Can Man and Woman Ever Be Equal?

“Instead of trying to fit a woman into a masculine world, it is time we structure society and the world so that there is an equal role for masculine and feminine.”

—Sadhguru

I think in today’s context, we have misunderstood the word “equal.” Equal does not mean same. Equal means equal opportunity, equal regard, equal respect, but not sameness of action. If you bring sameness of activity, you will put the woman to great disadvantage in most areas of life outside. You will put men to disadvantage in certain other areas of life. And above all, inefficiency will prevail–women trying to do what men are good at, men trying to do what women are good at and making a mess of it. By training, everyone can do everything. But natural aptitude should be made use of. If that is not done, mediocre levels of activity will happen. It is best to make use of natural aptitude. Who is to decide who should do what? Why should it be pre-decided that this is what a man can do and that is what a woman can do? Let the individual person decide.

Today, the playing field has changed and so many activities have become common among men and women, which was not possible in the past. A thousand years ago, most people were living in villages and there was jungle all around. There were wild animals everywhere. Back then, tigers were not pussycats that needed to be protected, they were ferocious creatures which struck terror in your heart. There was no store to buy something from. Every day, you had to either hunt or pluck something from somewhere and come. A man was definitely better off going out and doing this job. And there was another biological responsibility for a woman –she bore children. If she went out into the jungle with a little baby, she might come back empty-handed. So women were protected because children were there, and the man went out to procure food. This was an ideal distribution of work.

Read the full article on Isha Foundation Site.

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