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The status of women in modern society
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THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN MODERN SOCIETY
MODERN WOMEN
Issues
The whole situation in today’s women world leads to some basic questions. Do women feel insecure, unhappy and dissatisfied more than their predecessors? Why are they confused about women’s role and position in modern society? Is employment making women economically strong, but socially and emotionally broken? What can be done to empower women? Is there any mid-way, which could make women secure, aware, confident and happy without disturbing the familial peace and social harmony?
With changing times, women risen up to situation
Modern women have proved that they are second to none, whether it is home, or outside home at their workplace. Even in areas which are far away from their traditional role as a housewife. With changing times, they have risen up to the occasion and managed the work both inside and outside the home at her work place. – such as in industry, media, IT, politics, technology, administration/ management, armed forces or civil services. Outside, they work shoulder-to-shoulder with men almost in all the areas. They are educated. Many of them are financially independent.
At home, they rear children with love and affection and manage household activities. They have shown their capability to deal with the recent economic depression.
Modern women are more aware than their predecessors of their rights and are keen to exercise them. They know their worth in within the family, in the society and in the world.
Women in western world
Women of Western world today enjoy more privileges in matters of education, employment, freedom, liberty & equality than their counterparts in eastern world.
Margaret Thatcher, the Prime Minister of United Kingdom during late eighties led her country from a bad economic condition to success. She has shown to the world that women are capable of wielding political power even in a “Developed country” like England.
But the erosion of family values and decay of day today ‘social life’ has always been a matter of concern in the USA and the West. There people and leaders regularly call for the restoration of social/family values and systems, which basically depend on culture of ‘inclusiveness’ and not on the concept of ”exclusiveness’, which Western societies glamorize.
Women in Eastern World
The eastern world, especially nations in Asia are still struggling to give to its women their rightful place. Problems of high female mortality rate, sexual harassment, deaths during childbirths still exist there. There are millions of women who are denied of pleasures of life because of their gender. Their problems are deeply ingrained in the history, laws and cultures of complex and sophisticated Asian societies.
Confusion in women’s mind about their role in life
There is a confusion in women’s mind as well as to what should be their role in life – that of a home-maker or a career woman. On the one hand they are under constant pressure, because psychological strains are created by the need to conform to socially induced images of femininity – to be a good wife, perfect mother and efficient home-maker. On the other, desire to establish their own identity or financial strains in family life force them to become career women.
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Still victims of social evils and discrimination
A large number of women are still victims of many evil social customs and traditions, which are ingrained in the history, culture and laws of the patriarchal system of society. Most heinous crimes are still done against women irrespective of caste, creed, time or place such as infanticide, physical abuse, early marriage, illiteracy, unequal rights in marriage, divorce, rape, inheritance, restrictions on widow remarriage. etc,. The list is endless. Crimes against women are increasing everyday.
Reasons
Reasons for sufferings/insecurity of women-folk are many like:
- Indifferent attitude – The male-dominated society and callous government usually turns a blind eye to the gender issues. Secondly, the administration and judiciary are very slow in reaching and taking any kind of measure. ”
- Strains on modern families – A modern woman, when in need, does not find enough support systems to fall back on, which usually her own family used to provide earlier. Due to fast-pace of modern life, busy life-style, lack of time and other constraints on modern families, it has become almost impossible to get earlier kind of emotional or physical support. Many surveys show that a significant number of women leave workforce when they start a family. Maternity is usually seen as a disruption in career. There is a dramatic decline in the share of women as they move up the hierarchy.
- Growing intolerance amongst youths – The tolerance level of people is continuously decreasing. Aspirations and ambitions have increased beyond limits. Everybody wishes to touch the sky with least effort and with no loss of time. Failure in achieving one’s targets due to one reason or the other, make a person intolerant and angry.
- Liberal ‘divorce’ laws – In modern families, marriages are no more considered to be a lifelong commitment. Intolerance amongst youth is increasing. A woman can not be sure due to lack of mutual understanding, how long her marriage will last. It does not take much time or effort for both the couple to walk out. A little bit of intolerance or misunderstanding puts her married status in danger and compels her to cope up with all kinds of problems and difficult situations single-handedly.
- Adversities of life arising out of economic, social, psychological and environmental situations hit women’s world worst. During times of war, struggle, unstable economy, natural calamities and infighting amongst various sections of society, women along-with children are the primary victims and are worst hit.
- At times in an attempt to safeguard/uphold their independence/authority within the family or at working place, some women become insensitive, narrow minded and sometimes ruthless. Too much of assertion of their independence or authority create complications in their own life and in others’ lives as well, which ultimately develop insecurity in women’ s minds.
- Government’s inefficiency/failure to implement honestly and sincerely the laws passed to protect the interests of women.
