Since ancient times, India has been a male-dominated society! Although there have been tremendous reforms, is this enough? Can we truly say that we are no longer narrow-minded people but have adapted to an open and broad perspective?

Just because cruel practices like Sati have stopped, and girls are getting an education, working at par with men, and making their name everywhere in every field; is India improving?

I agree that there are many facilities for women, they have the right to alimony, can file divorce cases, have a share in property, are moving ahead in their lives, etc. but is it enough?

If we Indians were truly open-minded, by now there would have been no rape cases, sexual abuse, kidnapping, extortion, domestic violence, and many other heinous crimes against females!

Let's start right from birth!

There are many places, not only in villages, but also in elite, high-end families that when a girl child is born, people are not happy, society expresses 'sympathy' for the family! Why? Just because a girl is born? Comments like, "Don't worry, next time it won't happen," "better luck next time," are still being made by people! Girls are even killed the moment they are born!

Girls are still being gifted kitchen sets as birthday gifts. It has been instilled in them since childhood that their position is only in the kitchen. If a girl likes to play with cars, she is told, "It is for your brother, not for you to play!" If we can gift girls kitchen sets, why not gift them to boys too?

If a boy is seen playing with a doll, he is being laughed and mocked at! So what if a boy likes dolls? Does that make him a girl?

When there are visitors in the house, why is only the girl told to leave her work, study and whatever she is doing and serve the guests? Why isn't her brother told to do the same? He will be doing his own work, or sitting with the guests while the poor girl has to serve tea/coffee and snacks to the visitors? Is their equality?

There are few families who teach the household chores to both, their daughter and their son, which has to be done by everyone! They tell their son to learn the chores so that it will be easier for him to stay independently, or he can 'help' his future wife! But daughter's are being taught so that they will be 'better wives/ daughters-in-law' in future! Why aren't girls also told that they will 'help' their husbands? Why aren't boys told that it is their responsibility to do the house work?

If a wife/daughter-in-law does all the house work, cooking, cleaning, taking care of everything, making sure everything is in order; it is considered her responsibility and duty! She is not given even a tiny amount of appreciation or acknowledgment!

Whereas if a husband/son-in-law does the same, he is considered a great man, a remarkable man! He is praised as if he has achieved the whole universe singlehandedly! While the women who do this tirelessly day in and day out are told "there is nothing great in this! It is your duty!"

Society expects a lady to dress up in a saree on every occasion, or some ethnic wear, while the man is in a suit! Where is your 'tradition' there?

If you expect a lady to wear a saree or any Indian wear, even men should be wearing dhoti-kurta, pyjama-kurta, etc.

If you expect a lady to dress in heavy Indian wear, then even men should be wearing heavy and traditional Indian wear.

Why are only girls told to wear traditional clothes? Why aren't boys told the same too?

Always a girl is told to come home before 8 in the night, whereas the boy can freely roam around!

Girls are told to stay in the house, and not roam outside at night as bad men can be loitering outside, but the parents don’t realize that their son also comes under the ‘bad men’ category! If every family makes sure their sons are at home after evening, at least there will be safe streets for their daughters’ to roam and take a good relaxing walk in the night, without the constant feeling of fear!

Why as soon as a girl turns 18 are parents eager to marry her off! I am currently in 12th and I have seen my classmates already engaged, some even married! Living in a city, a metropolitan city! And many of their parents are after them, telling them that they will get them married after their 12th!

In this century people are still deeply rooted in their backwardness, and those narrow-minded thoughts!

They can’t think of anything other than a girl’s marriage!

Is marriage the only thing in a girl’s life?

Why aren’t men told to get married as soon as they turn 18?

Only when Indian parents will start saving money for their daughter’s ‘education’ and not ‘marriage’ will Indian be truly developed!

Girls are told to dream according to their ‘standard’! Like, seriously? If a girl is ambitious, society, even her own parents are ready to cut off her wings!

If a girl is bold, confident, and strong-headed, she is disliked by everyone! Because she knows what she wants, she doesn’t tolerate mistreatment, and the things society gives her, tells her to do under the name of ‘customs, traditions and rituals!’

Society isn’t used to such kind of women as they are used to the sweet, shy, soft-spoken and timid ladies all around them!

People only want their daughters to be shy, kind, sweet, soft-spoken, and remain timid for the rest of their lives!

I’m not saying being kind and sweet is wrong! But why is it expected only from girls?

Why are boys being laughed at when they are sweet and kind?

Why are boys taught since childhood not to cry? Are we discriminating between emotions too?

Why are girls always told how to laugh, how to sit, talk, and walk? Why aren’t boys told the same too?

Many parents tell their daughters to maintain distance from their male friends, and not to get too close with them in any way, but when their daughter is married, she is expected to consummate her marriage right on the first night of the wedding with someone who is a stranger she met some months ago and is now her ‘husband’! Is this tradition?

A newly married bride is told to take leave from work and stay at home for few days, while her husband is freely going to work? Why? Isn’t her work as important as her husband’s?

