Let us accept that women constitute half of the world’s population. With education and opportunities opening up in India, women are increasingly joining the white collar workforce. The earlier perverted mindset that believed women were fit to only work in the field or in the kitchen was compelled to change due to economic pressures.
The male mentality in India has always been retrograde, thus delaying progress and prosperity of society at large. With the current changes taking place, the future of this country may become brighter. Many believe that a woman workforce is definitely more focused and non-flippant compared to male workers.
The areas in which women are not involved are shrinking progressively, the only exceptions being those that involve extreme physical strain, although one has to only look at the women of various countries working for agriculture in the fields and measure their physical endurance to dispel any wrong notions.
We shall not mess here discussing about women fighter aircraft pilots. It is said the West has shown the way to other societies in effecting a turn of this nature, and this matches with their desire for gender equality, which gravely suffers even in those countries. Nations like India will need to do more in this field while caution is also advised against likely problems that could arise out of over-zealous endeavours.
The concern for gender equality in the West has also to do with a concern for fair-play in woman-man relationships. A laudable instance is of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to go on an official two-month paternity leave.
This would be Zukerberg’s second child and he similarly had taken leave for his first baby. It is not that Zukerberg cannot go off work in his own company. This paternity leave is a loud and clear message that fathers need to put in their bit in constructing a healthy family. Although most women consider childbirth to be a blessing, men in countries like India tend to miss out on this beautiful aspect of life.
Zukerberg’s message is something that we in India need to take note of. Escaping responsibilities on the pretext of work may not hold good anymore. The idea that the ‘bread earner’ has no responsibilities in terms of family is wearing thin.
If we continue with these kinds of defined gender roles, it is certain that the future generations will tend to become more regressive and incapable of handling newer social demands. That could result in creation of situations which may, very easily, break down our already weak social fabric.
Notable in a related light is an idea being pushed by the Chief Minister of Kerala to facilitate menstrual leave for women in the government sector. This has gained support from senior CPM leader Brinda Karat, who sought a “legal provision for menstrual leave”.
Menstrual leave would necessarily be a regular process that may eventually turn out to be a hindrance for women aspiring to build a career. There is a great possibility of a situation being borne in which employers will shy away from hiring women because of too many leave hassles.
This kind of a hindrance may not be easy to be rid of simply by new legislations. In the same breath, it may be appropriate to mention that many world class female sportspersons are known to take part in field and track events during menstrual cycles. This implies most women can and do work throughout the month. Therefore, demanding special concessions for women is a sure-fire way to disable their aspirations for growth from the beginning.
