Women in the Modern World: A Burning Question
From female foeticide to child sexual abuse, human trafficking, sex trades, rapes, kidnapping, to eve teasing, domestic violence, and pregnancy complications, the safety of women in the modern world is the most burning question. A woman, right from when she is born, is regarded as a daughter, sister, friend, girlfriend, wife, and mother. In her search for her true identity, she has to go through hell and beyond.
She is questioned and judged on her attire, habits, walk, talk, social relations, and career choices in every move she makes. When a girl is born, the family is often concerned about her marriage and dowry. Tragically, in some cases, she is killed in the womb. Her education is sometimes not regarded as important, and she faces numerous restrictions on her freedom, like playing with boys, going out after a certain hour, pursuing a career, or traveling outside her city. Why are all these restrictions on women and not on men?
The term 'modern-day world' might sound broad, but in reality, our world is still far from modern. We might see a hazy picture through a broken window and assume that the world is modern, but at the grassroots level, our women are still trapped in traditional roles, confined to the kitchen, and if they dare to step out, they are threatened and pushed back, told to return 'where they belong, in the kitchen.'
Right from when she steps out of the house, men stare at her like she's some piece of meat, pass lewd comments, eve-tease, and in some cases, even physically attack and abuse her. In buses, men deliberately brush against women or fall on them to touch their private parts. At the office, co-employees flirt with her, and bosses ask for physical advantages to give her the promotion she deserves. To top it all, there's a glass ceiling; women are not allowed to grow. If she is late, she is bound to get raped. If she wears a T-shirt and jeans, she is labeled as a woman of low character. Men follow her, ogle at her, gang up on her, tear her apart, rip her off her soul, and leave her as nothing but a breathing corpse.
Even if she makes it past all this and is married to a stranger bought by her parents with a 'heavy dowry like jewelry, car, house, etc.,' he often fails to understand her, disrespects her, and abuses her. This is followed by his heavily built mother, who, in turn, was abused by her mother-in-law, and the chain dates back. Her neighbors stare at her when she is drying her clothes or going to the market to buy vegetables.
Why do women have to go through all this and so much more just because they are women? It is the men who have to change. Their legs, backs, stomachs, and cleavage are not stared at constantly. They are not followed, eve-teased, or disrespected. When we can regard them as higher beings, why can't they treat us like human beings? This is not fair! It has to change. The men have to change. We need to raise better sons, better husbands—better people overall—to live a decent and respectful life. Stop judging, start living.
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