Reservation for women: Making them feel weaker or protecting right?
-Raj
With the change of political situation in Nepal, our leaders seem more concerned about women rights and more eager to give them facilities and opportunities. Some steps taken by them are appreciable like citizenships, now, can be issued with name of mother also. I really appreciate this step but what about the many registration forms or any application forms, which ask for details of father/husband name. I would appreciate if government takes some action to modify these kinds of forms too and put something that allows us to put mother’s name or wife’s name too. However, my concern is not here with the issue, I cannot cover all issues related to women life in an article. As we know and I too believe that women’s life is like a universe and it have much more galaxy in its part than of the real universe we see and read. Here, I want to put some light on some women leader and so-called feminist want to have 50% reservation for women. This is like the strangest rule in Nepal
What I am not able to understand is, reserving 50% place of women do help them to feel equal to man or make them feel they are just 50% weaker to man so that they need 50% protection everywhere. If they do not get any reservation, they cannot be equal to man. What I have seen is if we provide a suitable environment to a girl from childhood, she becomes as competent as male in any area without any perseveration needed. I have seen women (I will call women as a whole for teen-age girls to the aged ones to make my point easy) securing top in colleges and university without having any reservation. I even do not favor the attitude of giving award to the women who is best among the women in study. It should make them feel that you are not the best in the whole. I want them to feel when she wants to be the best; she should be best among all, not only among her gender. Once we make these small things equal, it will help them from the very beginning of life to feel equal to man. We need to develop system, which does not make them feel weaker from very childhood. We should not tell a baby girl it is not your work as you are female. You cannot do this or you should not do this.
We always are over protective towards women that makes them feel weaker rather than making them feel stronger. Just take an example, we take care of and are more protective of someone who is sick and needs more care. Sometime doctors say that we should not make them feel like they are sick. Give him/her confidence and be as if nothing is wrong because self-confidence will lead to rapid recovery.
I am not ready to believe that women are weak anyway and need protection or reservation to become equal to man. All they need is to improve self-confidence and to improve self-confidence; they need a suitable environment at home from very childhood that will help them to grow with feeling of equality. If a feminist really want to work for women equality, she should start from her own house and work toward how to educate everyone so that a child gets a good environment to grow like man. I want to conclude my feeling with a final note. Do not make them feel they are 50% weaker than men are but make them feel like they are 100% equal to man and capable to compete with man in equal basis.
Sender :
Sangeeta ||City
:
Kathmandu || Country :
nepal || Date :
2006-07-16 07:56:43
Message :
Yes no doubt that a girl will be no less competent if she gets as much opportunity and privilege as you have mentioned in your article. But dear what you need to understand here is; how many will give that opportunity or have given that opportunity? Don’t go far, just look at your home observe critically not being Raj but being you mom, sister, daughter in law, then analyze minutely. Don’t be prejudice that there is every level of equality in you family. Remember just getting freedom of visiting night-club, wearing any kind of dress can justify equality. There is a lot beyond that. Just look around every day, every individual, and learn; is the society is perfect as you see through your eyes? Do you mean to say that women need to wait till all the males decide that oh!! It’s injustice not to send girl child to school, not to give them exposure cause it will hamper their competecne, not to force wife to have son? Remember that few family can’t represent whole of Nepal. How long will women have to wait to have access to decision making level? Do you think that women need to wait till a class nursery girl of today studying in a good school in Kathmandu gets her degree to fight competently with males? No we are not ready. We want to see a girl who passed her SLC from some school in remote village be in decision making level. Let’s take her to the post that she deserves with her degree through reservation and then train her to make capable to go to decision making level. It’s a must because it’s not women’s fault to be incompetent it’s the fault of patriarchal structure of the society which never let fell women that they are 100 per cent equal to men……
Sender :
thought ||City
:
Kathmandu || Country :
nepal || Date :
2006-07-10 03:06:21
Message :
Nice article Raj…good to learn that Nepal has men who think outside the patriarchal walls!....
Talking about the reservation part…as you have said 50% reservation or 50% weaker….its like seeing a glass half filled with water….you can take it as half filled or half empty!...I absolutely agree with your concern that when there are lots of potential women who are competent, educated and confidant than men why we need reservation? But the question is how many of these competent women got the opportunity to reach a decision making level?....
It’s only in the past few years that Nepali women are competing in public spheres with men. Years and years of suppression and male domination in our society have created a gender imbalance. Due to this imbalance, the men have reached higher and women are still in the bottom. So, to get the balance back it is essential that you halt the person at top and let the ones from below reach to that level. This is where reservation is required.
The issues of women can be best understood by women (not that man don’t ...but on a general level its women). So, reservation is not to protect women but to increase their participation, so that they can participate in the development process. The lack of representation of women in the current government bodies is clear example of why reservations are required. With 50% reservation equal number of men and women will be in the decision making level. Women are 100% equal to men but they have been deprived of their rights and opportunities. Reservations are means of giving women back their opportunities and creating a gender balanced society.
