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Kathmandu Monday January 21, 2002 Magh 08, 2058.
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Gender discrimination
This refers to a news story titled "CEDAW
protocol can deliver justice to Nepali women", dated January 19, 2002, TKP.
I remember, a few days ago, I was about to hit
my wife on this particular subject when my wife argued with me citing gender
discrimination. I said to my wife "you cannot justify the reality negatively."
What is it? "Men are physically stronger than women, though women are mentally as
strong as their male counterparts". Otherwise, women would have asserted themselves
to justify their (natural) rights or (unnatural) against any discrimination that exists
between men and women, had women been physically stronger than men. I may be considered
"wrong" on this score. However, the reality is that woman is a weaker sex
compared to her male counterpart. The gender discrimination exists not only in Nepal or
underdeveloped countries but also in developed countries. We have never taken into account
such fact, nor do we try to learn facts. What we do is we advocate what a few so-called
international organisations say.
The US has never been witness to a woman
president in its two-century-old political history. Nor have other developed countries
produced Rani Laxmi Bai, Raziya Sultan, Indira Gandhi, Chandrika Kumaratunga, Khaleda Zia,
Benazir Bhutto, Hasina Wajed, etc, etc. The list of women rulers in the subcontinent is
too long. I do not want to write all their names here. These women (have) ruled or have
been ruling this subcontinent. I have been watching a few half-baked Nepali women raising
the question of gender discrimination in this country too. What these women should do now
is to speak about the "equality" between men and women that has existed since
time immemorial in this part of the world, instead of advocating western values. One must
know inequality to justify equality. By the way, how many women have got nobel prizes or
made scientific inventions so far?
Ram Bahadur Chhetri
Kathmandu |
