Development in terms of inventions,
technological advances et al. is a boon for women as it has made the lives of
most women easier to navigate, more enriching and less strenuous.
If we evaluate the social bindings
that tie us up (as females), we find that it is actually decided by our societal,
cultural and psychological framework, which in turn, is determined by our
biological characteristics. Stereotypes are, thus attached to our existences
and our role as an individual is defined by these.
In prehistoric times men and women
were hunters and nomads, both moving at the same pace, hand in hand...
With the gradual transition of
lifestyle, from the nomadic to permanent settlements; that started with the
inception of farming and cattle rearing, there was a change of prospects for
the women too. They were expected to stay back and look after the farms and
cattle while the men ventured out to procure the other essentials to meet a decent
livelihood. The maternity and child rearing phenomenon (which is a biological
function distinct from our male counterparts) further sketched their role as
homemakers who were restricted to the boundaries set for them. With the passage
of time females were left with physically weaker genes, socially, emotionally
and economically dependent on the males.
Homo sapiens without classification
of sexes (and setting aside the expected gender roles) are polygamous in
nature. The consequences of sexual adventures leave its mark only on a woman,
as she is the one who conceives and undergoes the process of childbirth. This makes
her further vulnerable and this biological distinction started to nail down the
appropriate behaviour and attitudes, roles and activities for them, and how
they should relate to other people. This learned behaviour is what makes up
Gender Identity and determines gender roles and responsibilities.
All through the ages the role of a
woman was defined by the men they were with and the societal norms that ruled
their clan. The capacity of women to create life, which is a near divine power,
became a source of shame and exploitation. Eventually the status of women was
reduced to such levels that they were treated as objects to pleasure men, goods
to settle dues, wives to take care of the entire family and stay home bound.
Their existence was only to gratify the need to of the society in diverse ways.
And the worst part of this was that women too started to believe in it. They
started to stay in self styled cages, like the birds that knew that the cage
door was open; there were ways of escape and soar high in the sky, yet sat
inside, in the comfort zones.
Even in those times there were the
rebellious few, but they had to face the fury of the chauvinistic oppressors,
who were not open to the idea of women sharing an equal platform, with the men
folk.
But all this has changed over time;
very slowly, yet steadily. There has been a major shift in the way women
perceive themselves today. The advancement of science and technology has
enabled women to break down the age-old shackles that bound them from time
immemorial. There is no more, the fear of the threats that women were subject
to, in the past. The web has increased connectivity, reach, and broadened
horizon for millions of our kind. Women live a freer life and there is a growth
of independence both in economic and emotional areas.
Life has become more transparent,
there are answers to the questions that were previously never addressed; there
is a feeling of sisterhood, support from one another, global connection, a
bigger stage to explore and much more. Times are changing. There is a paradigm
shift towards empowering women in the true sense of the term.
Today our lives look more promising and
there is hope in the horizon. One half of the women population is building them
up and empowering themselves. They will take their light into the dark dungeons
of oppression...and light up the lives of the rest.
That is the power We hold within, the power that
was taken away from us, the power We have Rediscovered.
