Egalitarianism

Science says, men and women differ in their physiology. Society thus translates this difference into a hierarchy. Difference cannot and should not be interpreted as anything but means of distinction, and this distinction must not convey what opportunities and facilities one will be eligible to avail.

Men are often perceived as the breadwinners of the family while women are seen as those who must limit themselves to the house and hearth, a clock whose ticking must not be heard by the neighbours. Men are painted as strong, undeniable and undefeatable figures while women are to be the meek,malleable, unquestioning lambs. These social images often lead to high expectations from men, and underestimation of women, and have come to become a burden for both genders.

Women have historically been on the receiving end of social biases.Whether it be home, where they are suffocated with chores, or in the corporate sectors where they are vetoed by the glass ceiling.Erected by social prejudices,ongoing social practices block their paths in all fields.

In several countries, even after two decades into the twenty-first century, girls are taught household chores while boys are excused, as a set of predefined societal norms dictates that women are to do household chores and nothing other than that. In several communities, women with ambition are frowned upon and even if they do work, the charge of the homes falls on their shoulders squarely, while in this particular case,expectations of men are on a scale from negligible to nil.

Education,today, is considered a right but still continues to be treated as a privilege. Women have far less access to education than men.People, till date find educating their daughters useless, as growing up with the social typecasts of gender wise role distribution, education for women has been portrayed as an unnecessary accessory.

In the corporate sector, in line with the prevalent customs, women are seen as housewives first,and often perceived as a burden to the company rather than an asset. With their social obligations, thrust upon them solely due to their gender, they are thought to be the handicaps of the workforce. Also because of the prevailing customs, working women become a subject of scorn among their own colleagues, and often face more hindrances in advancing in their respective careers, owing to the glass ceiling.

In many communities, women are considered inferior, and thus do not have access to proper nutrition and health facilities.Several statistics will paint a picture of slow starvation of young females, of “chronic” malnutrition among women, and of the continued ignorance of their medical needs.

Most countries,in practice, still remain patriarchies, where even among their own blood women are treated as subsidiary members of the family. They are taught to hang their heads low, while only listening in for the calls for food or other requirements of the male members of the family. While words of men are given umpteen importance, women’s words fall to deaf ears. This goes on to prove the discrepancy against women that reigns in the minds.

For these reasons, several feminist movements have come up, all demanding equal rights for women. However noble this cause be, it has led to further disparity. These movements still are unable to change the societal perception of women, and thus an egalitarian society remains a dream. However, steps have been taken to place women at the same level as men, but these steps are either twisted to serve personal cupidity, or tip the scales too much in the favour of women.

Several cases of blackmail and extortion have caught the limelight now and again, where women, using their status quo of the socially oppressed, have brought several men to uncomfortable positions.

Women having been given more elbow room, often by sheltering themselves under the umbrella of conventions, side-step many situations which test their proficiency against their male counterparts, and thus gain an unfair advantage in several affairs. This does not reflect equality but another form of the same social scale that was meant to be destroyed.

Another aspect that demands attention is that of those who do not recognise themselves as male or female. Nations are adopting the rainbow, however its acceptance still is a cobbled path. Everyone, irrespective of their gender, must have access to all opportunities and facilities. An upperhand in any situation, to any gender, is not fair and does not stand in line with the dream of an egalitarian society.

Gender Equality no longer is only limited to Women’s Rights, but has evolved into a Human Rights subject. It is a dream that does not translate into the uplifting of one gender while downgrading the other. It is one where all humans, disregarding who they recognise as, are equal in practice.