Is Man an Enemy of a Woman or Vice Versa?

Do you agree that this world is divided into more than one element? It can be haves or haves not, affluence or poverty, socialist or capitalist or men or women. There has been a huge disparity between men and women ever since the creation of humankind. Today, the debate is not about discrimination but the level of discrimination in the society, culture and community.

Why is it that women want to be considered equal species to men? The answer is simple—they want it because they don’t have it. They are discriminated on the grounds of their sex; they are deprived of equal opportunities as that of men, despite the fact that they are as deserving as men. They are treated as ‘sex-objects’ in this socio-cultural society managed and led by men. Their freedoms lie with the male members of the family. Women are mere producers and builders, while men are their managers and leaders.

Women have always been considered a weaker sex—more so over in countries like Nepal, where they are treated as second-class citizens. In Nepal, we still discuss women’s rights in terms of reproductive health and education, whereas in countries like the US and Britain, the discussion revolves around equality in work and decision-making. However, it needs to be mentioned here that women’s participation in politics is much apparent in the South Asian region than in the US or Britain for that matter.

The fact remains that women were/are never born as leaders—they have inherently understood the needs of men and have satisfied themselves by being part of the success of the men in their lives. The very few who believe in women power and freedom turn into feminists but not women leaders.

The question is—is man an enemy of a woman? The answer—of course not. Men are neither women’s enemy, nor are they from Mars. They are same yet different from women. Men are Men…. they are treated superior, created as the by-product of patriarchal society (in most of the society). They are the society, the government, the leaders, the father, the husband and many more…and they are always Men. The problem lies in the socio-strata which have influenced men to lead the world, including women. Men have always tried to be protective or authoritative towards women. For women, men have always been their competitors in this world. For women, the freedom and rights enjoyed by men have resulted in a mixture of jealousy, inferiority and avarice towards men as objects but not for the substance. These feelings have set the milestone for women’s liberation movement and their quest to be treated as equal to men.

Men and women, though similar to a certain extent, are different when it comes to equality and rights. Women must be happy with what they have—a common agenda which they can discuss over and over, form networks and alliances for empowerment, enjoy women’s rights, and fight for affirmative action and so on. However, women need to come out from the orthodox mindset of considering their “competitors” as their enemies. They should understand that men are not their enemies; they are rather a product of a patriarchal society. Similarly, men should respect all the feminists of the world and create harmony with women. After all, the world cannot be progressive at all…in the absence of one of you…Women or men…Men or women…

(P.S. My respect to third sex as well)

This blog originally appeared on deepti.instablogs.com on July 24, 2008.