Thy Name ist woman..

“Where women are worshipped, gods reside”…..Rig Veda.
How idealistic! But today are we willing to be confined to the house? The answer is a big NO. don’t we want to establish our own identity?
In our staunchly patriarchal society, Manu, the lawgiver of the Hindus has said that a woman must always depend on man throughout her life. Since the man has been taking advantage of her dependence and has given her a status just slightly above that of a slave.
Man has always been said the ruler of the world. Why is that from the beginning humanity is male and woman are defined as a relative to man? she is never regarded as autonomous being. The blindfold on the statue of the goddess of law in some way represents the fact that justice has turned a blind eye towards woman. ‘It is the fundamental responsibility of woman to be wives, mothers and homemakers.’ This was the underlying assumption in a report on ‘status of women’ submitted by President Kennedy’s Commission.
The child gets the fathers name even though the mother plays the most important role in his life. Why is that when man is in conflict with women, the theme is existing inequality and is used as a justification for denying abstract equality. As Simone De Beauvoir said, “ womanhood is a social construct. One is not born, but becomes a woman.”
An unwed mother is a scandal and an illegitimate birth, a stigma on the child. Here too, she needs the sanction of the man. She cannot, rather is not allowed to take care of the child alone. The fathers name is a must or else she is made the target by the evil eyes of the society. The concept of chastity imposed on woman isn’t as straight forward as it seems. It is just the expression of mans insecurity.
In 1888, Elizabeth lady Stanton said, “this far, women have been the mere echoes of men. Our laws and constitutions, our creeds and codes and the customs of social life are all of masculine origin. The true woman is yet a dream of the future.” The dream has a long way to go.
Women not being allowed to vote till as late as 1928,not being allowed higher education even today in some states of India, a law on rape which humiliates woman more than helping her. Gender justice is still on the paper. We have to summon enough guts to stand up and practice. We need it.
I strongly believe that today’s woman is strong and nothing on earth can deter her from giving shape to her cherished dreams.
I think I’m very lucky to be a woman. There is a feeling of pride in my mind. I look at myself as a chameleon, someone who likes to do things differently. Changes the mood and adjusts according to the situation. And it’s not only me…every other woman is like me. nobody actually can understand a woman. So powerful..so beautiful!
She has always been there & she always will. Centuries of evolution have failed to wipe out her species, and with each generation increases her indispensability as the world gets smarter in Science & technology. They say, that come what may, her position in this world is one that can never get eradicated--and yet one that will never gain undue importance.
Why are we women compared to men? When we all know that a man would not survive if it wasn’t for us. On every walk of life men need support and women are like their back bone. The gulf between the sexes, the misunderstandings and the conflict is still there as it was when Adam first fell for Eve.
In our past generations life was so simple. Man was the head of the house, the sole bread winner and woman were often the pedestal in the house. a woman was confined to the kitchen and to take care of the children. She never rebelled. She did her job perfectly. And surprisingly when she got out of the house too, she was a winner.
Today it is a different scene. Women have realized their dreams and know what they actually want from their life. A woman was always considered as a child bearer, a nurturer and a nest defender. Men were the protectors, providers and the problem solvers. But women have proved that they can be the best at whichever job assigned. Women have freed themselves from the kitchen sink. Today we see women in almost all fields.
May it be sports or politics, Bollywood to Hollywood...she’s done it all. And the best part is that she is successful. Even though time and again she has proved herself yet in some parts of the world, women are considered less then men.
But yet…the society has changed. daughters are capable, even though not more than sons, earning their own incomes, not dependent on their husbands, taking care of their parents in their old age and even doing their last rites.