Men and Women – Equal before law and society? – by blogger Snehal Gajare

The term “Feminist” cannot be spelled correctly if you remove the alphabets “m”, ”e” and “n”. Its looks like “Feiist”. Likewise, the struggle for equality and empowerment of women cannot attain sublimity without the support of men. Yes, you read it right.  The words “feminist” and “men” can be conflated together to give rise to a new-age revolution that ponders the concept of gender equality. Shocked????? Don’t be.......... Constant exposure and encounters with the blogosphere, media maneuvers and the feminist activities have made it possible for a small population of men to accept this appellation of “male feminist’ or ‘feminist men’.

Patriarchy is like a monster that dwells in the society and gallops the rights and freedom of women by oppressing them. This is the probable reason why men actually bear the responsibility of smashing the patriarchal system prevailing in the society. I think men have to relate themselves to the challenges, oppression, disrespect and inequality that women face. This will help them to understand the text of feminist theory in an appropriate manner. A few suggestions can help men in fostering equality in their day to day life which in turn can be a massive contribution to the culture where women feel loved, respected and worthy of living a normal life.

1.       Give women the space that they need. Support them whenever and wherever needed.

2.       Help them in housework and participate actively in taking care of children.

3.       Remember, love, mutual respect and honesty will help your relation with your female partner bloom.

4.       Praising the accomplishments and virtues of your female partner can make her feel special and worthy.

5.       Ensure that you inject feminism while conversing with your male friends and never treat your spouse disrespectfully.

6.       Never be a bystander in cases of sexism online. Object sexist tweets, posts on the internet. If you encounter a situation where a woman is subjected to sexism, you can always lend a helping hand.

7.       Remember, your children look upon you as a role model. So, it is you who has to imbibe the virtues of equality, respect and dignity in your kids. You don’t want your son to be a male chauvinist and be termed so by the rest of the world.

8.       You can also join protests against sexual assaults, Remember sexual assault is not a woman issue. Even men are subjected to sexual assault. Sexual assault is itself grave offense.

9.       Objectifying women and considering her as a prey in the quest for entitlement depicts the weakness of a man and is not a sign of masculinity.

This is not an exhaustive list. There will surely be many add-ons. I hope these few pointers can help men understand their role in the process of liberalization of women. The main purpose of this article is to encourage men to be pro-feminism and be a support system to their female counterparts in battling their struggle for equality.