Transcending gender et al~

So, today is International Woman’s day. Though, I do not really believe in celebrating such ‘day’ phenomenons I think it is an acknowledgement that the ‘equality’ pursued is as yet elusive.
Besides, as a student of literature who studies in a girl’s college. It is easy for me to be dismissed off as a feminist and as a part of my course we do study feminism rather extensively. But feminism is much more than that. As any other movement, feminism includes various schools of thought. And contrary to popular belief, all feminists do not seek a “MALELESS world”, it is only a section of the radical feminists who do so. Furthermore, like other movements it does have strong political inclinations. But, the larger issue addressed by various schools is the ‘oppression’ of women and the inherent ‘patriarchal system.’
The problem with feminism as I see it is that there is some amount of ambivalence in the demands of equality made. Though, women want to be equal, they still want to have privileges associated with being a woman and at times the resolutions made are impossible to attain.
But is ‘equality’ really such an issue? Can there be really such a concept in two genders which are biologically different. Must not peaceful co-existence be the larger issue?
As a girl, I am privileged with education in an urban city but the core problem is that it is the ‘underprivileged lot’ who are exploited and face the brunt of the oppression.
Further, in patriarchy, the women serve as the negative image of man, his complement, she is the representation of all the traits that he cannot see in himself yet cannot as a human being live without. In patriarchal terms, as a man must flee from the Venus principle within himself, as he must hold that configuration in contempt, so he must hold women in contempt as well. For under patriarchy she is the incarnation of Venus and nothing else. The outcome of the arrangement for man is ambivalence. He is both the drawn to and repelled by women. Although, she is love, tenderness, passion, beauty and pleasure, she is also fashioned by hum, the composite of why these traits must be banned for men she is associated with being weak, emotional, dependent, imprudent, incompetent, fearful and undependable. Economically, politically, psychologically, and biologically, it is the foundation on which the entire structure rests.
Patriarchy does present a dichotomy of thought for ‘man’ as well. The popularity of ‘the bad boy’ ‘macho man’ ‘James Bond phenomena’ is a good testimony of that. In patriarchal terms man is supposed to ‘macho’ and ‘sexually frivolous’ yet supposed to be able to successfully maintain a family. Also, the pressure to make a high end living to be able to ‘maintain’ a woman is insurmountable.
Social institutions like marriage, the existing law and even religion are deliberately skewed against women. A friend analysed the representation of woman in the Bible through which she exposes the subordination of woman in the Hebrew bible.
The bible begins with two stories of the creation. In the first account of the origin of human beings, both male and female are created simultaneously, and are equals. The male here, is Adam, and the female, by many, is believed to be Lilith. Lilith is known as one of the most notorious demons in Judaism. Lilith, meaning “the night,” personifies the spiritual and emotional aspects of the night: sensuality, terror, and rampant freedom. She is the demon responsible for the death of infants in their first eight days. It is also said that she seduces men, gets herself fertilized and gives birth to more demons. As per a Midrash (an explanation of the Bible), Lilith, created like Adam, from the dust of the earth, is an equal unlike Eve. She refuses to be pushed around by Adam, and when he tries to force her to “lie beneath him”, she utters the Divine name and flees. Adam, in dislike of his loneliness, prays to God who sends three angels to bring her back. Lilith is given the choice of going back or being made into a demon, and she chooses being made into a demon over being subjugated by Adam, and sends the angels back. This is when God makes Eve. Eve is merely a submissive subsidiary, and follows Adam. There is a Midrash that talks about Eve’s excitement and curiosity when she sees another female counterpart, but on asking Adam about Lilith, he explains her as a demon and asks Eve to keep away from Lilith. Eve secretly meets Lilith, and sees that there is nothing demonic about her, and that she is a lot like herself. Eve and Lilith become friends and their friendship is said to be the cause of independent ideas in Eve.In the Bible, women continued to be portrayed as the property of men. Biblical legislation, in general, assumes a woman’s subordination to the dominant male in her life: father, before being married, and husband after being married. The woman’s sexuality is controlled by this man, and he has the right to challenge her virginity and her marital faithfulness.
But with all of this, and the push for women empowerment and emancipation etc our law has finally adopted some provisions albeit slightly discriminatory to protect woman. The Domestic Violence ACT 2006 was extremely significant for women. The Act covers abuse or threat of abuse, whether physical, sexual, verbal, emotional or economic. While the act provides yet another provision for a woman with ulterior motives to initiate criminal proceedings against the husband, a major loophole in the Act is its Section 14(5). The section reads that the respondents shall not be allowed to plead any counter justification for the alleged act of domestic violence, a clear flouting of Human Rights.
Further, Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) perceives a consensual sexual intercourse between a man, married or unmarried, and a married woman without the consent or connivance of her husband as an offence of "adultery". A sexual link between a married or unmarried man and an unmarried woman or a divorcee or a widow, therefore, does not come within the ambit of "adultery". It also holds the man and not the (adulteress) "wife" of another man, who has been unfaithful to her husband, solely responsible for the sexual liaison. IPC, it seems, views "adultery" as an invasion of the right of the husband over his wife. The law, is not only based on the husband's right to fidelity of his "wife" but also treats "wife" merely as a chattel of her husband. A Smart married woman perhaps even with the aid of her husband can successfully entrap a married man and even resort turn to blackmail.
Though, I believe the push for women emancipation of men is important false entrapment of men cannot be justified. Women are not so angelic after all . As Madonna hums along “And I am a material girl. You know that we are living in a material worldAnd I am a material girl.”