Last week while I was binging on my favourite series, a particular advertisement caught my eye. It was issued in public interest and featured the ever glowing Madhuri Dixit. I’m sure everyone must have seen it. To go into a rather deep analysis of it would be thinking too much about something generated to further a good cause. But then again, that is exactly what was done in Deepika Padukone’s infamous video ‘My Choice’ and since they happen to have the same sponsor #vogueempower, why not? Granted they have come a long way regarding expression of thought, this advertisement did in fact combine gender inequality with marital abuse for what I can only presume to get a neat little word play. What’s more shameful is that the issue of gender inequality and marital abuse was reduced to mere statements made by the upper middle class. While gender inequality does include the cases of gender stereotyping it is infinitely more.
Gender Inequality in its most mild forms has gender stereotypes, in its most extreme forms it includes dowry, wage gap and thankfully the now abolished ritual sati. All these inequalities giving rise to indirect consequences like female foeticide and female infanticide. However I don’t think an audience reading an online blog will be enlightened about these extremes any more than they already are.
I’d like to talk about the more subtle choices that are so much a part of our decisions that they no longer remain decisions. They’ve become the way things are done. Have you ever, being a girl, thought about living with your parents after marriage? Has an arranged marriage decision ever involved the discussion of which city the couple should live? What about the incomparable number of housewives vs. house dads? Why does any server at any restaurant hand the cheque to the guys? Why should a groom earn significantly more than his bride for the marriage to gain that aunts approval? What about the boys who have to suffer through the corporal punishment given out so freely to them? Why are the laws against rape, sexual abuse and marital abuse centered towards the female population? They are so many more subtle injustices that come to mind but I should stop now lest this post turn into a rant against the world.
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| Source: www.humanracetohumanrights.com |
Let’s look deeper into a seemingly widespread problem without turning it into a blame game. Where lies the origin point of these habits that seeped into our lives? I remember mine. It was the day in school when quite a lot of us had failed to do our homework. Needless to say, the girls were spared the rod while the boys mercilessly paid their due. It was not something I was witnessing for the first time. But I guess I hadn’t been old enough to realize what it meant. I knew about gender inequality. I just didn’t know that this was also one of the forms the evil comes in. I was just happy to get the perks. I’d like to think that that’s how it’s done. When you aren’t paying close attention, when you don’t question things while growing up, it just becomes a way of life, no though given. I think that’s exactly what people thought during the times sati was prevalent, women didn’t have voting rights and widows were outlawed. It wasn’t something that was thrust upon them in a day. It was gradual, seeping in when they weren’t paying attention.
“Gender Inequality is not a Women issue, it is a Human issue.”
Lets not end it with this quote, rather pledge that we will strive for equality. Lets start it from our home.
