Women Are Second Class Citizens The World Over

Do you think the world would have been different had God created Eve first? Imagine, all the flak about being tempted by the serpent would have been directed at a certain Mr. Adam, and who knows the world might have been better off in every which way. At least for Eve.

However, that’s not been the story so far. Women have always been treated as second class citizens the world over and made to fight for every right men seem to take for granted. Discrimination has been the middle name for women since generations in spite of the rapid strides that have been taken in the field of women empowerment.

Do you know that the practice of chhaupadi, that is exiling women from their homes to bare-bones huts or sheds during menstruation because they are believed to be “unclean” is still prevalent in Nepal? Scores of women die every year due to this, and yet the first arrest was made only in December 2019, even though the practice has been outlawed by the Supreme Court in 2005 and a law regards its practice passed in 2017. The punishment for the offence is nothing more than a joke, a three-month jail sentence and a fine of 3,000 rupees or less than $ 30.

Do you know that a marry-your-rapist law, which is a law regarding rape that exonerates a man from prosecution for rape, sexual assault, statutory rape, abduction or similar acts if the offender marries his female victim, or in some jurisdictions at least offers to marry her and is still alive and kicking in many countries of the world? The “marry-your-rapist” law is a legal way for a rapist to avoid punishment and prosecution. It was repealed in Palestine as late as 2018, and still stands valid in Malta, Lebanon, some Middle East as well as African nations.

Do you know that in Russia, women are barred from driving trains or ships? Regulation number 162 prevents women in Russia from driving trains or running ships along with 456 other jobs that are supposed to be too arduous, harmful or dangerous for women or hamper their reproductive ability.

Attitudes are changing, laws too, but it will be long before we establish a society where gender doesn’t define excellence or opportunity. As Gloria Steinem said, “A gender-equal society would be one where the word ‘gender’ does not exist: where everyone can be themselves.”

_{Featured image: Gemma Chua-Tran/Unsplash}