Establishing the Role of Woman in Society

God create human based on two kind; male and female. Some believe that male was created first, and the female one was cold-drawn from his ribs. Others believe, base on the biological evidence of daily life, the creation of female come earlier before the birth of the male. Therefore, the role of women is higher compare to the male; she is the cause of human kind existence. She also takes care of them, compassionately.

It’s been a long controversy regarding the role of woman in society throughout the history of human. Woman treated unfair by some religion’s doctrines, but in another hand they were praised because of their beauty, love, and affection. As a mother to a grumpy and spoiled 11 years old boy, she always get scold if doing inadvertent mistakes. But she rarely receive a big hug or sincere smile for her forbearance and endless love, which that spoiled kid gets every day in his life. That description illustrates how people (read: male) are sometime unfairly upstaging woman, regardless their effort and help on building the civilization.

Because of their weakness, people treat woman as the second class of human being. Woman does not have the ability to think like common man does, woman does not have rights to vote, and woman is too feeble for battle-field. They should stay at home, deliver the babies, raise children up, and cook for their husband. For thousands of years, this mainstream idea had blinded woman from their own chance under the shadow of obedience.



Take a flash look at the picture of Srikandi on my t-shirt. In Indonesian culture, she’s a heroine figure. She has a big ambition, undefeatable power, and firmness character. Although she’s only a mythical personage, she has planted a seed of freedom inside female’s audiences, which make them dare to dream. Just like their counterpart, woman also gets the same chance to keep move forward and protect their own rights. It is agreeable that woman and man both are different. Indeed, no satisfying reason could explain that they are just the same. Woman and man are born to be different, but they are all equal. Differences between male and female doesn’t make one side superior toward the other. Legend told us how Arjuna always stays on Srikandi’s side during Bharatayudha. Both of them are covering each other, fulfilling each other necessity, and completing their couple deficiency.

How beautiful is life between man and woman on that myth, living in harmony side by side. But it seems like in the reality, man is getting a lot more privileges than woman. On some cases, it is also understandable that woman can not insist to take man’s position. Again, they are different although they are equal. The diversity among them is making woman can’t be able to obtain certain position or stuff that is particular for man, and also man can’t be able to do stuff that required woman presence only.

Lastly, what was the background issue of me to write a note about woman? Considering the globalization and rapid changing in our daily life, the issue of gender and sexism will increase due to the distribution of function and opportunity. If we can’t perform the good faith and honest act as we should have been (in connection with gender) these whole years, then we shall do it in the future to build a better understanding. Don’t treat your spouse badly, dude. You want to live with her/him, not as a rival :)

Yogyakarta,
Wednesday 8:08 pm