The myth of gender equality

The recently observed International Women's Day in Bangladesh was noted for shrilly speeches from advocates and promoters of women's interests about their unfulfilled mission to establish equality of women in relation to men in all respects. But the question which cannot help but arise in this context is : why women should need such help when they are considered to be 'naturally' equal to man. If this equality had been a reality through ages then, by now, we would have seen the names and fames of women writ as large as men throughout the history of humankind. That this has not been the case is proof enough of the fact that women generally are not equal to men on the whole and this inequality is inherent in the way the Creator made the two sexes. It is seen in nature that every animal takes a place of supremacy or otherwise respectively from sheer strength or the lack of it. Thus, a lion is awed and feared and is known as the king of the jungle for his sheer strength and the advantages this factor gives him. But a deer is a nervous little wreck in front of the lion and naturally goes for a retreating position when faced with the latter. This example should suffice to highlight that in nature, supremacy is reserved for the stronger or fitter and secondary positions for the lesser creatures. The same law applies to human or males and females. Males have naturally come to acquire their dominant positions over females not because they have been unfair and inconsiderate and had a mindset to lord over the females but because of the simple fact that they found themselves to be naturally superior on the whole. There are clear statements in some verses of the Holy Koran in which Almighty Allah gave a higher position to man in relation to woman . Thus, in sub-section 228 of section 28 of Sura Al-Baqara in the Holy Koran it is stated that " women have rights similar to the rights against them in a just manner. But men have a degree over them. And Allah is Most Mighty, Most Wise." Indeed, Almighty Allah in His infinite wisdom could not be more just and right in both declaring males to be superior and giving them special honour, rights and respects over women. This plain truth about gender inequality is galling to women libbers but would surely be found to be a reality on impartial and scientific examination. Ever since mankind came into existence, this inequality has persisted. For instance, note that the description mankind and not womankind is used most extensively to describe the human species everywhere. Thus, even ordinary human vocabulary--everywhere--started off with this gender bias toward males since time immemorial. In the description of one and only God as a pronoun in all major religions of the world, God is conceived to be male like in power and called 'Him' and not her. Invitation cards issued in all languages and cultures everywhere in the world are issued in the name of Mr and Mrs such and such and not the other way around to underline the supremacy of males in the order of precedence. Thus, Hilary Rodham, the unsuccessful candidate for the last US Presidential election, introduces herself as Hilary Rodham Clinton using the name and title of her husband to identify her and does not decide to drop this identification linked to her husband to demonstrate her unique and fully self-supporting female identity. But there is no need for former President Bill Clinton to similarly declare his identification with his wife. In official forms to be filled in most countries of the world by applicants , the requirement mainly is to declare the name of the father of the applicant. Only in some cases, the name of the mother is also demanded but as a subsidiary one after the father. Hundreds of examples can be cited in this manner to show that in all countries, in all societies and in all ages, men generally tended to have an upper hand or a position over women affirming the supremacy of the former. And this supremacy was attained and maintained not necessarily through unfairness or coercion but came naturally such as in the Darwinian principle of ' the survival or supremacy of the fittest' in nature. Men are generally and on the whole found to be stronger than females. For example, the fastest attained world record in 100 metre sprint for males in athletic events is 9.58 seconds and nobody has surpassed this record . For females, it is 10.49 seconds or 0.91 seconds less than the male record. This difference in performance between the man sprinter and the woman sprinter will remain notwithstanding how hard the best woman sprinter tries to equal or surpass the best male record in this respect. This can be said conclusively from analyzing recorded data of athletic events over many years. For both males and females, the time in finishing the sprint became shorter over the years but the vital difference in the timing between the best male record and the female record with the dominant position of the male sprinter, remains unchanged. A strong female can do body building and come nearer to the strength of Mr universe. But she will never equal or surpass him in strength. The point is that by God's or nature's design women generally have been made physically weaker to males. There are, of course, physically weak males and some strong females are stronger than them. But these are exceptions and do not prove the rule which is that men generally are physically stronger than women. There is no equality between them in this respect. That is why men and not women have been the conquerors, prophets, leaders and in the very front rank of all human endeavours throughout the ages in all countries and civilizations. Not only women have been physically and generally weaker, intellectually also they could only compete with males but could not surpass them decisively. Of course, some women are found to be intellectually or academically far superior to some men. But they are not many in