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Disoriented psyche of a modern woman
Women like men are now in a rat race for power, position and money. Self-gratification and heroism (feeling of being super women) is taking prevalence over social responsibilities. Breaking down of value system is affecting adversely familial bonds or bonds of marital loyality. They are in a hurry to fulfil their desires and in the process end seems to justify means. Such an attitude has led to a situation, where they do not want to compromise in any way their time and resources, most of the times not even for their own children. Modern women at times do not find or devote enough time to inculcate positive values in the minds of growing-up children.
PLIGHT OF WOMEN
Plight of home-makers
A woman as a homemaker contributes a lot directly by providing a sound foundation for well-knit family and a stable society and indirectly in development ofnation by giving it confident, encouraged and responsible young citizens. She inculcates positive qualities in future citizens of the nation i. e. their children, which inevitably become part of their nature and provide guidelines for their wholesome behaviour pattern.
What does she get in return? A woman in her traditional role as a homemaker/ housewife is the most neglected person in modern society. Degree of negligence differs at different places and is ingrained in mindset of its people, laws, history, customs and cultures of different societies.
They face many difficulties and make many sacrifices while doing multi- faceted jobs within their house, though in smaller area, like house-keeping, accounting, counseling, commuting, nursing, taking care of elders in the family, rearing up children, educating them, inculcating confidence and good values in them, etc. etc.
A home-maker generates in each and every member of family a feeling of being wanted and loved. She provides to her husband tension-free atmosphere to develop his personality in full and prosper in life. He gets enough time, energy and purpose to pursue/progress in his career without hassle. To elders she provides a desirable shelter and comfort. All these jobs require lots of patience, tolerance and sense of responsibility.
But what do homemakers get in return from the society or the nation for spending all their time and energy in managing all family affairs/chores efficiently and making everybody in the family happy, comfortable and contended. It is not recognized as a fulfilling and respected job by modern society. It is considered as a thankless job. The contribution of homemakers to the family or society as a daughter, as a wife or as a mother usually remains invisible, undervalued, unpaid. It is taken for granted.
Willingly or unwillingly, a homemaker is still under many social, economic, legal restrictions. Since she does not earn money directly, her position in family is belittled. Economically she always remains dependent on man throughout her life either on father or husband or sons. Society considers her a big burden/liability.
Homemakers are regarded as ignorant, unworthy of interest, useless and dull creatures. Quite often, she is made fun for wasting her time and energy in cooking and doing other thankless/boring household jobs. Such an attitude of society either shakes her confidence or works as a disincentive. She herself starts considering management of house a thankless job and desires to join the mainstream and earn directly.
Plight of career women
In recent past, modern women have departed from their traditional role of only being housewives/ homemakers or mothers and wives. Price-rise, inflation, economic strains on family has forced women to work and add something to the family income.
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A regular paid job has made her financially secure and satisfied, liberated and empowered. But seeing the difficulties, a career women faces, one is often forced to think does employment make a woman economically strong, but socially and emotionally broken.
There is always a fear at the back of her mind that if she loses the chance, there are many others waiting in the queue.
Taking up a full time job is not much of a problem for single women/childless women or women having grown-up children. But it becomes very difficult and strenuous for a career woman to manage both the household tasks and the responsibilities assigned to them at their work place. All the time, they have to work very-very hard, a bit here and a bit there and thus they have to cope with the work at home and in the office.
Sometimes, because of stress and strains, a career woman faces health problems, her busy schedule affects adversely proper growth of children.
Recent transition has made some of women over-confident and over-ambitious. The psyche of such modern, educated and liberated women has led them to be in ruthless competition with men. In their hurry to win the race and further their career, they overlook their social responsibilities. They desire to have similar freedom, liberty and carefree life, as usually male counterparts enjoy. They prefer to act or behave like men.
Such women take all major decisions in the family and to dictate their own terms. They want to control the destiny of everybody around them. They do whatever they want and enjoy life in their own way. To them, nothing matters in life except for their own self.
Plight of an urban woman
Two income families are fast becoming the norm of urban modern society. It puts a great pressure on urban women. Modern trend of nuclear family system and desire of liberated woman for complete freedom have aggravated their problems.
Increased necessities due to consumerism and lure for luxury items have added to the miseries of urban women, who suffer more than a rural woman due to social evils like infanticide, divorce, child care, polygamy etc.
Plight of rural women
Many rural women are victims of poverty, ignorance, illiteracy and unemployment. Rural women irrespective of caste or class have to suffer more than urban women in three critical areas: –
- Access to education,
- Reproductive health
- Credit Resources.
Women in rural areas become victims of abuse, harassment, humiliation and exploitation because of the laziness, drunkenness, debts, vices or violent attitude of their own men-folk. Wife beating, desertions, polygamy are the common practices amongst them.
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