Gender (in)Equality

Acc. to UNICEF, Gender Equality means: Women and men, and girls and boys, enjoy the same rights, resources, opportunities and protections. 

Gender which is not limited to but have become today. Any sort of discrimination or offence is not seen against an individual but against particular gender i.e. women.

Sticking just to Indian boundaries, principle of Gender Equality is enshrined in Indian Constitution: a vehicle on which the nation runs. 

• Article 15(1): No discrimination against any citizen on ground of religion, caste, sex etc.

• Article 15(3): Comes with a positive discrimination regarding state to make special provisions for women and children.

• Article 42: State to make provisions for securing just and human conditions of work and maternity relief.

• Article 51-A(e): Renounce practices derogatory to dignity of women

• Article 243-D: Reservation of seats for women in Panchayat, Municipalities. Etc.

Other laws which are made under the supervision of Constitution to ensure safety and equality: (for women)

1. Domestic violence Act

2. Maternity benefit Act

3. Dowry prohibition Act, etc.

4. Under Indian Penal Code (various provisions)

• Section 509: Words, gesture or act intend to outrage modesty of a women.

• Section 354: Outraging modesty of women along w/ other provisions 354A, B, C, D.

• Kidnapping and abduction of women for different purposes.

• Importation of girls up to 21 years.

• Section 304B: Dowry Death of women.

• Section 498A: Cruelty against married women.

• Section 376: Rape against women.

5. Acc. to Hindu Adoptions & Maintenance Act, provisions for claiming maintenance by:

• Section 18: Wife

• Section 19: Widowed daughter

• Section 20: Children and aged parents

(Under the clause of children the girl is to be maintained till the marriage and male till 18 years of age.)

6. Acc. to Domestic Violence Act, provisions for claiming:

• Section 20: Maintenance 

• Section 12: Monetary Relief, not just by wife respectively, but also for women in live-in relationship

7. Acc. to Hindu Marriage Act, here both men and women can claim maintenance but depending on whose income is more:

• Section 24: Expenses for litigation 

• Section 25: Permanent maintenance and alimony

8. Criminal Procedure Code, provisions of claiming maintenance u/S 125 for:

• Wife (including divorced wife even after mutual divorce) 

• Aged parents 

• Children

This is Gender Equality we have come to where it is deemed that:

• No modesty of a man is outraged.

• No man gets sexually harassed, raped

• No man dies due to mental and physical cruelty by wife or her relatives.

To further fuel the adversities of men, there is another mode in the name of ‘maintenance’ where only and only the man alone is expected to maintain the wife, children and aged parents. The prime factor that no matter how meagre the man earns goes down in the drain. When this wasn’t enough, the men are disgraced, further made to feel heavier and helpless by having to be imprisoned on account of failure of so called maintenance. Here also, the mode of imprisonment is not even the mode of satisfaction but mode of enforcement. 

Yet we claim to live in patriarchal society; where laws which were meant for positive discrimination and protection of women are now being misused in the name of Gender Equality.

Where fake cases against men by women not just ruin their name, but their present, future, career and everything. 

Where woman is seen as innocent/accused till proven guilty but men is considered to be criminal even before a charge sheet is made out which continues to even after he’s found innocent and set free. 

Where man is found innocent in courts of law but is guilty forever in courts of Facebook and Twitter. 

Where justice loses and fake feminism wins. 

Where women slapping men, is "Women Empowerment" but men slapping women, is "Na Mard."

Yet we claim to live in patriarchy.

We need to understand this, that any offence or discrimination should not to be treated against a particular gender but against a particular "individual." We need to stop mocking the whole community and stand for the right ones and against the wrongdoer. 

Jai Hind!

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Edited by @ Vasu Gupta