Gender frustration and politics: Education, other opportunities not reaching the target

By Harasankar Adhikari
"Women are not born, women are made." Patriarchal politics dominate and discriminate against women in various ways across all social strata. As a result, women are subjected to gender stereotyping and bias. They bear and care for the most significant duties and responsibilities of reproduction, sexual pleasure, and housekeeping. So, they are biologically important. But those times have passed.
In modern India, gender equality and empowerment are key issues for a gender-neutral and progressive society. Rates of education, participation in paid employment in the public and private sectors, participation in democratic politics and decision making, etc. have significantly increased. "My body, my choice" is an appropriate slogan to save women from male torture and abuse. But violence against women in different forms and gender abuse at the personal and political level have also increased.
Unfortunately, both male and female psychology has been modified and beautified as erotic capital, and women are using them as erotic capital of profits. "Smoking is injurious to health, and no smoking kills cancer." These are very lucrative and challenging advertisements for counselling people with smoking habits. Historically, when women were early widows and alone, a small percentage of them smoked secretly. But now smoking has become a common fact among females of a younger age (school and college students, and corporate employees), and they smoke in public as a status symbol, and it has become their life choice and style. But medical science always warns that it is dangerous for women because of their health and healthy motherhood. Several studies also reported that it is also a cause of infertility because of its increasing rate. Secondly, the rate of alcoholism is also on the rise among women. Once, my male counterpart’s addiction to alcohol was a cause of marital discord and divorce in many incidents. It is now a significant issue for female partners who consume alcohol. Anyway, is it enough for gender equity? Is it a competition with the men to be equal? Competition with anyone never brings equality because there will always be a winner. So, is it a symptom of gender frustration? And then, why?
Another important aspect is women's involvement in corruption. Males are cleverly trapping women for their corruption. We are very experienced with various film scams at present. The school jobs scam is perhaps the biggest scam in the twenty-first century in West Bengal, where young females from the glamour world are closely associated.
Are education and other benefits for women making them greedy towards a flimy life? Why women are unable to change their mentality of greediness for a handsome life of risk. Therefore, education and other opportunities are not reaching the target as desired. Their free mixing and movement are pushing them in different directions towards a dark world. Liberty in decision-making is also a factor in swindling.
Why are women's organisations struggling for women’s equity and justice silent against these? Is it not a dishonour and a prime hindrance to gender equality?

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