I don't compete with men. I compete with myself- to make myself better everyday- personally as an individual and professionally as well. I take pride being a girl and do not really understand the emphasis on gender roles. I am independent- take my own decisions- make my own choices. The persistent comparison between male and female doesn't make any sense to me- we all shall respectfully survive. There are many angles to argument on gender equality and feminism. Do we actually have a clear idea about these concepts? Often, we confuse the notion of feminism as a stance against men; many assume that it is about hating men. But, that's absolutely wrong. Feminism and gender equality are an attempt to empower women. It is a fight for the rights of women that remain violated even to this date. Women have reached heights of success- they are multitasking personal and professional life with panache.
Unfortunately, society still doubts a woman's caliber and there are many families that put boys ahead of girls. The problem is not typical to men's mindset though. I have seen many women looking down upon other women. I have seen many men who fought for women's rights all their life. Gender discrimination, acceptable gender-based societal norms and behavior, gender-determined foetal foeticide, honour killing are some of the heinous practices that have existed.
Many blame orthodox and prejudiced mentality, generation gap to be responsible for such discrimination. And I do agree with this. But, I see many modern generation girls who call themselves 'Tomboys', 'Wannabe boys' and they take pride in the fact that they prefer to be boy-like. So, I want to ask them, aren't they proud of themselves being a girl? For riding a bike, it isn't necessary to call ourselves 'boy-like'. I drive sturdy cars and I don't need to dress up and behave like a man to drive such cars. I have travelled to eleven countries so far, established my own professional life with intense hard work, pay my own bills and depend on no one for protecting my dignity. I do it all myself- with all my feminine characteristics intact-I have never called myself a 'Tomboy' for executing the above activities. Without complicating it any further- Girls/women need to feel proud of themselves for what they are and the way they are. Moreover, when we (women) have the power to bring life into this world, does comparison and discrimination between the genders makes sense? Not to me at least!