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The concept of ‘Dharam-Patni’ does not leave the blood of Indian reforms. Even when women are achieving success in different fields, it all falls to that one question. It is, ‘how you will be able to look after your family if you continue working at odd hours.’ Such comments are thrown at the face of a woman like she was born to be a wife. It reminds me of society’s representation of, ‘oh, you are a woman; you should know how to do these tasks.’ It is disheartening to stand up to the expectations of a society that does not bother about your existence.
The girl child education might sound empowering, but it always boils down to looking after the family first. One expects a woman to stand up to home duties irrespective of her desire to receiving an education or continue working as a corporate leader.
One may consider it as sarcastic, but if society had the power to cook a recipe for women to be good wives, Indians would have been a bit rich by now. The Indian community especially talks about the importance of motherhood because as soon as a mother leaves, things become topsy-turvy. You must have seen memes on social networking sites about how things are difficult to find when you do not have a motherly figure at home. If we critically analyze it, one may notice that we are imposing a role on women as their duty to be at home and take care of family.
Even before marriage, the family or the other members of society condition women to look more after the in-laws and husband than looking more after the work. Also, the blessings are concerning more a family than a woman’s work aspiration. The modern age hasn’t changed much, but I hope it realizes someday that the responsibilities of men and women are the same, and there should be no difference between the two.