Is it a man's world?

This post is very different from my usual posts. This is a post not really meant of those less than 18 years of age. I know many children, especially my friends’ children read my blog (my own two do not, but I’d have absolutely no issues even if they did and I would deal with it) and therefore the warning as I am not sure what their parents might feel. So, if you are below 18, please stop reading now and leave. Also if you’re easily offended by strong language please leave. Sometimes there is no other way to say it. I might moderate comments for this post (something I never do) as I don’t want to entertain frivolous discussions on this topic. Having forewarned and having put the disclaimer in place, here goes:

It is a Man’s world. Unfortunate, but true. If you’re a woman, especially an emancipated modern, free thinking woman, you may scream and rave and rant and deny. You may say that women are equal, there is nothing that a woman is not capable of doing better than a man. I would agree completely with you. But still, by and large, women do live by the rules which men have made. And I am not referring to the Law here which in some countries, is totally against women.(In many countries women are not allowed to even drive a vehicle)

Throughout history and right up to modern day, women have been treated as sex objects first and then everything else later. Men look at women as their ‘possession’ or ‘property’ that they have to guard and defend from other men. You might be a modern, politically correct, free thinking man, but I am sure, deep down you’d agree with what I have just stated. The first thing that a man sees when he sees a woman is how she is, physically.

Traditionally, it has been the duty of the male to protect his family and provide for them. In the Ancient times, when a king conquered a new territory, it was accepted that he and his men got the women of the defeated kingdom. Soldiers, raping the women of the defeated kingdom was common and not unacceptable. When Bahadur Shah took over Malwa in 1535 many of the women burnt themselves to death rather than submit to their capturers, while their men fought till their dying breath. In the 16^th and 17^th centuries, the men would ensure that their women wore chastity belts made of iron to prevent temptation of having an affair with another man while they were away. For men, the physical faithfulness of women has always mattered, much more than they are willing to admit. In 2004, the USA today carried a news item where a woman’s steel chastity belt had triggered off a security alarm at the metal detector at the airport in Athens, Greece. The woman claimed that her husband had forced her to wear the device while she was holidaying in Greece as he did not trust her to be faithful to him.

The above example may be an aberration of modern day practice and that is why it made news. But the fact is, things have not changed much.

The women may have discarded the chastity belt. But the men still know how to keep a woman in place. They don’t use devices—they use words ,which sadly many women are afraid of, too. To describe a woman’s sexual behaviour, most often derogatorily (you see, women should not have physical needs—that is the sole prerogative of the all powerful, supreme MALE) there are as many many words—slut, floozy, harlot, hooker, hussy, prostitute, tramp, vamp, whore, call girl, concubine, fallen woman, loose woman, painted woman, nymphomaniac, street walker, jade, scarlet, trollop, bitch, to name just a 'safe' few.

To describe a man’s sexual behaviour there is at the very worst, a gigolo, a seducer, a skirt chaser, a ladies man and also Casanova or Don Juan-- all of which are actually complimentary and definitely not as derogatory as the above category of words.

It clearly suggests that if a woman does it, she is a slut, but if a guy does he is a stud.

To all the men in the world, I can say only one thing on behalf of all the women in the world.

“You may have our bodies but you will never have our souls.”

So perhaps, it really may not be a man’s world after all !

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Addendum : After reading some of the comments I want to say that I am not for a moment suggesting that ALL men are sexist pigs. Male bashing is not what I want to do. I am pointing out historic instances as well as difference in language terms that exist when it comes to men and women. My post is full of real references, if you notice and think about it :)