Feminism
Feminism can be referred to as any social, political or economic movement that aims to provide equal status, rights, and opportunities to a woman as to that of a man. There are many schools of thoughts of feminism. We have Marxist feminism, third-world feminism, standpoint feminism, radical feminism, liberal feminism, and the list may go on. Pseudo-feminists claim that women are superior to men. Such radical thoughts can even lead to gender war in the coming future.
Where the problem lies?
Even in the 21st century, many people believe that women are inferior to men and it’s a general perception concerning Indian society. It is expected from a man to work for the house, to earn and make the family run. The theory of feminism talks about equality and independence. Also, many legal provisions are there to safeguard their rights but misuse of these rights is often seen by the women in the society, be it fake cases on men for the charges of domestic violence, marital rape, dowry, etc. It is seen that society has a somewhat softer corner for women instead. From a Delhi police report, it was found that out of the total no. of cases reported of domestic violence and dowry, 60 percent cases were reported to be fake and were filed just for the sake of some favors. It is expected from a man to be a sole bread earner of the family while the women are believed to see the household chaos. There is a greater mental pressure on a man than a woman when it comes to building a career. Women feel comparatively more secure if they even fail in their career then they can still get married and settle down for the rest of life but it’s not in the case of men. Many women expect privilege everywhere just because they are women. Be it desire for special treatment at every public place and social gatherings which nullify the theory of feminism which means equality. There arises equal responsibility of a woman as that of a man to make society more gender-neutral and promote the real feminism.
Rights = responsibility
There is no denying the fact that the woman suffers at the hand of a patriarchal society. As we are moving ahead and developing, both genders should contribute. When one is claiming her rights, one must know her duties too. There is a group or some school of thought that is taking feminism to a radical level. There is a division of ideology even within feminism. But here is another conflict that is ‘Right to choose’. What if after availing all benefit one say it’s my choice not to work. What if after claiming all rights or privilege one say I don’t want to take responsibility anymore. Who will be accountable? So here the issue became sensitive due to the interplay of many modern concepts.
Way forward
Such radical cases are not common and usually made by one for their benefit. We must not forget the misogyny and inferiority that society holds for a woman. There are many changes needed to come especially in third world countries like India. So we must not stop our fight for gender equality.
“The views of the authors are personal“
