The Role of Women in Indian Society
As a woman in India, I find that the society is changing a lot in terms of acceptance of women as professionals, as bread-earners in families and as independent thinking individuals. Women have proved themselves as equals in many professions as well as proved themselves even better suited than men in others. The situation for working women is improving fast.
On the other hand, in the typical Indian Society, you find that there are still expectations and assumptions about women that are not so much relevant to their current status, but a clear hangover from out supressive past. This may be more obvious in rural societies, but it is extremely prevalent in urban ones as well.
I am speaking of “running the home” kind of stuff. Regardless of how hard the man and woman of the house work, there are certain areas of the home that are the woman’s province in happy times and her nemesis in not so happy times.
“As the woman of the house, you should….” is a familiar refrain for most women in India. I think, it is high time that we as citizens of modern India took a good hard look at our automatic assumptions and investigated which among these are still applicable today, and which ones we simply need to let go.
Typical situations we see include the woman bringing a cup of hot tea for her man returning from work, or the woman returning home after her husband and heading straight to the kitchen to cook dinner, and so on.
On an average, in any home where women are working, their income is also important to the well-being of the home and the living standards. Where it is not a question of money, it is generally possible to employ someone for the work in the house. So when we speak of a traditional role of a woman being responsible for the efficient running of her home, it is something we need to be aware of as an additional expectation made from her.
The traditional role of a man has been the one of earning the money for the running of the home. This has changed to a great extent. Working women contribute to the expenses of running their homes as well. However, there has been little contribution from men in terms of shouldering some of the responsibilities of women.
One interesting insight I received into this was from a friend. He said, “See, women find the outside world challenging and attractive. They like the freedom it brings to them. So they enter the world. There is no reason for a man to find the women’s traditional role appealing, so he doesn’t. No one has forced the women to step into the man’s role, and no one should force the men to step into a woman’s role”
On the surface, this seems to strike sense. However, the flaw lies in an assumption of curent roles that are the same as traditional roles and that the women are entering “a man’s territory”. This simply doesn’t hold true in most cases today. Women are educated and often have their careers well before they get married and it is as much their right as the man’s work is his. However, the other part, wher ehte men don’t find the house work appealing enough to invest effort in still holds true.
This is something that needs to be taken an honest assessment of. If we abandon the traditional perspective of division of responsibilities inside and outside the home (since it has already been broken in the outside the home area), we come to a situation where the couple are both inhabiting a home and earning and contrubuting toward its running. What we need to find is a sharing of responsibilities inside the home as well, that allows both some dignity.
This would also help resolve many situations where a man feels threatened by a working woman. Why wouldn’t he. She earns, she spends, she invests, and on top of that, she is independent in terms of being able to manage her own existence completely, including running of her own home.
There is no point pushing the women down. What needs to happen is the removal of the “un-machoness” associated with responsibilities at home and recognise it as the actions of a responsible and independent individual, whether male or female. This would actually add some power to the increasingly “lazy” image of men among women and empower them with some self-respect, while empowering the women with acceptance and support from the one source that matters the most.
Please not that I am not speaking of every man out here. There are many couples who are already on this journey and find themselves comfortable both inside and outside the home, and the mutual respect and closeness can be seen a mile off in such couples.
I sincerely think that this is an important adaption that is the need of today’s times.
March 15th, 20083:06 am at
exellent about women
May 13th, 20089:03 pm at
go women
September 15th, 20089:52 am at
very well put together and well said….go women!!!
October 22nd, 20088:48 am at
very well said ………….
a women should get wt she deserves
November 19th, 20089:55 pm at
GREAT
A WOMEN DESERVES IT. SO GO WOMEN AND WIN THIS WORLD
December 17th, 200810:42 am at
Excellant, you have the courage to say the truth. Women must know their rights at home as well at work place.
Keep it up.
January 13th, 20097:42 am at
excellent
January 26th, 200911:20 am at
Bravo, very well written! keep it up.
March 17th, 20091:57 am at
Excellant,
May 20th, 20092:19 am at
excellent
May 25th, 20091:30 am at
excellent written
September 6th, 20098:58 am at
i don’t know what to say………..some of you have written…. go women or excellent work or the writer’s having courage to speak truth……
simply no offence guys……….but this article isn’t about courage or excellent writing skills………its really about attitude,closeness and mutual respect………best thing ……. try n understand what writer’s saying.
September 6th, 20095:09 pm at
yes , it is the truth said by writer , That no women is less than man come on!! keep it .
September 16th, 20091:34 am at
o.k
September 16th, 20098:19 am at
EXCELLENT, i think this is the way to prove women, so be positive and ………..GO AHED!!!
September 24th, 200911:25 am at
I would say excellent for what i have read about the women above!
We should have more of these type of information s and websites specially for women. We women have to prove that we can do and work as like a man does. We should show our courage and braveness towards the nation. We should stop being hiding from men and come up with our ideas.
