So the other day, in the midst of a conversation, I asked this old woman in my neighborhood what qualities she thought a women should possess in herself. She replied and I quote, "Ranna bari korbe (she should be able to cook), ghorer kaj janbe (she should know her domestic duties well), shanto-shishtho hobe (she should be calm, composed and gentle)." And I do not blame her for this. It is the impact that her generation has had on her, and these are the morals with which they have been brought up.
These thoughts and morals have prevailed throughout generations that the attributes of managing the household chores, looking after the children and the rest of the family are all that women need to have. And let's be practical, in spite of whatever amount of education the girls of our country are receiving today, the orthodox mentality of the society is not fading away anytime soon.
They would still frown upon a woman who chooses her career over getting married. A woman who chooses not to have children is looked down upon as someone incapable of doing so; and women choosing jobs and professions stereotypically meant for men, instead of receiving support and encouragement from the society, get to hear comments like, "Ye toh ladka bante bante ladki ban gyi thi." Saddening, isn't it?
Well, literacy alone is not going to change this mindset of the people. It is upon the young generation now to take a step forward and spread awareness. It is on us to make the society realize that cooking, cleaning or managing the family should not be treated like a gender role anymore. These are more of the basic qualities that both men and women should possess in order to survive.
The society needs to understand that looking down on women and suppressing their very existence is not going to take us further towards any achievements. It is high time that it starts looking at men and women in the same way, and treating them alike.
And the next time we ask someone what qualities they think a women should possess, the answer to it should be that a women should possess the same qualities that a man does. A woman should have as much as the education that a man has. Apart from cooking and cleaning, she should be trained in several other attributes such as self defense, driving, fitness, etc. She should possess qualities that make her life easy. And it is the society that should encourage her towards developing and maintaining such attributes. And that's how we will see our 'New Woman', with her new attributes.
