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Without even accounting for violence against women or systemic violence women face just for being women, men have it easier.
Men are able to do many things, more freely, joyfully, and nonchalantly than women. They are able to enjoy certain things better, purely because of the physical difference between the two genders.
What’s more, because of the bodily difference, men even have it comparatively easier than women! Let’s take a look!
Men do not get periods. Period. No period cramps, accidental stains (on sheets/seats) or leaks in public to deal with. No bloating, breakouts, sore breasts, mood swings to manage either. And, they do not have to worry about a missed period!
Besides, they get to enjoy their pool/ beach time, spend long hours at water parks, without ever having to think about that time of the month.
They can plan out their holidays/ events without taking into consideration, without having to calculate the approximate ‘date of arrival’ of periods.
So, no travel tensions or woes (especially on long rail/ road journeys) like unavailability of a decent toilet to pee, and change pads, having to sit through a long journey, wearing the same pad for hours at a stretch.
No stressing involved during heavy flows days, stocking/making sure to carry enough pads to get through the day, no the anxiety about smelling fresh at all times.
Moreover, they have to do no have to plan on what colours/ clothes to avoid during periods (ones which smooth out pad lines)
Women do have the option of using a tampon/menstrual cup, but, not everyone is comfortable with the idea.
To become a father, their body does not have to go through anything physically. They do not have to ‘push out’, nor have their body ripped apart! They are able create a new life, while having fun in the making process!
No morning sickness, no discomfort of growing or carrying a child inside of them for nine long months, no having their body go through changes/challenges, labour pain, pregnancy related complications etc
Well, at least the majority of them? Getting ready, for most men, involves just a few basic steps- shave (or don’t even bother if pressed for time) a quick shower, pick/pull out a shirt and trouser (usually few neutral colours to choose from) These are generally ironed, and neatly arranged by a woman, then pick a hanky, the wallet, car keys, and out of the door!
Nobody would notice if they repeated a shirt/ showed up wearing the same outfit day after day. Max to max, men might need to worry about wearing a smart tie/ blazer, if it’s a formal occasion.
And as for the shoes ? It’s simple and straightforward again-just plain black/ brown leather shoes usually (polished, yes!)
On the other hand, if a woman takes time to get ready, it’s only because of the unreasonable expectations society places on the way women should look.
Now let’s take a look at the daily ‘get-ready’ grind for an average woman looks like-daily skin/ hair care routines/ rituals, personal grooming routines like getting rid of unwanted hair regularly, oiling/ shampooing/drying out hair every other day, different hair styling, choosing, and then carefully applying some amount of make-up, colouring the nails/toes perhaps, planning the outfits (western/ traditional, formals/semi-formals) as per her profession/ workplace dress code requirements, matching accessories to go along, basically having to colour coordinate, literally from head to toe.
All this is time consuming, and if any men joke about the amount of time women take to get ready, then you also need to take into account other things, like completing housework, getting breakfast on the table, and clearing the table, waking up the kids, getting them to eat, ready for school packing tiffin’s, supervising the maid, locking up the house, and other domestic responsibilities.
Men have the liberty to just be. They can be wearing just their inner wear, or roam around the house freely without a shirt..
Alas, for a woman, even a hint of cleavage, skin, bra strap/ bra lines showing, a tight outfit, will be seen as inappropriate by some.
Premature greying/ hair loss can be very distressing, and depressing for anyone. But, if for some reason a man decides to stop covering his greys, his choice will not be questioned by people in the same manner, as a woman’s choice will be. As for hair loss, men always have an easy option to put an end to hair despair; by going bald ‘in the name of fashion’. Hair loss is always more disheartening, more demoralizing for women.
Women are required to be perfectly groomed at all times. They spend hours getting rid of unwanted hair (both face and body) as any unwanted/ excess hair is considered a ‘masculine’ thing. A man would never be shamed for showing an unclean armpit, would he?
This holds true especially when stuck in long traffic jams, or during long road journeys, when there is no sign/ sight of a toilet anywhere. Men do have it totally hassle free, as they can take a piss peacefully, absolutely anywhere (behind a tree, in a corner somewhere) without feeling embarrassed or ‘watched’, without being watchful.
Men may have biological clocks too. They do experience decreased fertility chances as they get older and older, but the production of sperms declines over a period of many years. Changes in men occur more gradually.
Women on the other hand, only get a limited amount of time to conceive, as they are born with a limited number of eggs. Their fertility period sadly ends, over a relatively shorter period.
Men do not go through a well-defined period called menopause. They do not get symptoms like women do- no hot flushes, vaginal dryness, osteoporosis, mood swings etc. Wow.
So, who do you think has it easier in society? Men or women? Of course, both genders will have their own struggles, stresses, challenges, their own advantages/ disadvantages.
But with so many reasons cited here, don’t you think men are luckier than women, in some ways?
Image source: a still from Tata Sky TV Ad/ YouTube
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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