number. Generally, men both in terms of their brain and brawns surpass females by a big margin that make them natural leaders in most fields. God and nature appear to have designed an existence partly for females exclusively as mothers and homemakers. Only women can have babies and rear them better than men. These are the areas where females have been given special roles by the Almighty Creator. Men can generally do well in almost all fields. But their physical limitations naturally restrict such a role for females such as women are generally found not fit for services in the combat sections of the armed forces, in the police or other activities requiring regular special physical endurance and strength. For a part of the month, women of reproductive age experience menstruation that also limit their physical and mental capacities for hard work considerably. Men have no such problem. Thus, the idea of gender equality is more in the imagination of people than a realistic goal to be realized. Man has come to dominate 'naturally' and as part of the design of the Almighty Creator. He is not usurping anybody's rights or due possessions by willful brute force and cunning but finds himself naturally thrust into positions of supremacy and leadership that women cannot fill. If there should be any calls for redressing women's grievances, then that should relate to women getting their permissible religious rights and allowed to work as per the capacities they actually have. It should not be muddled with an utopian dream of making women equal to men or even superior to men. As for the mainly advocacies of western origin that Bangladesh should practice more gender equality, the same only shows up their great hypocrisies about advising others while remaining completely insensitive to the same on their part. Let us look at conditions in the USA, the biggest and most powerful western country in this respect. In the USA during its 235 years of history, no female President ever graced the White House, the supreme symbol of power and authority in that country. Only during the last Presidential election a female aspirant for the Presidency emerged. But she was not even given the nomination by her own party and the male bias has had a role in such a decison. More women get raped in a single day in New York city than possibly the entire tally of such cases for five years in Bangladesh. Sexual harassments at work places are very common incidents in the USA and women there have come to accept the same in most cases pathetically as a reality that they can do little to change. The scene is more or less the same in most other western countries. Feminism has emerged in the western countries. But the feminists of today are of a far different kind than the ones noted in the early part of the last century who struggled for the rightful realizations of women's rights such as voting rights and equal pay for equal work at work places. Today's feminists in those countries in the name of women's liberation would want to redraw the relations between the sexes or make females the superior sex in society on the plea of bridging the so called gender inequality. We live at a time when self declared feminists in these countries can even make name and fame quickly by saying that in the human sex act where males take the dominant position, this involves application of brute male force on females to be only avoided and hated. In the name of feminism, therefore, they would rather remain spinsters for life and asking to be respected for their choice. Surely most women with normal views and feelings about sexuality would reject the suggestions from such women libbers. There was a time when patriotism was revered. Lord Nelson who won the Battle of Trafalgar and in whose memory the Trafalgar Square in London was commemorated , was knighted by the Queen of England. That was something very aptly done to make perfect sense in all ages. But can we say the same a century after when a singer styling half like a male and half like a female, he or she (?) also gets knighthood bestowed on him. Even law was promoted in Britain supported by the honourable members of its parliament, to allow man to marry man and woman to marry woman notwithstanding that such marriages would be unnatural. The purists and moralists stand to be isolated and incur the wrath of some articulate sections of people in the developed countries for criticizing or opposing such gay marriages or homosexuality. So, we are passing through a time when even homosexuality is sought to be encouraged or legitimized as the right thing to do. But Sodom and Gomorrah, the two cities mentioned in the Bible and the Koran, were destroyed by God for practicing unnatural or immoral sexual behavior. Surely, before they were destroyed the practitioners of such queer sex must have thought that there was nothing objectionable or naturally deviant with their conduct and their novel ways of sexuality needed to be only upheld and adopted by other peoples. Why these things are stated here ? These things are discussed here because like in many other countries of the world the notions of feminism and, specially the idea that females should attain parity with males, are peddled with a lot of zest these days in Bangladesh. But in actuality it is becoming more like an advocacy for females not only to enjoy their rational or permissible rights but to surpass in the same. This is where the objections must come or where the shoe pinches. For example, on the occasion of the International Women's Day, it was reported in the press that from the highest level of the government a question was posed why the same or equal number of female ministers in comparison to male ministers should not be in the Cabinet of Ministers in keeping with gender parity. But already Bangladesh has had a record number of female ministers in the present Cabinet but their contributions are considered to be among the worst among their Cabinet colleagues.