Get Inspired, Be Empowered › Forums › Sexism & Patriarchy › Why does society place greater onus on mothers in raising children? › Reply To: Why does society place greater onus on mothers in raising children?
In developed countries, women have equal rights and also have development opportunities. In developing countries such as India where women’s literacy is low, women are deprived of their basic rights. But in the real world, when we look around, we realize that these elements like population, the position of women are not enough to give a complete picture of women’s place in society. There is a far greater complexity standing behind this phenomenon. Women are the greatest assets of our nation. Dr. Rajendra Prasad said about women ‘that if the nation is great then it is due to its women who have built it up and it is because of the women that this nation has been recognized and respected.
It is a matter of pride that women play important role in defeating terrorism, illiteracy, and advocating peace. How far have they gone in this direction makes a great difference to the future of humankind? The National Commission on Status of Women in India has put forward some proposals focusing on equality and empowerment of women through policymaking. However, they are not given their due share of functions and responsibilities in real life. Women are discriminated against as compared to men and their education is neglected. Indian girls are thought to be only fit cooking, going marketing and cleaning house or to get married early.
In India, this huge potential of women has not been utilized to its optimum extent. The education for women in India is still at the grassroots level in comparison to the education of their male counterparts. Today’s woman is aware and greatly concerned about her civic rights but is unaware of her role in nation-building. Mothers are the fundamental force in the continuation of family lineage. To neglect her role is to jeopardize social, development, and economic growth goals. A woman’s contribution lies in the fact that she fulfills her duties and responsibilities not just as a wife or mother but as a citizen of society who contributes to the development of the nation as well as sustenance and progress of family life.
The family has become a looser unit of society where the woman’s role has been equated with that of a man. Despite women’s attitude in the workplace, it is their role as mothers that remains deeper-rooted to their persona. This is not meant to imply that men have no part to play in child-rearing. A properly divided responsibility between mother and father is important for the development of a child’s self-esteem. It is no surprise that such a ‘heavy’ task or responsibility as ‘raising citizens’ is assumed by the woman. The mother is fed up with her teeth with her children and she feels she plays the role of a perpetual babysitter who has to deal not only with the children but also with their father, other elders of the family.