There is a huge conspiracy going around for quite sometime, in fact since the dawn of civilisation. If you are amongst the fairer sex, you must have been one of the victims. Surprisingly, there is no major movement around the phenomenon. The reason might be a lack of proper nomenclature for the movement. Shall we call it "Men's Equality'?
The truth is, men don’t want to be equal. Their version of equality reeks of "All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others." No wonder, there's a lot of noise around women’s equality but hardly any discussion about equal opportunities for men.
On this women's day, let's talk about equality for men. Yes, you heard it right! Equality for men at hearth and home. Why should men be deprived of working for the well-being of home, sweet home, at a more hands-on level? Why should a woman be expected to take charge of her household soon after coming back from work while a man can unfold a newspaper, flip a remote and reincarnate into a couch potato? Why should recipes, child-rearing, entertaining, home beautification write-ups be forte of women's magazines, while gadgets, latest tech, sports, outdoors etc. be that of men's?
While growing up, I used to wonder why women’s issues were such a big thing. I never thought of people in terms of gender, only in terms of human beings. But with time, the bitter reality of an unequal world became apparent. Women work harder but are still underprivileged and underpaid. According to different studies across geographies, it has been proved time and time again that women work more number of hours than men for household issues. Even for women who work outside home, responsibilities of a household aren't shared equally. So while women have learnt to walk shoulder to shoulder with men, men haven't been able to keep pace.
It's time to rectify that. Men of the world, here's your turn to tighten your seat belts and seek equality. Rise to the occasion and be ready to take up the reins of a household with zest. Upgrade your skills, go to classrooms - virtual or otherwise, find a mentor and create a support group. Do whatever it takes but prove that you are up to the challenge.
Ladies of the world, are you ready to work for the cause of men's equality? For, I've a gnawing doubt, that men might not be very enthusiastic about claiming their share of equality. They are sure to come up with lame excuses like – we aren't good at it, we are wired differently and women are good at multi-tasking, so let them juggle everything like a multi-limbed Hindu Goddess.
Take heart, gentlemen. With practice and patience, you can be Godlike too. No woman was born with skills to cook, clean and rear kids. She learnt it in this lifetime and so can you. We are of course ready to lend you a helping hand, walk you through the ropes, and cheer for you. It's time to rewrite the law and make everyone equally equal in this human farm, nothing more, nothing less!
This write-up was published in 'Right in the Middle' section of Deccan Herald on 9th March, 2017.
