Things Have Changed- Srina Bose

Survival of the fittest. That’s what they call it. He who has the capability to sustain himself amidst dire circumstances, persists, while the weak, perish. Men fit into the former category and women, obviously, the latter. It is by their biologically endowed physical strength, that men they have climbed to the top of the societal ladder. In prehistoric times, they farmed the land. They made the laws. They were the leaders. On the other side, women focused on raising the children, catering to the men’s needs, and never speaking too loud.

This system has persisted through time.

It is the justification to patriarchy.

But what if I told you, that three simple words could bring down the entirety of this argument.

Just three words.

Things have changed.

Long gone are the days where physical strength prevailed over intellectual capabilities. And trust me, intelligence doesn’t depend on whether you are XY or XX.

In a survey conducted by the Harvard Business Review in 2019, we see how women are perceived by their managers — particularly their male managers — to be slightly more effective than men at every traditional male dominated field of that organization.

Yet only 4.9% of Fortune 500 CEOs and only 22 percent of national parliamentarians are women.

Interestingly enough, when the women are asked to rate themselves in the Survey, they gave themselves lower ratings, despite being highly rated by others.

What does this say?

Are women incapable of performing high-profile roles? Or have they been conditioned to think that they are?

With the ban of abortion in majority of the united states, the increasing wage gap, continual of female feticide, and as well as their lack of financial freedom--women continue to be at the receiving end of society’s injustices.

Through steps such as the increase in the legal marriage age of women all over the world, provision of paid maternity leave, and women’s financial literacy programmes-- we may achieve a more balanced and just society.

And as GD Anderson said and I quote—“Feminism isn’t about making women strong. They are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength”