Skip to main content

Death in the life of a woman

Women in the Modern World: A Burning Question

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.'

Women empowerment
Image source: Cardiff

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.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

It's a Love Story and I Said Yes!

Illustrator: Akanksha Thapa They say love happens to you when you least expect it and it couldn’t be truer than in my case. Little did I know on that fateful day of January 30th 2012, that my life was about to change forever. That’s the day I met my soul mate and this is my story. Love happened to me in the second year of my college. Let me recap: I was bored to death with the robotic routine of go to college, come back home, eat and sleep so I was desperately looking for something more to do. That’s when I saw an ad outside a small book store in my neighborhood. It read: “Librarian Wanted.” Mind you, for a hyper 19-year-old me, it sounded like music! I laughed to myself, “So they’re gonna pay me to just sit there and read books? That’s awesome!” And so it began, my sojourn of working as a part-time librarian in that private local library. All I had to do was make a note of who was borrowing which book and I was set! I was feeling great about my new job and I was over the...

The man behind Grameen Mall

Knowing Sitaram Knowing Sitaram: Having been born and brought up in a family with its roots firmly held in a rustic setting, my interest in agriculture sprouted at a young age. After finishing my master's in Microbiology, I swayed away towards a career in the Pharmaceutical sector. In this endeavor, I learned team building skills and effective sales. I also got promoted to key positions and received several accolades and awards. Though I enjoyed my work, I had a persistent urge and inclination towards farming. The Newton Moment: The distress experienced by the farming community, from suicides to their unfruitful migration to cities, had a profound impact on me as a teenager. I tried deciphering the reasons behind this escalating tragedy. I could see certain unaddressed issues like the depletion of water resources, increasing input cost, lack of proper market linkage, etc. I put myself ...

Why Dress Up? Fashion or Personality

No, I am not a fashion designer or the fashion police, nor am I a fashion diva. I simply believe in comfort, and I've worn mismatched and unflattering clothes for years, not caring about how I looked. To me, it was about being carefree, but to others, it seemed careless. I used to believe that it shouldn't matter what others think of you, but I've come to realize that certain situations in life require you to be taken seriously, and if you don't care about your appearance, no one else will either. Recently, I landed a job in the fashion world, which made me reflect on my hidden passion for fashion. I've always wanted to work for a fashion and lifestyle magazine, and it seems that my choice of Mass Communication as my field of study was aligned with this passion. I've always been drawn to fashionable things, from style and lifestyle to trends, makeup, and beauty. I admire women who carry themselves with grace and style, and I constantly read article...