By Sonali Jain:
Before we begin, let me throw a little light upon the term “MCP”. It stands for Male Chauvinist Person. In colloquial words, this phrase is used to refer to people who are prejudiced against women and think of males as the superior sex.
Last week I saw Priyanka Chopra’s latest release Saat Khoon Maaf (film adaptation of Sussana’s Seven Husbands by Ruskin Bond) and the wonderful movie that it is; it is also one of those movies which seem to have its after-effects for a long period of time. For a full week post movie-watching, I had been thinking about PC’s character in the movie, where she plays the role of an independent and strong women who takes her own decisions and stands up for what she thinks is correct. This is what the women of 21st century are synonymous with, confidence and daringness.
In the last two decades or so, the country has seen a major upsurge in the number of educated, working and financially independent women. They strive to live with pride and with their head held high in this male-dominated society. They work hard day and night to carve a niche for themselves in the professional fields; be it education or work. They pay the taxes, own a car, latest gadgets (AND most even know how to actually use them efficiently), go on adventure trips, relax and party–just like men. And it is not an exaggeration to say that in some cases, even more than an average man. Yet still, they are looked down upon for the sheer virtue of being born as a female.
A major portion of the male population, even today, is of the opinion that because they are born as men, they are entitled to larger salaries for the same qualification and work, more hours of relaxation and party, more freedom from the domestic chores, more power as the head of the family et al. Even some of the most popular television soaps portray women as the ideal traditional person getting up in the morning to make tea for the entire family, when the men just sit and tell that the tea lacks sugar. These men tend to think that ordering women and making them do their chores is what defines “men” and satisfies the male ego. Since ours has been a patriarchal society, this is the sort of behavior that one has been too used to see. In the extreme cases, crimes like dowry, rapes, domestic violence, female foeticide etc see the light of the day.
Nonetheless, there is a silver lining. In this vast pool there are quite a few men who treat women equally, stand up for their rights and respect them. They find pleasure in helping women with daily chores and appreciating the little things they do. These men are supportive of their wives/sisters working as hard as them in their offices and understand the need of women taking a break from the daily chores that they are supposed to do. They feel fine with the fact that women can party and enjoy regularly, and can do whatever they feel is correct for they are the citizens of a democratic society. Some of them even support Feminism. This category of men strives to remove the phrase “MCP” from the minds.
As the time progresses, more awareness is spread amongst the people and more women stand up for themselves I see a bright future- A future where is there harmony in equality; a peaceful existence of both the sexes in the beautiful little world.