Women’s Day Special – A Thank You Note to the Amazing “MEN” in our Lives!

I grew up wondering why there is a specific day assigned to celebrate womanhood – March 8 (International Women’s Day). Researching through the annals of history, I realised that International Women’s Day first emerged as a result of labour movements at the onset of 20th century, across the world. Witnessing a couple of turning points in the world then (which included women gaining suffrage, movements prophesying equal rights for men and women, protests against employment gender discrimination etc.), United Nations (UN) established March 8 as a global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women across the globe. Additionally, it serves as the UN day for women’s rights and international peace. Perhaps, considering the deplorable discrimination against women in those times, chalking out a particular day to commemorate womanhood was the need of the hour back then.

That brings me to the present day in the 21st century! Do we really need a specific day to honour achievements of women now? I was actually quite amused this year at the extensive posts and dedications to women on March 8, in all my social media feeds. I’m not against it, but it’s really weird that people held on to all their emotions, respect and dedications just for this single day. Surprisingly, I can go on and on about countless achievements of women for every single day in the year. Every woman today, is a fighter with all her might and shining like never before.

My husband once asked jokingly why they didn’t celebrate International Men’s Day with such fanfare. They would also feel great about enjoying all the accolades for their hard work on a specific day. That was just a random comment, made in good humour. But it raised a genuine realisation in my mind.

Men have almost always been stereotyped as the predators, philanderers, icons of the dominant ideology of patriarchy and what not.

Though there is a considerable chunk of truth in those stereotypes, it will be greatly ill-advised of us to generalise men in these negative aspects and conveniently ignore the love, care, support and sacrifices they’ve done for women. Be it a man or a woman, a constant support system always keeps an individual going. And these days, we are witnessing that rock-solid emotional and mental support from men like never before.

Today, there are men who are their daughters’ best friends, there are men who do not hesitate to purchase sanitary napkins for their sisters, there are men who are best friends and their relationship is purely platonic, there are men who are unbiased mentors at work, there are men who do not dismiss a woman as a random ‘feminist’ for voicing her opinion (considering, ‘feminism’ is quite a derogatory term these days!), there are men who know how to cook a meal, there are men who feel best when their women are independent, there are men who babysit in turns while their wives are off to work, there are men who are happiest when women around them are happy.

Nowadays, men are flaunting their emotional, passionate, considerate and affectionate side like never before. Yes, these men exist today!

Ofcourse, the change is slow, but it is happening. Expectations and roles are changing by the day, and amidst all the hullabaloo on women’s rights and empowerment, even men deserve a fair chance. 

We might have our own set of difference in opinions, considering that our biology is different. Men will always have greater spatial skills and will be better at judging angle orientations and navigations. Women, on the other hand, will tend to have a better verbal fluency and greater memory for objects. But nothing can take away from the fact that men have always played a pivotal role in our lives (an instance which is hardly highlighted), and vice versa (which is always  highlighted – Behind the success of every man, is a woman after all!). We are not necessarily dependent on each other for survival anymore. My theory of life still stands the same – The contribution of both the provider (men) and nurturer (women) is essential to maintain the balance of life. And ironically, the roles of a provider and nurturer are seamlessly getting reversed between a man and woman these days. The men are acing the role of a nurturer like never before and the women are nailing the role of a provider and how!

Yes, we don’t really seek permissions from men for our own freedom these days. But, we have  to give credits to them, for having managed to break the feudal shackles of their ancestors. Rest, we are all still growing and learning. We don’t necessarily need a specific day to celebrate each other anymore. I hope every day is equally a man and a woman’s day from now.

So this year, I want to use International Women’s Day as a platform and take a moment to thank all the amazing men in our lives, whose unconditional support has helped us grow and spread our wings to fly. Cheers to you guys! We absolutely love you.