As the world marks this year’s International Women’s Day, we are reminded that women are yet to attain social, political and economic equality. There is no doubt that tremendous progress has been made since no generation, other than the current, has seen the rise of more female presidents, surgeons, engineers and company chief executives. For that, we are grateful. However, more still remains to be done to bridge the inequality gap. My workmates will bear with me for writing about them again. The first thing you notice at our office is that women are outnumbered by a ratio of 5:1. There is only one woman holding a top managerial position and the rest of us are assistants or just ordinary employees who don’t earn as much as our male colleagues for the same work. I’ve heard remarks like, ‘Oh you know women don’t need that much money since they have men to pay their rent, take them out or buy them all the nice things a woman could want.’ Clearly, these people have not met independent women who have bills to pay. I get along with many of my male colleagues, but I hate the fact that nearly all of them are chauvinists. You hear it all the time in their lurid jokes and condescending remarks. One woman is getting married in June and some men have advised her to forget about her job and prepare for a new life. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! Most of these men have gone to school, but still believe that a woman’s place is in the kitchen. With the ever rising cost of living, I’d be glad to have a gainfully employed fiancée but that’s just me. I’ve also noticed that many men here are generally dismissive of anything women do. When in a meeting a woman floats ideas or talks about her dreams, like many people who work together often do, you get a feeling that someone is laughing at you. My friend Paula has recently enrolled for an MBA, but hardly a day goes by without someone jokingly asking which rich old man is sponsoring her. I know that she has been saving money for tuition. There have also been questions about whether she has what it takes to pass, yet none of those who ask got better grades. I always express my desire to build a house, but every time I share my thoughts, men stare at me as if I had grown a pair of horns! In their opinion, that should be left to the head of a household. It saddens me every time I find three or four brilliant men huddled over a computer, not putting together a great proposal but chatting up pretty girls on Facebook or running to the nearest window to see a cute girl walking by. Such men also don’t shy away from talking about their ‘conquests.’ They sound like that is the only thing women are good at. It’s like buying a detergent knowing there’s just one use for it. Women don’t see men that way. At least I don’t. I also don’t befriend men for sex. When I look at a man, I’m not thinking, ‘Oh how does he look with his shirt off?’ I have learnt many things from my male friends and I’d like to think they too have learnt something from me. If men just took time observe, they would realise that there is more to women than just curves. We are capable of chairing meetings, innovation and running companies. So, can you please give us that chance? To be continued...
