Redefining Femininity: A Stride towards Women Empowerment

Man, since antiquity, has viewed women as something inferior to him. She has been treated as "his" property and an object to be fully utilized and exploited. A woman is categorized in terms of her biology. Biology has made her destiny. The concept of gender determines her lot. Gender, which is a socio-cultural concept, associates "male" with "masculinity" and "female" with "femininity." The construction of gender has its roots in patriarchy. It attempts to control women and determine their roles in society. While "masculinity" is associated with terms like power, assertion, domination, and Independence, "femininity" is associated with obedience, modesty, chastity, and dependence. In this patriarchal set-up, women have never been allowed identity and individuality. They have remained strangers to education, Science, Technology, and fine arts for centuries. Their only functions have been to bear children or satisfy men's lust. However, now, women have demanded equal rights and are no longer ready to be discriminated against only because they are females. Today, women are trying to deconstruct the myth of "femininity," an imposed socio-cultural construct perpetuated by patriarchy. Women are now trying to assert their identities.