Is It Only A Men's World?

In a country where multiple laws are required for the protection of women, one thing is quite certain; while the general governance of the country may have a view towards the progress of the women of its country, society is still not mature enough to accept them as equals of men.

- GP Capt Achchyut Kumar

The very concept of EQUALITY is often misunderstood by the most knowledgeable. The jurist Salmond gave the most succinct and precise definition of equality, it being the “similar treatment of similar people”. So while we may not expect women to run a 100-metre race along with the men at the Olympics, they cannot be written off in so many other fields. After all, even at the international events, men and women compete in the same category when the sporting event is an equestrian event where while the physical work is that of the horse, the final result to a large extent depends on the versatility of the rider.

Conservative thoughts with some of the decision-makers can often be an impediment to the progress of women. The Armed Forces, for many years, kept women out of their fighting forces, and when they finally did open entries, they were with several reservations until the Courts intervened to give the women greater parity with the men. Today, our women are not only flying fighter planes but even joining the menfolk in joint air exercises outside the country with foreign nations. However, during any war, I have my doubts whether these female pilots will be ever deployed in air attacks outside the nation’s borders. Don’t coin me as a male chauvinist! This is where we need to understand the essence of equality; women are equal but not the same as men, and the enemy can be terribly cruel with a female Prisoner of War.