INTRODUCTION
Men often consider workplaces like offices and positions of power as their original territory. But unfortunately, a woman walking down the same corridor seems really hurting. Maybe, the patriarchal society does not dare to accept a woman’s success. Society has sadly conditioned men to see women as inferior. Society has suppressed women for the longest time. Men have gotten so used to seeing women as the weaker sex that they cannot see them prosper. The story does not belong to the present day. Society is writing it since ancient times. A legitimate example would be the terror in the hearts of men on seeing Razia Sultan’s regime.
CONSTANT FEAR OF SUCCESSFUL WOMEN
A woman with a solid and confident personality strikes terror in the hearts of men for no fault of hers. Suppose a woman questions a decision or expresses her point strongly. In that case, she is instantly stereotyped as a devil for violating the conventional code of conduct. As a retaliation, men usually title strong women as challenging to work with or get along or tough to handle. This is the most common solution men use when they cannot accept a confident and booming woman. The frustration is so deep that they even derogate the assumption that the woman must have done sexual favors to impress her boss.
The issue is not that superficial as it may seem to be. Instead, it is something much deeper rooted. More than a mere stereotypical gender face-off, it brings out the fickle-mindedness of society. For long years the community has conditioned men to see themselves as superior and women tolerant of it. The television and film industry is the trendsetter for the country. But unfortunately, in the majority of cases, successful and confident working women are often portrayed as mean, cold-hearted, or harsh. If a man is career-driven, then he is praised for his determination. But if a woman does the same, she’s seen as selfish or irresponsible towards her family. Successful working women are rarely portrayed as affectionate mothers or wives. This brings out a bizarre assumption that a career deteriorates motherhood in a woman.
WHY ARE WE SO INSECURE?
Insecure people do pull down everyone, but when this pulling down does a gender bias, things get ugly. The whole proposition takes a dramatic turn because men often see it as a role reversal. They often look at this role reversal as a threat to their masculinity. Since the earliest times, a man is seen as the breadwinner for the family. This label further cements their superiority over women. This is because it is a certification of the fact that women are dependent upon men. In such a scenario, when women break their cocoons and move out, it scares men to the core. Men are in constant fear of losing their supposed superiority over women. Men cannot accept that women can break their shackles and be on an equal footing to them.
POSITION OF THE SOCIETY
This fear of losing power is so deeply rooted that it is visible even between a husband and a wife. If a wife starts earning equal to or more than her husband, she often hurts her husband’s ego and falls prey to numerous taunts. But this does not mean that only men are at fault, the society has an equal contribution. Very conveniently, society says that behind every successful man, there is a woman. Still, it cannot believe the vice versa. Community respectfully uses the term “working women” for females when they move out of their homes. But it mockingly uses the phrase “house husband” when a husband takes care of the household. This clearly highlights that despite shouting about equality at the rooftops, society is still uncomfortable for it at heart.
THE FINAL THOUGHT
Not liking a woman just because she is successful or confident brings out society’s own insecurities. If a husband supports his wife the same way his wife helps him, things will improve. It is certainly wrong to stereotype that all men are afraid of confident women. Husbands have started supporting their wives to fulfill their dreams. This precious support is unclipping their wings.
Men have begun respecting women at top management levels. The traditional rigid roles of men being the protector provider and women being dependent ought to be challenged. Masculinity is no certificate of superiority. Equality comes where we judge a person on his merit and not his gender. Gender bias is certainly corrosive to society and progress as well. There is nothing wrong with healthy competition. In fact, it actually brings out the best in a person and helps him to flourish. But when this competition is a pure consequence of the power play between sexes, it does become problematic.
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