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| PATRIARCHY IN INDIAN SOCIETY | | |
Aishwarya Pandita
"The thing women have yet to learn is that nobody gives you power. You just take it". I would start my article by explaining the meaning of the word patriarchy. Patriarchy is a social system in which men are considered as the primary power holders,dominate in all the basic social,political and economical rights and are far more privileged than women. In a patriarchal society both boys and girls take their identity from the father but while the boys are recognised as the permanent members of the family ,the girls are viewed as temporary one's obviously, because according to the patriarchal thinking once she gets married she becomes the property of her husband's family.
Women's position in a patriarchal society is reduced to good wives, good daughters and good mothers. Nature has made more similarities than dissimilarities between men and women. These are mere bodily differences which are just made for the purpose of reproducing organisms of the same kind and not for deciding who will become a vice chancellor & who will cook food or who will ride a motorcycle and who will manage the household chores.
Nature makes diversity but not hierarchy or inequality. Nature never says silk is better than cotton, rich is better than poor, men are better than women or even women are better than men. The distinction created by nature is being converted into discrimination by the society.World's largest hierarchy exists between men and women.
According to the statistics, In india we have ended the lives of 35 million women and girls before they could even take birth and sometimes after birth. Every 22 minutes a rape takes place in india. 50% of the husbands at some point of time in their life commit domestic violence against their wives. Our constitution long ago decided that men and women should have equal opportunities and should be treated equally.
Adressing the provisions of equality our constitution has article 14 ,article 15(1), article 15(3) from fundamental rights and aricle (39a), article 42 and article 51(a) from directive principles of state policy but still society continues with the discrimination against women. Why is this inequality still there? It is because of this system called patriarchy.
There are many indian families where a daughter is viewed as a responsibility,a liability which needs food and protection and on the other hand sons are idolised and celebrated. May you be the mother of hundred sons ia a common hindu wedding blessing which is very unfortunate.
I wonder why never the men folk came up together till date and tried to fight against this system of patriarchy. Well, I think maybe because of the benefits they get because of this system and just because they are being benefited they are not bothering to look at the negative side of it.
If India is willing to become a great nation, it will only happen when we start respecting women, treating them equally and not letting the distinction created by nature being converted into discrimination. Without challenging the existing traditional customs and values any government legislation can't be productive.As they say charity begins at home, recognising women and their work at domestic level can be an excellent start culminating into a complete recognition of women in indian political and economical system.
I would like to end this article with a hope that I see a society free of gender bias in my lifetime and appreciation for the men like my father who stand tall against the system of patriarchy. |
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