Throughout the history of mankind, women have been the ‘lesser gender’, more so in the last century. Their role has been thought to be limited to nurturing, caregiving and serving; it can be said that the purpose of women was only to be child rearing objects. In recent history although the feminism movement has been taking big strides, the woes of women around the world are too violent and heart clenching to be ignored.
A woman’s identity has been time and time again reduced only to her gender; she has had to fight the world to prove her worth. In modern society. Women’s exploitation can be seen in two forms- one is an obvious physical one, and the other is the subtle social exploitation she experiences. The examples of social exploitation can be seen almost everywhere. Corporates still prefer to hire men over women, assuming that they would leave work once they get busy with married life and children. The underlying sexism and misogyny are more than evident in this situation. Women are thought to be weaker and more delicate than men and hence seen as less worthy of being granted opportunities.
Women all over the world today are forced to live in fear. Every single woman that you know has been afraid to walk alone on empty streets, has carried a key or pepper spray with her for safety and had watched her every word when interacting with men to make sure they don’t say something that angers them. This world of anxiety and fear is completely foreign to men. The daily flood of negative and loathsome news about rape and murder have left women no choice but to be scared.
These are just the few ways in which women are being exploited in our so called progressive modern society. Yes, women have come a long way in recognizing their autonomy and rights, but our society is nowhere near to a safe haven for women.
-Avanti Sathe