Harjinder Singh
There have been exhaustive debates about women’s plight and the state of affairs, they are going through. So many write ups about the problems they are facing: the treatment at home, at work place or at the market place. Their marginalization, their challenges, traumas and their emancipation all these issues have been discussed extensively. The knowledgeable writers have expressed their views and suggested remedies after their analysis of the problem. But i feel that attempts made to find out the solution mostly centred around the male chauvinism. But what actually made men to seek refuge in chauvinism in the first place, has not been deliberated upon in its entirety. May be our conditioned morality did not permit us to do so.
Here I would like to touch those aspects of male mentality which knowingly or unknowingly made them devise ways and means (read strategy) to keep women under subjugation because otherwise, there can be no reason that despite the fact that women are capable of doing all that men can do and there is no sphere where women have not made their presence felt. There is no male exclusive domain now but still a man feels it necessary to issue edicts to her, to make her understand the codes prescribed by him, to follow the dictates about her dress and how she should behave, how to talk and whom to talk. In many spheres we wish to be known as advanced like developed countries but in the matter of women we feel our culture being threatened.
This is the time to discuss those facts which became part of our knowledge only after scientific advancement and also those aspects which have been revealed with the advent of psychology. These might have been discussed earlier also, albeit in a hushed up manner. Such talks may not get social approval but in this age of science and technology to hide such things will be like a pigeon closing its eyes on seeing a cat to escape being caught. More over a common man must be made aware about the bitter truths which intentionally or unintentionally he ignores.
Historical facts reveal that since time immemorial, man and woman have been complimentary to each other in all stages of human development. Where the mankind finds itself today is the direct outcome of their mutual cooperation and dependence on each other. But after coming into being of somewhat organized society, man started suffering from an inferiority complex. Many reasons can be attributed to this phenomenon. Firstly, woman has always been attractive to man. The rhythm, the grace, the patience a woman has is not possessed by a man. There was an element of jealousy in him. Instinctively man wanted to remain near her and never to ignore her. But outwardly he never wanted to show this weakness to her. This created a sort of fear and complex in him. He invented devices to keep her separate. In religious congregations men and women sit separately due to this fear of distraction. So much so that even our saints were afraid of women. They didn’t allow women to come near them for the sake of their celibacy. Psychologists view celibacy as sex-suppression.
The other reason has to do more with the man’s psychology than his physiology. Women though called a weaker sex, in actuality are a stronger sex. Whether it is nature’s scheme of things or man’s hunting background, he is always in hurry. He is quick in his arousal and his urges are quickly satiated. In case of woman her sensuality is not that easily assuaged. To cope with this weakness and helplessness resulting into humiliation, man took recourse to the methodology of suppression. He started downgrading woman. The term demure, bashfulness and chastity were coined for women of so called pious conduct. Sex became a taboo. This situation continued in the entire world till scientific and psychological advancement came to the rescue of women. Famous British writer Anne de Curtsy says, “Until world war 2 most young women in Britain were sexually ignorant. Women there were brought up to believe that they were the weaker sex”. If such was the situation in a most advanced and developed country, what men were used to think on our part of the earth is not difficult to fathom. With awakening brought about by science, women started organizing themselves and many feminist movements were launched which played an important role in changing the prevailing perception. New laws were also framed.
Thus it is not difficult to deduce that it is actually the science and not the male’s benevolence that has helped women to get liberated from male- oppression. Science has enhanced our understanding that it is not the physical power alone but the intellect that actually matters and intelligence has no concern with ones sexuality. No field is exclusive male’s domain now. A woman is no more a child bearing machine thanks to the contraceptives at her disposal whereas earlier she used her entire fertility period in bearing and rearing children. Further all rules-religious, moral or social were framed by men and thus favoured them. That situation has gone a tremendous change now. The old structure is already crumbling but it still requires a little push for its complete demolition. But the story doesn’t end here.
Women have to tread very intelligently and cautiously. They need to contemplate that this is not only the question of their equality with the men but of their uniqueness. Looking like men in dress, behaviour and habits may boost their ego but that will be at the cost of their femininity. Common sense tells us that one has to take into account the society and the environment one is living in. Ours is a sex starved society where the sex is still a taboo. The changes in mentality and attitudes occur very slowly. Morality demands that freedom and harmony should go side by side. Women have to keep all these factors in mind while choosing their dress, behaviour and reactions. Not only dressing, smoking and drinking like men but by their grace, intelligence and uniqueness they can surely lead a life they choose for themselves.
(The author is retd. DFO)
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