Sexism – Blaming Women for our Sexist Society

If a woman is the victim of misbehaviour or misdemeanour people usually blame her, it can be anything from her dressing to her make up to her way of walking or that she was with another male companion, so she was asking for it. The very flip side of this argument is that the abuser, more often than not a man is the one who couldn’t control his primal urges and mentally or physically assaulted another individual. A stigma she will bear for the rest of her life and the culprit walks away scot free.

A marriage that is supposed to be an alliance of equals, but the woman even today is expected to the play the subservient role. Until recently the victim of marital rape wasn’t even considered a victim, what happens in the confines of a marriage is no one’s concern. The Women who have come forward to tell their woes and suffering have been shunned not only by the society but also her family.

Be it in the kind of work they are given, to the salaries they get and the growth in the organisation. High level jobs are usually given to the men counter parts and the justification is that the woman is not capable to do ‘a man’s job’. Their growth is hindered for no other reason but that she is a woman. The term often used is ‘glass ceiling’.

That’s unthinkable for most men even in the 21st century. They argue that a woman just can’t handle the work. She is a woman and it is assumed she will fail. She will fail or succeed as much as any of her male peers! An aggressive woman in the work place becomes a big issue and on the other hand a man being assertive and aggressive is expected.

From lack of growth to demotion she faces it all. People still carry the notion that the woman is just having fun at the company’s expense.The excuse given by the employers is that the woman cannot do justice to the work while she is raising a child.

Woman is expected to take care of her baby.It’s one thing when a woman chooses being a mother first and sacrifices her career. It’s an entirely different scenario where the woman is made to do so. Having a child is a big life style change for a woman, while the man continues with his life exactly as it was before.

From the day you are born, the society inflicts upon you these predetermined ideas and thoughts. Over the years, you hear statements like, ‘a girl shouldn’t do this’ or ‘a girl should be like this’, these ideas are so ingrained into our minds that we assume them to be the correct way. Anyone breaking the mould will be tagged as a bad role model.

In a society where a ‘woman’s face is her fortune’ what other choice does she have. Girls these days even before they enter their teens are conscious about their appearance. Our senses are bombarded with these images of slim tall beautiful women whom we aspire to emulate our entire lives. Turn on the television and you see them, pick up a magazine or catalogue, there they are, even for products that are meant for men you see a semi-nude gorgeous model there, there is just no escaping them. It is a vicious circle we are stuck in.

Looking a bit deeper into the issue, you realise that a woman isn’t anymore ‘nasty ‘or‘back stabbing’ than a man. It’s not sex biased behaviouror deep seated sense of inequality, it’s more of a human nature arising from personal insecurities.

That’s one individual harassing another. There is a subtle difference between the two. Its discrimination not ‘institutionalised biases’ against men. Man has never been at a disadvantage just because he is a man. If you are a man, you have won a genetic jackpot.