When will people realise the value of a woman? Ever since I grew up, I started realising my position in society. I used to believe we were considered a bit less than men, but I was wrong. This society has created a huge difference between genders, giving men high privileges while women aren’t even considered. I don’t know what are the reasons on the basis of which we are not considered equal. There is this bitterness in my heart that we are treated as less than men. Our existence has always remained in parenthesis, which means that we are read as extras and seen as unimportant. People tend to think women are equal to men but it’s not entirely true, is it, for we can never be equal to men. At some point something is always going to stop us from competing with men: it can be physical strength, mental ability, religious barriers, family traditions. In a nutshell, we will be stopped from proving ourselves despite being courageous.
Nature, too, has not created us equal, maybe because equality brings chaos sometimes. We have been created in a specific manner that has given us specialities in our own field. I don’t want to be treated as equal to men but I just want people to realise our importance.
One thing that I think is not fair is saying that men are born to earn for the whole family. I know it’s their duty to fulfill everyone’s needs but what if we don’t want them to? What if we don’t want to live a life of dependence? What if we want to live a life full of peace? Don’t we deserve what we want?
When a girl is born, people start feeling bad for the father and start saying, oh!, now you have to pay for her expenses for your entire life. Why don’t they say the same when a boy is born? Is it because a boy grows up to earn for his family? But why are our sacrifices and our work always underestimated? A girl is subjected to so many restrictions: don’t go there, don’t remain outside for long, don’t wear that kind of dress, don’t smile, don’t laugh. Why are boys not asked the same? When a boy reaches the age of marriage, his family starts searching for a girl who can do all household work. A wife’s illness can’t be tolerated for more than a week. If she has any shortcoming, it means double the dowry. A father has to give a part of his soul, his daughter to an unknown man, so he should be rewarded, but no, he is asked for money, expensive gifts.
It’s such a shame for our society that girls are attempting suicide just because they aren’t given the rights they deserve. When will this society step out of this darkness to a new day of light, when we will be treated as equal parts of this society? When will we strive for change? Nobody will come to change this world from another planet. It’s only ourselves who can bring a change.
Some ways that can help women earn a bit of the respect that they deserve:
Equal wages for the same work and men sharing household chores at home.
Help and support for victims of domestic violence or other abuse.
Guarantee or both maternity and paternity leave, including in private companies.
Not making comments that ridicule, demean or humiliate women.
The problem is big but the solutions are small. Just try a simple step that can change the way people think.

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Shafiya Showkat