Not a woman’s job?

 

 

It is not uncommon to come across degrading, belittling and just plain insulting statements by men in power regarding women in general. The fact that having a female president is such a monumental landmark in a first-world nation like the USA stands testament to the antiquated view held by men vis-à-vis their belief that women are inferior.

-- Centuries ago, around the 3rd Century BC, in fact, it was Greek philosopher Aristotle who believed that women were by nature inferior to men, and were a subhuman species.

-- While advancements have been made since then, this belief regarding women has only changed a smidge, if at all. For instance, IAF chief Arup Raha had stated last year he thought women were biologically unfit to be fighter pilots. Miraculously, women seem to have evolved almost overnight, because this year, the chief amended his statement and is inducting women for the job.

-- The entire Saudi Arabian government is of the belief that women are decorative objects and should not be allowed the same rights as men. They are not allowed to move out of their homes alone, and cannot legally drive. There have been news stories of women being divorced for driving a car and punished for being raped since the rape occurred when they stepped out of their homes without an escort.

-- While USA is a technologically advanced country, its belief system seems to be stuck in the Middle Ages. Why else would completely able women politicians be harangued for inconsequential things like Hillary Clinton was for wearing scrunchies to tie her hair with. Surely matters of the nation are more important to a politician than whether their hair is styled or not.

-- Speaking of politicians, there are innumerable Indian politicians who have made utterly disrespectful and ignorant statements regarding women and their ability to perform professionally.

So while we plod through the 21st century, it would behove us to take talks of women’s empowerment with a pinch of salt. We still have a long way to go before women will receive the respect and equal opportunity that’s deserved.