Dear Editor,
The structure of Indian society has always been male dominated. But in modern era, women tried to break the centuries of shackles by venturing into male dominated areas. Though we have grown by leaps and bounds yet the most basic structure of society is showing no signs of improvement. We proud Indians of 21st century rejoice in celebrations when a boy is born, and if it is a girl, a muted or no celebrations is the norm. A thorough look at newspaper daily shows us so many incidents of gender inequality. The root cause of gender inequality in Indian society lies in its patriarchy system. Patriarchy is “a system of social structure and practices in which men dominate, oppress and exploit women”. Women’s exploitation is an age old cultural phenomenon of Indian society. Therefore, what is needed is the movement for women’s empowerment where women can become economically independent and self-reliant; where they can fight their own fears and go out in the world fearless; where they can snatch their rights from the clutches of men and they don’t have to ask for them; where women have good education, good career, ownership of property and above all where they have freedom of choice and also the freedom to make their own decisions without any fear. Let’s hope and wish that our participative democracy, in times to come, and with the efforts of both women and men, would be able to find solutions to the problem of gender inequality and would take us all towards our cherished dream of a truly modern society in both thought and action.
Vivek Koul
Gole Gujral Jammu