International Woman's Day 2011

I got up today morning to the One news team (NZ Breakfast show) talking about the events on Woman's Day (or rather the lack of it in Auckland). Little did I realize that during the day, I would be reading about a mother who decided to leave her children and pursue her career. I also went through the remarks of various readers below the news item. Click here. Not surprisingly, most were critical of the person or had little sympathy, if any. These included lot of women.

Brings me to the question that has been on the back-burner for quite some time in my mind - about motherhood. Is it a "divine gift" as the traditional views would love us to think of it; an "injustice of nature" as the feminists of the world would probably depict it or simply a "biological function" meant to perpetuate human species in this world? There are reality TV shows and soap operas full of mothers who have no business to be mothers if we give "mother" the place next to God. I am afraid, there are many houses in real world also, similar to these and from these come many disturbed, twisted psyches that wreak havoc in society.

So, in the defense of the "Matru devo bhav"(Sanskrit saying - Mother is similar to God) school of thought, I can find only one logic that as there has to be someone who has to see that proper values and life skills are given to the next generation, and as earlier, most of the bread winning was done by males, hence, motherhood was literally dumped upon the female of the species. Today, I see no harm in rethinking the entire issue and redefining the role of parenting rather than that of just a mother.

Fashion in women

Go to any supermarket and compare the number of shops and number of items relating to women's garments, accessories and makeup to those of men. I won't be surprised if the proportion turns out to be 4:1 or more. Some would immediately say it is the doing of the marketing wizards of the industry who have created the demand for all sorts of beauty and fashion products. However, it is equally true that in women they have found a “soft target”. This is not happening with men folk with that much of aggression. Recently this thought struck me, or rather, the thought was always in my mind, but recently it refused to go away that why is this so?

Is it the way it is and has been since time immemorial - remember Biblical Delilah, legendary Cleopatra and the Moghul empress Noor Jahan who were supposed to be Divas in their days - suggesting that the female of the species are instinctively (Gene structure and all those things) more "feminine" hence like to be delicate and dandy? Or is it another of the male domination thing - making the female an ornamental object?

I tried to test both of these hypotheses by asking some women of substance who I come across. The replies lead me to believe that the second premise is more near the truth than the first. Reasons -
• A man with a pot belly, balding head and blackheads all over his face is good enough to get a job, seek a girl for marriage or get invited to parties. He can be a jolly fellow, be the life of a party or even attain a high position in career and society. A woman with similar attributes is generally advised a complete cosmetic make over – remember “Ugly Betty” or its Indian avatar – “Jassi”
• Most of the women who are successful are either already good looking or try to look good. Some brave ones who do not toe the line, are ridiculed as uninteresting old fashioned hags or whatever. I am not aware of any research in this matter but my belief is that it is not relevant if you are a man.