2 years, 2 months ago-
Patriarchy says – ‘Hey, you are a man, go work your ass up!’, ‘Hey ,your a woman, look after your children and serve your husband!’ So how is it beneficially for anyone? While patriarchy downgrades women and considers men superior to women it forces men to fit in with the preconceived notions of the society, too. We get so preoccupied with getting women the equality they deserve that we often quash the other gender in that process.
Men are equally victimized by the walls of patriarchy as women. Since the day they are born, they are told to ‘act tough’, ‘be bold’, ‘cry in silence or not cry at all’. They are supposed to act like a man and never show any signs of emotions. And for those who do! Well, they are often bullied, ridiculed and labelled as ‘not worthy enough to be a man’. They are forced upon to live up to the toxic myth of masculinity. Millions of boys at their young age suffer from depression and anxiety with the pressure to fit in with their manly enough peers. When they grow up, they are expected to sacrifice their dreams and take a job that pay them high enough to be the ‘pride of their family’. The constant pressure to earn high and increase the standard of living for themselves and their children, weighs their shoulders will all the responsibilities making them the sole income earner of their households.
Patriarchy is bad in itself. It affects a woman as much as it affects a man. And in our fight for gender equality we must fight patriarchy not MEN! Its time for us to break these boxes of gender stereotypes and put an end to patriarchy.
Yes! Patriarchy is harmful to both men and women. The degree of harm might differ for both the genders, but it doesn’t mean that men are totally free from it. Patriarchy poses millions of problems for men as well. Men are constantly told to be “manly” as if that even means something. The society has made a patriarchal notion of men, and that just means that a man should be physically strong, un-emotional, un-caring, and the sole earner of the family.
Boys from young age start getting pressurised for not showing emotions. They are told that “boys don’t cry” or “boys are not weak” and other stuff like that. This significantly affects their mental health, and men usually internalize this harmful notion that they are always supposed to come off as emotionally “strong” and never show their emotions. They feel that crying is a sign of weakness and they constantly neglect their true emotions only for the fear of what will people say. And the harm of patriarchy in men’s lives doesn’t just stop here. Men are taught from a young age that they’ll be the bread winner of the family, they are constantly told to give up on their actual dreams just so that they can earn more and that too as early in their life as possible.
So it is apparent that patriarchy is not only harmful towards women (as is the usual notion) but it also impacts men’s lives in a very negative way and overall it is very harmful for the society.
Patriarchy is a system of society in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it. It is present among us in so many ways like a family being identified by a male and not a female and the concept that a man is supposed to work outside and be a breadwinner for the family while a woman should work inside and take care of the household. When it comes to the workplace, sometimes there are traces of women falling prey to misogyny. When men witness women doing better than them, they hardly accept a woman’s leadership and as a result, she is required to work in a tactful environment where her opinions do not matter as much.
Patriarchy affects everyone, it is a curse to society. A man is affected by patriarchy as much as a woman. Due to patriarchy, men become victims of social stigma that they have to be the breadwinner, carry the responsibilities of the family and they have to be stoic, strong, and non-emotional all the time and what not! This stereotyping of males and females has caused many problems in society and will continue to be a big threat if it isn’t treated from the core. Definitely, Patriarchy is harmful to men as much as it is harmful to women. Patriarchy is a disease that infects everyone. As a society, we have to learn, unlearn and relearn a number of things related to patriarchy. Everyone should work together to make this world a place that believes in equality and the empowerment of all genders.Yes, it is harmful to both genders. Being allocated certain criteria before birth, how is it beneficial to any of the sexes. According to the patriarchal approach, women have been expected to be at home and should serve their parents and then their inlaws and their husbands and children. Whereas men are expected to work, earn and be the head of the family without their consent nothing can take place in the home. It’s unlikable to any person because every individual is first a human being and then comes gender. Every person should be allowed to live their lives according to their decisions. Patriarchy never lets you develop as a person. It never lets you do what you want to do whether you are a man or a woman.
I have seen some men who like to cook and wanted to be a chef, but this thinking made them sacrifice their dreams. Sacrificing one’s dreams, happiness just for the sake of obsolete and wrong thinking. Men are always told that a real man never cries, he has no emotions, they are made to understand that men should be tough not only externally but also internally. As human beings feelings are a blessing to us by God, but these people suggest a man should never show their emotions and if he does so, he is humiliated by society.
People should deny these patriarchal norms because they are breaking from the inside and will never let us grow together. Our nation will be able to grow and develop an open mindset only if this generation stops following such views and tries to make understand those people who support this ideology.
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