other's work. Then why is it so difficult for society
to accept women in leading the way. Why the first women president of Uttar Pradesh bar
council, Darvesh Yadav gets shot dead after a few days of attaining the chief position? Does
the masculinity of a man gets hurt when a woman outstands him? To feel the gender
superiority, men from ages are subjugating women. What good a man is when he has to pull a
woman down to save his crown from falling?

At the time of birth, is there a tag designating women as an inferior class? Or is there a holy
book that declares women as a subservient gender? It is the traditional gender biases and
male chauvinism which is deep-rooted in the thought process of the populace. Awakening of
the consciousness of people is needed to outdo the contentious and prejudice mindset
prevailing in the society.

Why is it so difficult to uproot the gender bias ingrained in the intellect of the people. How
can a country grow where the women are not safe? Every hour a report of rape, sexual
harassment or violence is displayed by the media. Who will hold the responsibility of such
heinous crimes against women? Is providing compensation and the requisite penalty to the
accused help revive the trauma which the woman has gone through? What is done cannot be
undone in such cases.

To reduce the crime rates against women a total reversal as to the identity of the woman as a
class must take place. People need to expand their channels of perception and accept women
as equals. How can we become a developed country when we are still empowering our
women? Around 497 million which amounts to 48.5% of the population in India, is female.
Had been women held the same standing as that of men, India would have been in the pink of
its health. The situation is such that women have to fight for what is inherent in them. There
is a breach of Fundamental Rights each second that goes unnoticed. There is a set of
questions regarding the future a woman holds in this country. It feels unsafe to even step out
in the dark. Why situations create boundaries for women when they can fly high?

Why are men with emotion considered as weak and women are generally linked with an
abundance of emotions? Indirectly we are backing up the concept of emotions linked with
being weak, fragile, or feeble. Emotions are a part of the human body and every person
experiences them. The tendency to express emotions vary from person to person. It is normal
for any person to express his emotions . But whenever a male cries we shush him by saying,
"Don't cry like a girl" or " Boys don't cry". Why is crying or being emotional expected only
from a female? Why can't men cry? Does crying makes them less of a man? These are the
stereotypes we need to break. Expressing your emotions does not make you weak or inferior,
it makes you human. You can be emotional and strong at the same time. A human body can
bear up to 45 del(unit) of pain. But at the time of childbirth, a woman experiences up to 57
del(unit) of pain which is similar to 20 bones getting fractured at the same time. So a mother
at the time of childbirth cries and remains strong enough to endure the pain. Will you still call
her weak? I am sure not, cause if you do then you must try breaking 20 of your bones at the
same time.

There are a lot of questions that remain unanswered, there are a lot of queries yet to be
solved. But one thing needs to be changed and that is the way you see a woman. You must
accept the fact that she is born equal and must be treated the same way. She must not be
objectified according to the wishes and desires of your imagination. Let her live the way she
wants to, don't try to keep her in shackles. She is capable of breaking the shackles and the
stereotypes too. Respect her and she will respect you further, try to break her, she will ensure
she is unbreakable.