GENDERING SEXES! WHY THOUGH?

 What equality means to you? can anybody answer this question? 

oh! by the way, hello guys I am Back again.😅

How many of you missed me? 👀 huh! alright, no need to answer as we all know after the opening of the colleges we were stabilizing ourselves. The assignments, exams, and holidays. right?

Anyway! back with this fascinating article that you might enjoy and applaud.😁

UN, you all are familiar with this body.

ok so in recent news UN gave its statement on gender equality which is very much shocking.

The news reads:

By the end of 2022, an estimated 383 million women and girls will be living in extreme poverty on less than $1.90 a day, compared to 368 million men and boys, the statement said, a worrying reversal in the battle to reduce poverty.

further, it says that full gender equality will take almost 300 years to achieve at the current rate of progress, the United Nations warned in a report released Wednesday, saying multiple current crises have aggravated disparities.

If we look at the condition of our country, it is horrible. India has 135th place out of 146 countries in the Gender inequality index.

So why is it happening? Let's trace this answer History!

In a given civilization, "males" and "females" are assigned socially determined roles and behaviors. In contrast, the term "sex" refers to a biological and physiological process that excludes man and woman. Gender is a function of the power differential between men and women, where men are seen as superior to women, in its social, historical, and cultural facets. Therefore, gender can be seen as a concept created by humans, whereas "sex" is a natural or biological trait of humans.

We proud Indians of 21st  century rejoice in celebrations when a boy is born, and if it is a girl, muted or stitched lips we see. The immense love for a male child is so much so that from times immemorial we are killing our daughters at birth or before birth, and if, fortunately, she is not killed we find various ways to discriminate against her throughout her life. We live in a double standard society as our religious beliefs make women a goddess but we fail to recognize them as human beings first; we worship goddesses but we exploit girls. 

The patriarchal structure of Indian society is the primary contributor to gender disparity. Patriarchy is "a system of social structure and practices in which men rule, oppress, and exploit women," according to prominent sociologist Sylvia Walby. In Indian society, the exploitation of women has long been a prevalent cultural practice.

Let us trace the journey of this harsh attitude towards women from the beginning:

Manusmriti, an early source of Hindu law: "Women should be under the control of their father while they are young, their spouse when they are married, and in their old age or as widows, under the care of her son. In no given circumstances, she should be permitted to make her own decisions. but the Vedic period describes the status of women as important in various aspects. The later period in history made women subordinate to men, not to be literate, early marriage to control sexuality and no property rights among other factors.

In the medieval period too, the further deterioration of status happened as women lost their self-identity, known as the caretakers of honor to their families. Marriage alliances between different ruling groups bind the ties, and women were seen as objects (the material of exchanges for political) ambitions. women were prohibited from even visiting holy shrines in the Muslim community. It was believed that if women went out, they might get involved in immoral activities. The Rajputs slaughtered their wives to preserve their honor, especially after they lost battles. Every time a conflict broke out, the loot was divided among the Victorians, and women were also considered objects looted in wars. Women were oppressed and lacked any freedom. Both at home and in the fields, peasant women had to work. Their existence was terribly difficult and devoid of love and respect. The Hindu tradition known as "Sati" required a widowed lady to commit suicide by setting herself ablaze on her husband's funeral pyre.

Sati pratha

Jauhar pratha 

In the Islamic community also the situation is the same and there too sanctions for discrimination or subordination provided by religious texts and Islamic traditions. Similarly in other religious beliefs also women are being discriminated against in one way or other. 

At present women, not alone in India but in the whole world faces the backlash from patriarchal bound society. after the pandemic, we see a decline in the labor force participation of women, a huge dropout rate from educational institutions, and increased cases of violence. Women in society are still taught to be good daughters, good wives, and mothers, having no agency of their own. still, women within their households are tortured in the name of love, forced to hold their responsibilities even if they don't want. The cases of domestic violence settle on just three words "I love you" and women take a backstep giving further chances to exploit them. (the recent dark humor movie Darlings states a good example here)  women are not supposed to choose their partner, not to indulge in unethical activities such as alcoholism or drugs, men at the same time built to do these things, from a famous advertisement I would like to highlight the character of the men that " men will be men". 

Many individuals in our society think that men and women are equally strong in all facets of life. Few of us also agree that women should have the same rights as men in society in all respects. We constantly try to make their lives easier by granting them the same rights as men, but why do women need to be empowered to compete with males in society? Who the men are to control the women? Why it is always men who set the standards of society to be followed by women? The answer lies with the women themselves. We read numerous stories and watched numerous TV programs about women who overcame great obstacles to emerge into the light of gender equality. So in my opinion, "women" don't need male society's support because they can all handle any problem. I do believe that gender equality should be taken into account but along with concentrating all of our efforts on gender equality, we should educate our culture to shift their perspectives and accept the idea that women can do anything if the hurdles of social constraints don't impact their life. Sima Bahous, executive director of UN Women said in her statement that "We must rally now to invest in women and girls to reclaim and accelerate progress,"

YES, it is time taking. YES, it is exhausting! as not all classes of people are similar in thoughts about women. but it is through these tiny moves that a woman can create a heaven of her own.💙

So ending here requesting you all to read, share, comment, and follow if not done yet.