Who’s afraid of women?

Context: Examining the reasons for the present societal problems

Patriarchy: A social system that places men, women and other genders in hierarchies learns to perceive the plurality of genders as unnatural and views women with suspicion.

Impact of Patriarchal Society on women:

• Lack of control over women is seen as a potential sign of anarchy:
  • In a patriarchal society, it is feared that society will collapse if the plurality of gender and sexual expressions finds representation in popular culture.
  • E.g. Recent political campaigns geared towards restricting intimate relationships across communities, even as a fictional plot for jewellery advertisements, reveal how deep the fear of women’s choices runs.
• The inability of the legislators to shed their patriarchal baggage: Women’s sexuality carried both the responsibility to reproduce the race and the power to bring civilisations down if their reproductive abilities are left ungoverned.
  • CC Biswas, argued: “Suppose two young persons have made up their minds to marry and you place all these obstacles in their way. Certain very undesirable consequences may follow.
  • Kishen Chand: claimed that women between 18 and 22 are emotional and “high-strung”.
  • Tajamul Husain: claimed that older parents would be better capable of reproducing strong and brave Indians “who can defend the country in times of need”.
  • S Mahanty: Alleged that the women in Parliament “have lowered marriage to the morass of sex” under the pretext of equality of rights and status.
• Psychological impact: Psychological patriarchy is a dance of contempt, a perverse form of connection that replaces true intimacy with complex, covert layers of dominance and submission, collusion and manipulation.