This topic has been at the back of my mind for a while now. The big question is "girls equal to boys" or are "boys equal to girls". There have been a lot of debates on this front, and a lot of people would want to join this one too. I am no authority and what you will be reading is my perspective about this whole topic. It is questionable and you may want to post your thoughts in here too, but please understand, its strictly my viewpoint.
To begin with, i want to understand this whole reason of comparison. I believe it all started with the dominance in early years. But here is where i believe things went out of context as the comparison or dominance is not the reason for if i remember it clearly, God created two separate entities with two different aims and results.
Let’s go back in history and try to relate to it. Man was "gatherer and Hunter" what it means is, he has to look out for new avenues for arranging food. This also involved hunting the animals and aiming at fruits on trees. Which necessarily meant that he had to be focused and had to aim at a particular thing/animal. That's where present generation men get the inability to look beyond the person sitting in front of you. Try a small exercise, go to coffee with your friends, spend about half an hour, then try to remember the color of sofa/chair or something which was not in the vicinity. Chances of you remembering it will be very low. Also, try this, go out with your girlfriend and try to keep talking to her while try to look at someone else, i am sure, you'd be caught and prompted coz you will not be able to disguise it.
On the contrary, girls/women were at home, and had the duty to protect the house/kids from scavengers. Which necessarily meant that they have to have a 360 degree view. That's the sole reason why your girlfriend can do all of the above without you noticing it. :)
Now, the second thought, males are typically considered extremely efficient while doing multi-tasking. So much so, that if you are good at it, you would rise very high in your ranks and very fast. While its extremely normal for women to manage and remember kitchen, kids, clothes, shopping, etc. This doesn’t mean that either is superior or inferior, its just the way it is meant to be.
The third comparison, physical strength. Man as i mentioned, was a hunter/gatherer, it was imperative for him to be strong as he didn’t knew what would attack him and from where. While women was most of the time protected and hence subsequently developed a low content of physical power. Now, i am not undermining their ability to do the work and bear kids, etc, all i am saying is that its easy for a man to push the car, change the wheels while its apparently difficult for women to do it.
If you read through above things, i have never compared the mental ability of either. There is a reason for it, for i believe that mental ability is same in both. This is the reason of having so many woman colleagues at office as these days its less of physical work and more of mental prowess that's required to complete the work. Woman are rising in their ability to compete with men but there is a limitation, they are competing "best" when its work which requires mental strength and controlled environment.
The other critical thing that i have always believed is, why is this need of comparison. Why do we want to be like other, why not retain our very reason to be. Now, by this I don’t mean women shouldn’t work, or that women are not capable (i know, i will have to be an idiot or a digvijay singh to take the debate to this nonsensical level), It’s just that some jobs, some profiles suit women better than man and that we have different responsibilities in society. The exceptions exist and will always exists, e.g. a woman working as a JCB driver for Tata motors and a Male chef with worlds best hotel. But, the core remains that we are two separate entities and should honor and respect it.
Comparison should always be within the category and not with the other category. Be a better man or a be a better woman, rather trying to be a better man over a woman or vice versa. God has made two separate entities, with separate aim and functionality, why do we want to lose the focus and compare them and loose all that can be earned.
Some people will talk about respect coming with working, or by being able to compete with men in the world. Let me correct it, your grandma, or mother were equally respected, yes a little less powerful than maybe your wife due to the monetary factor but there was no problem with respect. It’s just an outlook which money has brought in this debate.
Again, i have no problem in women working, i have no problem in men managing kitchen (i absolutely love doing it) but its this comparison that i hate, i don’t want to be compared to my wife in anything, not that either of us is superior but its just that you can’t compare one star to another star, only thing you would get is an argument and nothing beyond.
So all you people who talk about a girl being equal to a boy, try and ponder over giving better means to the girl in the path that she can excel, rather than trying to make her do the things that boy would do. Also, to parents, never make this statement to your daughter as all you are doing is undermining her very existence and downgrading her abilities.
-------------------
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
