As a child, whenever I was asked about my dreams, it was quite simple. Brainwashed by fairy tales, my first priority was to get married to a "Prince Charming" and have kids of my own. It was my very own "happily ever after". However, I never cared to think about what would happen later. Once I get bored of my daily routine and would want to do something productive to feel good about myself. Of course, as a child back then, that scenario never came to my mind.
As I became a teenager, I realized that I have uncountable options to choose from, not only a marriage. I could be independent, with a career that I love and I chose to be a writer. I had a way with words at the mere age of 16 and I decided to lead myself to the path of writing, which turned out to be the only skill I realized I had.
As an Indian woman, we are quite different from the world. Education has never been a priority for us; we need to learn cooking, cleaning and expected to get married as soon as we hit our 20s. Jobs need to be quit to be with our husband, to take care of them, wash their clothes and clean up while they provide for us. As soon as we're married, the kids need to be on their way. It's a cycle that cannot be broken.
I was trying to make a name for myself, while many of my friends, younger than me, got married. This was a fact that I wasn't able to digest. At an age when a woman could work and create a career for herself, why would she get married and generate instant barriers for herself in a country like India. She had her whole life in front of her, then why choose a traditional, patriarchal path that didn't leave many options for her?
And after a few intellectual chats with my co-workers, I realized that she had no option. It was already a big deal that those women were permitted to study in a college. However, it wasn't their decision to get married. They weren't even allowed to choose their life partners. It was the intense family pressure put on them due to their caste, which got them married to a stranger, at an age when they weren't even ready.
I'm not against marriage. Two people officiating their love for each other can be nothing but beautiful. But with marriage, comes a million compromises and adjustments, solely for women. For instance, now in the year of 2018, the progressive India comprehends women in western clothes. However, most of these ladies are advised to fill up their closet with traditional ensembles after getting hitched. Some of them have to take permission after marriage to wear their favorite blue jeans.
Collectively, you may find our nation much more modern and updated with the world, but the bitter truth is lying in the gender inequality all over. Feminism is considered a disease in India and a feminist is kept at bay. The only reason for this harsh reality is that people anticipate that that we are and always be the weaker sex. It's a shame that gender equality is still a joke for not just men, but a huge class of women.
As I became a teenager, I realized that I have uncountable options to choose from, not only a marriage. I could be independent, with a career that I love and I chose to be a writer. I had a way with words at the mere age of 16 and I decided to lead myself to the path of writing, which turned out to be the only skill I realized I had.
As an Indian woman, we are quite different from the world. Education has never been a priority for us; we need to learn cooking, cleaning and expected to get married as soon as we hit our 20s. Jobs need to be quit to be with our husband, to take care of them, wash their clothes and clean up while they provide for us. As soon as we're married, the kids need to be on their way. It's a cycle that cannot be broken.
I was trying to make a name for myself, while many of my friends, younger than me, got married. This was a fact that I wasn't able to digest. At an age when a woman could work and create a career for herself, why would she get married and generate instant barriers for herself in a country like India. She had her whole life in front of her, then why choose a traditional, patriarchal path that didn't leave many options for her?
And after a few intellectual chats with my co-workers, I realized that she had no option. It was already a big deal that those women were permitted to study in a college. However, it wasn't their decision to get married. They weren't even allowed to choose their life partners. It was the intense family pressure put on them due to their caste, which got them married to a stranger, at an age when they weren't even ready.
I'm not against marriage. Two people officiating their love for each other can be nothing but beautiful. But with marriage, comes a million compromises and adjustments, solely for women. For instance, now in the year of 2018, the progressive India comprehends women in western clothes. However, most of these ladies are advised to fill up their closet with traditional ensembles after getting hitched. Some of them have to take permission after marriage to wear their favorite blue jeans.
Collectively, you may find our nation much more modern and updated with the world, but the bitter truth is lying in the gender inequality all over. Feminism is considered a disease in India and a feminist is kept at bay. The only reason for this harsh reality is that people anticipate that that we are and always be the weaker sex. It's a shame that gender equality is still a joke for not just men, but a huge class of women.
