Treating the better halves as equals

Most interesting thoughts come to my mind when I am doing nothing. I firmly believe that when we allow our mind to do nothing, it does more by generating creative and not-thought-before thoughts. One such thought that has been returning to me time and again has been treating women as real equals. Not just symbolically but equals in thought as well as position. Men speak of women to be equal to themselves, but seldom do they act in the manner befitting the same.

In marriage, it is always the fairer sex that gives up her family to join the husband’s family. At least that is how it functions in India. Most of the times. Has it ever occurred to men how unfair the custom is? Has any husband been asked to leave his parent’s home? Has he ever adopted the surname of his wife? Why is that a mother, who gives birth to a child and plays the biggest role in the upbringing, does not have her name appear as the middle name of the child? Why is it that the income of a working wife is considered to be the income of the husband’s family? Why is that her monetary contributions to her ‘former’ family frowned upon?

Take for instance, the IT profession. Professionals at offshore are often required to travel onsite(foreign) for their project work. And that includes fair number of women too. When both the husband and the wife are working in the IT industry itself, this situation often creates unfair cases. If the wife is offered a long term position at onsite, she will not accept it because she cannot ask her husband to leave his job and travel as a dependent of hers. It is considered a ‘taboo’ that a man has to be dependent on the woman. But the other way around is a largely prevalent condition. A woman can happily leave her job, forget her career, move onsite with her husband and never look back. How can they easily give up their careers while all men think about is money and careers?

I admit I have been a culprit to some of these inequality ‘crimes’ too. But I have a lame excuse, as do all married men. It has been like this since eons. Why should it change now? Our forefathers did it for a reason and so shall we. Who are we to question the customs and traditions?

Is it not time now that we start treating the fairer sex fairly because that is certainly the right thing to do?

Are all you male chauvinists hearing me?

Update: I recommend reading the first chapter of SuperFreakonomics, Putting the Freak in Economics. Especially the part where the authors describe why being born as a woman in India is a bane.