Since childhood, you are expected to follow a certain stereotype if you are born as a girl. No matter how much respect and devotion Indians show towards goddess or deity, still girl child is acknowledged as a burden. As you grow up, you have a lot of social norms binding you. Even if you have a supportive family who does not believe in all this nonsense, you have relatives of all sorts (especially in India) and over-friendly neighbours who would keep reminding you of how a female should walk, talk, eat, laugh, dress and what not? The list is endless. One feels like living in hell and when you enter in a new phase of life just after taking seven vows with your beloved partner, all eyes(mother in law and other relatives) get hooked upon you. As a newlywed, you have no freedom to give words to your feelings, you have to say node whatever they say whether it is right or not. You have to fulfil their every wish and commands like waking up at 5 am in the morning and doing all the household work before stepping out for the job.
Apart from all this, there are “eve-teasers”. You can find the morons of this species at every nook and corner of India. They tease girls, sometimes stalk them, which in itself is a huge mental torture for the girl. These are those people who give lectures about how a girl should be treated and argues on social media for their rights.These rotten apples do enough damage to make a girl feel insecure even she is around nice people.
Going ahead to female’s academic or professional life. If you get good grades or a good performance review which is the result of your hard work, the only reason that everyone comes up with is that you are a girl and hence the professor or boss have had a soft corner for you. You have to time and again keep proving yourself, but even then you’ll be judged.
Cut to marriage. You and your husband are both working professionals but you are the one expected to cook dinner and do the laundry and in contrast, your man has all the right to feel tired managing meetings, achieving targets at the workplace.
There are lot many stories which show that even in the modern era, thinking of almost all the people are sick. Though the times are changing, but not in the whole country.
The social pressure of having to be thin, pretty, etc. Constant concern over this. People always judge the body type and weight of a woman. Some say she is fat, some advice to have a control over diet.The fact that society tells women they’re not pretty/thin enough, even when they are. They can’t accept you the way you are.
The suckiness if you’re not thin and pretty.
Increased chance of rape and sexual assault. Having to be careful walking alone at night or around guys you don’t know because of this. Rules are not made that a guy is not allowed to walk on streets after 10 pm walking shorts but many politicians try to force the same rule for women giving a foolish reason that it is for their own safety.
Society’s double standards around promiscuity. I’m not sure I know any woman who hasn’t been called a slut — even the most conservative woman!
Pregnancy: There are people out there who turn doctor the second they get to know you are expecting. you can’t sleep, stand or eat as per your wish.No drinking for 9 months. Weight gain. Nausea. Trouble sleeping. Social/career stigma. Long, long recovery from pregnancy and childbirth. (Seriously. Pregnancy SUCKS.)
Breastfeeding: HUGE time drain. And, again, so much for sleeping!
That biological time clock. Women have much less time to get married and have babies than men. Just when you get done with one pregnancy/ labour/breastfeeding… you do it all over again only because it is your mother in law last wish to see her grandchildren playing and fighting with each other (Assuming you want more than one child.)
Pressure/expectation to take on more of the domestic responsibilities, even when the wife is out earning/working the husband.
Please do respect the sacrifices of women in each and every part of her life as a daughter, wife and a beautiful mother.