Feminism is a much debated issue of our time. Some people think that feminism unfairly pushes for female domination in society. Others argue that feminism is fundamental in ensuring gender equality.
However, there are many people who supports feminism but does not feel comfortable identifying themselves as feminists. Because the term is often associated with anti-social behaviour.
This is a large misunderstanding. Feminism is mainly the idea of distributing equal rights between the male and female species in all areas, regardless of race, gender and colour. The movement also campaigns for higher literacy rates, which would result in a superstition-free environment.
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A female is no better than a male, neither is a male any superior to a female. Albert Camus said once, “Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead.
Just walk beside me and be my friend.” The only difference between a male and a female are their reproductive organs. However, a man and a woman share many disparities.
A man is an extrovert , the expected breadwinner and master of the house, whereas a woman is petite, gentle, meek, shallow, a live-in prostitute and in one word, a prisoner.
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Such social stereotypes polarise our idea of life to a great extent. Though we have come to the 21st century, such expectations, if not similar, still remains. The youngsters start off as progressive, but in the end, they become as conservative as their predecessors.
The origin of these social formulas are often attributed to the false idea of feminine weakness. That’s only because women are, at times, forcefully untested by power, corruption and greed. A female leader is not always bound to bring radical change. Electing a female leader is more likely to be a triumph of compound democracy.
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Martial Imbalance
A husband ,who hands over matters of money and the family to his wife, is often mocked among his peers. The major problem is our sub conscious. Many men shamelessly expects their wives to wait at the door with a cup of tea for them.
He wishes for her to meet his every need, disregarding the heavy labour that she does every without any pay. A wife is expected to cook, bear children and look after them day after day.
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In many failing marriages, a woman is often condemned to be the mentally ill one and people shower her with anti-depressants and sleeping pills. If a teenage girl commits suicide, society readily marks her off as promiscuous. The greatest fear of misogynist society is a woman, capable of articulate and rebellious thought.So, they stomp and throw a fuss about lack of the so-called feminine sympathy, making the woman a culprit.
Underplaying Rape
One of the most common hindrances that a woman might come across in achieving any feat is rape.But, one is familiar with it through many euphemisms. Sexual harassment, misconduct, abuse, inappropriate behaviour and etc. Often in these cases, people tend to point fingers at the victim rather than the rapist, giving petty excuses about the moral erosion of modern age.
Parents and teachers, warning young girls about rape, start their speech, “Don’t worry. The attractive aspect of a female body and the male gaze is typical. However,…..” .This is nothing but sheer hypocrisy. To decrease sexual harassment, a large shift of perspective and raising sensible human beings is in dire need.
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In the course of time, a woman is broken down to nothing but an ornament. Even if she wishes to be independent of her society’s expectations, the challenges she faces is colossal.She tries in vain to change her identity, only to find that there is nothing left to change. It has all been destroyed.
She becomes the anti-hero of her story. The same dilemma is also found in our men. The last Iranian monarch, Reza Shah refused to let his wife solve the crisis, created during the Islamic Revolution. Because apparently he did not want her to become ‘Joan of Arc’.It’s clear that toxic masculinity is a problem and those who rebel can only survive for so long.
Indoctrination in Equality
It is said that Rome was not built in one day. So, this complex issue can not be solved in a day either. An equal pay check, irrespective of gender, might create a window of opportunity here.Stricter professional measures ought to be taken in all sectors.
There would be the same amount of working hours for all people, regardless of gender and this should be strongly implemented. Moreover, the hiring process of the employees should be revised in order to ensure gender equality and remove any doubt of partiality. Employee contracts should allow employees to sue in case of sexual harassment and salary inequalities.
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The same goes for other sectors as well. Household duties should be equally distributed and rostered among the family members after a certain period of time. This might as well make us more sympathetic to each other’s faults and the pains they endure daily. Privileges, given on the basis of gender, is an unjustified crime that should be bought to light.
#MeToo Mania
Movements like #MeToo has always played a huge role in bringing sexual harassment into light. Yet, sometimes, it feels as if the net has been cast too far. Nowadays, many men in our community fear doing the simplest or candid things in fear of being accused. That being the case, equivalent social movements have become akin to fishing out a particular grain of sand in an infinite beach.
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While sexist jokes are never pardonable, it is important to maintain free expression of the mind and channel those comments in a healthy environment where people can discern their shortcomings and correct them. This is also a very useful method in therapy for sexual assaulters, provided that ‘Cognitive Distortion’ has often been a cause for such heinous crimes. Though it is regretful that false allegations of sexual harassments are now perceived as a profitable tool to bring down opponents in politics.
The Swedish Approach
Different countries have taken various approaches in solving the paradox of gender equality. The Swedish government had legalised paid paternity leave and children allowances to ensure both parents taking equal parts in child-rearing. This ended up eventually focusing on children welfare. In order to fulfil the pledge of becoming a developed country by 2041, Bangladesh too had taken numerous courses of actions, such as reforming mother-child healthcare, passing laws to prevent domestic violence and dowry.
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Takeaways
Even so, the real case remains murky and unresolved. Men and women can not be differentiated based on physical strength or brain power. So, its awfully odd how women often has two jobs: motherhood and career, but get paid only for one.
And, men have only one job and we are still fighting for gender equality. Women of our time are becoming avid supporters of feminism but when necessity arises, they are still forced to take advantages based on their gender due to lack of security. Hence, it is questionable; what lies ahead in our upcoming future?