Daughters-in-law are told to give ‘good news’ right after marriage! For what joy? Just because people want to play with grandkids they tell women to get pregnant? If you want to play with babies, go to orphanages where there are lakhs of children, at least they will bless you!

Having a baby, not having a baby, when to have it is solely a woman’s choice! It is her body, her choice. Just because of society, in-laws, parents she has to get pregnant and nurse a child which is often without her will!

Aren’t women’s careers, and lives important too?

Having a child is not sunshine and roses! It comes with mood swings, hormonal imbalance, pain, labor, swollen legs, back and headaches, morning sickness, thyroid, high blood pressure, diabetes, and all sorts of diseases; not only during pregnancy, but also child birth and post partum!

Child birth is the second most painful thing in the whole world! Many women have died giving birth to children!

And plus the post partum depression, you won’t be able to walk properly, turning sides while lying down is horrible, and everything pains and aches!

A woman bears all such things along with those taunting people who come under the name of visiting the baby and forget about the mother because of whom the baby has come!

Women are still only being considered as slaves and baby-producing machines! People don’t say it, but their actions and thoughts scream it!

You still think Indian people are broad minded? Observe the way Indian daughters-in-law are treated and sons-in-law! You’ll know the difference.

Sons-in-law are respected greatly, they are never told to do all the house work when they visit their in-laws, they are never taunted, mocked, disrespected, their parents are never mocked or taunted, they are not expected to leave their house after marriage, they don’t have to get up early in the morning and cook and clean for the whole family, get children ready for school and iron their partner’s clothes and keep their things ready!

They are not told to eat only after in-laws are done eating. They are never told to stand and serve as the others enjoy the meal!

They are never seen working so hard in the kitchen, managing the house, and their career!

They are not tortured because their family couldn’t give the complete ‘dowry’!

Yes, dowry practice is still intact in every place, be it a village, town, or city!

They are not taunted if their partner leaves them at the wedding alter and runs away with somebody!

They are not blamed if they get divorced!

Let’s not even talk about single women, divorced women, single mothers and the like! Their tragedy is worse than anybody! People never let them live in peace.

Often, women are held responsible for marriage problems, divorce, etc. But have you heard of any man being beaten by his wife and in-laws? Have you ever heard of any man being tortured by his wife and in-laws? Have you ever heard of any man raped by his wife? Pressured by his wife and in-laws to have children, to leave the job, to stay with in-laws?

Why are only women told to do it? Why can’t men leave their house and stay with their wives in their houses?

Women are supposed to leave the house where they grew up, live with some strangers she met some months ago who are now her in-laws and tolerate all the nonsense they spew at her?

Is this marriage? Working like slaves for some people, tolerating their taunts, fights, and mocks at you and your family but keeping quiet, just to ‘maintain’ the relationship and family?

Our country is still not safe for girls!

Heinous crimes are committed against girls with no justice served! Just hanging the criminals or shooting them is not fine! Such people, no such ‘monsters in human skin’ should be punished severely! The part with which they committed the crime should be shredded into pieces in public and openly so that others won’t dare to even think of doing it to a lady!

Rapists are freely roaming on the streets while the victims suffer and are blamed lifelong!

Often, it is some family member, relative, or close friend who is the rapist! But the victim is told to stay quiet for the sake of ‘what will people say?’

And no, rapes don’t occur because of clothes!

You say that very revealing clothes cause rapes, let me prove you wrong!

Be it a day-old baby, to a 70-year-old woman, they are raped! Yes, even a baby and a 70-year-old woman! A woman whether she wears shorts, Indian wear, saree, kurta, or burkha is raped! So it is not about the clothes or the age but about men’s mentality!

Women are not safe in their houses, workplace or anywhere in public too!

Have you seen a woman grope at a guy's breasts in public or putting her hand over his hand or any other body part ‘accidentally’ in the bus or train?

A 6-inch gap in a saree is accepted, but not crop tops!

A girl wearing short clothes is considered to be shameless and cultureless! If a girl’s bra or cleavage is seen, she is shameless and cultureless, but a man flexing in his shirtless pics, literally showing his nipples is considered cool and hot!

A girl having many guy friends is labeled as a ‘slut’ but a guy having many girls around him is ‘awesome”, ‘cool’, and ‘chill’!

And we say we are developing and are open-minded! Is this the open-mindedness we have?

Every day, every second women are constantly battling! Always making sure their bra strap is not seen, somebody is not watching them, is somebody touching them? All these thoughts are roaming in their mind!

And there are men who say women are getting way too many facilities!

Do men go through a menstrual cycle? Do they bleed for 5-7 days regularly every month?

Do they have to check whether their clothes aren’t stained down there?

Do they have to deal with the cramps, headaches, nausea, and all the problems that come along with periods?

Think about it! Pay close attention and you’ll really understand that is ‘Saving and Educating Girl Child’ enough!

Instead of imposing all the rules and restrictions on girls, do the same with boys, and maybe then, truly will India be a developed nation! 

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