A Sexually Abused Society
No matter how hard the society of India tries to sweep the serious issue of sexual violence on women under the carpet, the alarming rate of increase of such cases is indicative of the fact that something is seriously amiss here. We are typically a male-dominated society, and it isn’t uncommon for stories of gruesome violence against women loom large in media almost every day. The angry outrageous mobs hold rallies, try campaigning, and even engage in shrill slogan hurling, but the very next day another woman is sexually abused.
So has anybody ever wondered what’s actually wrong with our society? Why are the men so hell-bent on exploiting women sexually?
‘Sex’ clad in enigma
The roots of this problem lie in the way Indian society treats the question or subject-matter of sex. Our society has created a far reaching mantle of enigma around sex and it is often considered a ‘hush-hush’ affair. The society puts a restriction on discussing sex in public; till date sex education has not found a place into the school syllabus in the remote parts of India.
The question here is that when ‘Sex’ is the biological need of every man and woman, just like any other biological needs like hunger, thirst, respiration etc, why should there be so much enigma surrounding the subject-matter that makes people so inquisitive about trying to find out more?
Until and unless this enigma is brushed aside, sexual crimes won’t reduce because males psychologically would want to explore the enigma by ravishing the woman’s body; with or without her consent. And it’s really strange why India keeps the subject of sex clad in enigmas, because if you take a look at the erotic sculptures in temples like Khajuraho or Konark or read Vatsyayana’s Kamasutra, you would think that this country should have had a much progressive and open outlook towards ‘Sex’.
Indian Society empowers men with the decision-making power in sexual intercourse
Our society with its patriarchal setup always keeps the man on the top, while woman is expected to show complete obeisance to the man. In the familial setup too, the wife has to suffer the same tyranny of patriarchy where she has to silently serve the husband. Sexual intercourse, which should have been a matter of mutual love-filled intimate session between a husband and wife, is not always so between most Indian couples. There too the man has all the power to take the decision regarding the intercourse and his wife has no option but to go along or else their marital life may be at stake. What empowers the man is none other than his upbringing in this patriarchal society.
A look at some statistical figures
Roughly 60% of women in the urban region indulge in sex just to finish it off, or simply because their husbands want it. However, in rural India, this percentage may go up to 70%-80%.
This statistics is alarming because it shows how the women of our country are losing interest in ‘sex’.
Probably most never had any interest in sex at all, because for them it never was something from which they could derive pleasure, but yet another way to serve their husbands.
As for as the urban women are concerned, the reason for this decline in female libido of the married women is probably the way husbands continue to trample their individuality day after day and asserting their own supremacy over them, whether in the sexual life or even beyond it.
Is our society sexually abused?
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the Indian society is a sexually abused one - perverted males feel they can rape women on streets and husbands feel comfortable raping their wives within the four walls of a bedroom.
The only difference here is that you can expect the media to hype cases where the rapist was accused, for the helpless wife merely wreathes in pain and sobs silently, but cannot share her misery with anyone because that’ll bring disgrace to her own family, her own husband.
Is it time our society changed its outlook towards SEX and accepts it for what it really should be – an act of pleasure where both individuals engaged are equal participants in mind, body and soul?
No comments:
Post a Comment