September 28th, 200911:50 pm at
very interisting i learn so much
October 1st, 20098:48 am at
bravo!
i like it!
October 3rd, 20091:50 am at
Thank you everyone!
October 6th, 20092:42 am at
Your writing is mindblowing. WE ARE OPENING A NEW JOURNAL NAMED “THE MIRROR OF TIMES” WHEREIN MANY PROMINENT WRITERS LIKE NABANITA DEV SEN, ANTARA DEV SEN, SUNIL GANGULY, SANKHA GHOSH, N.V. SUBARRAMAN, D.C. CHAMBIAL, PRADIP K. CHOUDHURY, PRONAB K. MAJUMDAR WILL DISPLAY THEIR WRITINGS. WE WOULD LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO SUBMIT YOUR WRITINGS AT THE SAID MAGAZINE..
YOU CAN SEND YOUR WRITINGS AT E-MAIL:
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Your early responce is solicited.
Awaiting your positive feedback.
Saptarshi Dutt
Asst. Editor
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October 9th, 20094:45 am at
women are the creature of the world.
October 9th, 20094:48 am at
This content is excellent .
December 1st, 20097:23 am at
Women in villages and small cities also of India have wonderful potentials to bring excellance in every walk of life. Their will power, spiritual power, physical power and courage are amazing. Now they require power of technical know-how to hoist Indian Tricolour on the World horizon.
January 4th, 201010:26 am at
it is very nice explanation about women in indian soceity i got use from this site that is in my school they gave this topic for english elocation competetion and i got first price in school and third price in district level and i got the special price of best expression explainer title from district collector
January 28th, 201010:58 pm at
Dear Sir/Madam,
We got Married 05/03/2002, and have a daughter born 09/07/2005. My wife and she’s family given me 498a/34 IPC, FIR NO.276, date 31/08/2009, P.S.: BAGUIATI, it’s not true case, believe me. My wife are engaged/Affair with a boy (Sandip Samanta, S/O. Shankar Kumar Samanta S.B.I. Manager) his house front of my house, all the matters are know every person in my village, and also they given me written about my character. When my wife goes outside form my house near about many vory gold and cash 1.20 lack Indian rupees taken. Not taken my daughter, daughter is now in my house. My wife doing the 498a case’s date 31/08/2009 and I arrest 06/09/2009, court give me bail at 19/09/2009 my 1st court date is 16/10/2009 done. 2nd court date is 04/01/2010 done. Next court date is 07/07/2010 at Barasat court. Some proof (20 pcs. s.m.s., picture with the boy and a c.d.) has me about my wife and the boy that they are in illegal relation. Believe me I and my family love much more to my wife. They (My wife family) are very very poor and live in a bosti Address: 70/H/8 Manicktolla Main Road, Kolkata – 700054, Beside 5 Star Club, my mother see 1st time and she arrange my marriage, and Mother told me they are very poor so what? After marriage she is my family member, believe me not a single word is wrong. Before marriage my family not see my wife’s family, now we understand/also see that she’s family are very bad. My wife, she’s family and the boy they are misusing this law. Now my wife’s family understands all the affair matter. But my wife still now not agree she wants to marry to the boy. My wife left our only solitary daughter to me who is 4 years old having severe “Ashtama Disease, depends on INHEALER, here political Hide & seek game is going on & the father of the parents (THE FATHER OF THE BOY WHO HAS ILLICIT RELATIONS WITH MY WIFE) are rich, so they are spending money to everywhere with a view to be escaped. Now I decided that I’m not taken back my wife. I take a lawyer his name Mr. Kamelash Nandi. I don’t know what happened next? Now I went to punishment the boy. If possible please help me. Please investigate the matter and relief/save me and my family. And . My wife given me U/s. 125 Cr. P. C. Case NO.167/2009, date 16/12/2009. 1st Class Judicial Magistrate at Sealdah. 1st court date is 15/01/2010 done, 2nd court date is 12/02/2010.
Thanks
Dear Sir/Madam,
Dear friend’s, actually I’m 100 percent victim, so I went to knowing my matter all the Indian and others. I write my matter to our local P.S., Local Councilor, all M.P., M.L.A., Minister in W.B, C.M. in W.B., CBI in W.B, CID in W.B, Governor in W.B, and President in India. P.M. in India, Human rights department, AAP KI KACHEHRI – KIRAN KE SAATH, Kolkata Police, my nation, all of the news channels, and all press, and many more, absolutely you also, But nobody help me, I think you can help me, so I write to you. I’m Punishment + harassment Without Crime.
With kindest regards,
Dipak Kumar Adhikari
Tegharia(Dhali Para),NandanKanan. P.S.: Baguiati.
P.O. Hatiara. Kolkata-700059 Email: dipakadhikari_59@yahoo.com PH. 9836149983
W.B. India.