‘Man for the field and woman for the hearth; Man for the sword and for the needle she; Man with the head and woman with the heart; Man to command and woman to obey; All else confusion’ – ALFRED LORD TENNYSON
By Pirkash Kumbhani
Feminism is the name of movement which emphasizes for equal rights for woman as man in the society. Men and women are two essential characters of human life. Some people believe that men and women are absolutely equal in society while some people consider the men being superior. However, throughout the human history, woman was seen as inferior to man. The purpose of her existence was limited to doing tiring domestic chores, giving birth to babies and rearing them. They were domesticated objectified and kept only for sexual pleasure and was physically battered and mentally traumatized.
In 21st century, in most countries, and even in our own country – Islamic Republic of Pakistan, woman is still confined into four walls of the house with a man of her brother and father’s choice. For that reason, in many societies woman can’t enjoy an independent status. Mostly in rural areas woman is not asked about her will in choosing her life partner and she is forcedly married to a man who is twice in her age. Forced marriage, forced pregnancy and forced abortion are very accepted in modern societies. Other than these issues, gang rapes, sexual harassment, divorce in unhealthy relationship and demand for ‘sex in exchange’ of higher school grades or job promotion are also prevalent and it can’t be denied either in under-developed, developing, developed and even Muslim countries of the world.
As in education institution, there is wide discrepancy regarding the gender roles. An African proverb has been motivating people that “If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation” but contrary to this proverb, in many countries women are still deprived of their basic rights of education. They are denied to go to school and also parents seldom invest in girls’ education. The girls are married at the age of about thirteen, fourteen years.
Why man is doing so? Why the man is playing with their life? Why don’t they look into innocent eyes of girls? Why they don’t let small girl to live their sweet and memorable childhood? Why they keep them away from their right of education?
We are living in patriarchal society in which man hold almost all the power and enjoy greater opportunities then woman. Mostly the men who are in power they never think about the development of country. They are very selfish and want their own benefit only and only.
According to certain statistics, in the year 2016, 2.9 per 100,000 women/girls ended their lives. Mostly young females commit suicide due to the name-calling, black-mailing, insulting, premature pregnancy, domestic problems and socioeconomic pressure that affect women mentally and emotionally which leads them to commit suicide. In rural areas women are still unaware in the sense of freedom and lack of awareness in self-worth. According to United Nations, one in three women has experienced physical and sexual violence at some point of life. Mostly in patriarchal society woman has been oppressed by man and there is beating, hair-grabbing, kicking, scratching, pushing, punching, choking, burning and acid throwing a very common practice. In Pakistan 73 cases of acid throwing were reported in 2016.
Men and women are different biologically but also to some extent they are different socially and emotionally. Being different biologically, we grow up differently, in different atmosphere and are encouraged in different activities, praised in different ways influenced by race, culture, politics, religion and education. This kind of obsolete social structure divides us as male and female and masculine and feminine gender.
[author title=”Pirkash Kumbhani ” image=”https://sindhcourier.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Pirkash-Kumbhani-Sindh-Courier.jpg”]Pirkash Kumbhani, hailing from Tharparkar, is final year student at Department of English Language and Literature, University of Sindh Jamshoro.[/author]
