Daughters' Day!

 September 28 is a day dedicated to daughters. Daughters sure have come a long way. Many families these days do not "mind it", in fact, many might be happy, too, to have a daughter as their only 'issue' as Indian English puts it. "Mind it", to use the Indianism again, 'issue' in this context does not mean a problem, but a child. It is well-known even in small towns that the father determines the gender of the foetus, even if not many may know exactly and/or precisely about the decisive 'Y' chromosome.  

Not only is female infanticide comparatively much less, daughters sure are enjoying a better ambience, if not exactly a level field. Daughters do have a better representation in the workforce, though not many may get a permanent job with all the perks, et al. Sure the glass ceiling does exist. Women who reach higher echelons are still mostly merely representative, and somebody's somebody! Yet there is at least unmistakable horizontal spread, even though not much vertical growth. 

Undoubtedly, tough times might have minimised. Even in city ghettoes or in rural areas, daughters are getting basic education. They are getting the benefits of many an advantageous social reforms. There have been transformative measures such the Triple Talak Act, 2019 which indeed are game-changers. Houses are now registered in women's names, daughters have a share in parents' property, for instance.

Daughters, in brief, have indeed come a long way.  Their difficulties have not decreased, though. There is rampant sexual harassment. Due to the social media, and now the AI, it is assuming weirder forms, moreover. There are dowry deaths, rapes, all the usual culprits!

Much worse is the anti-women attitude hardening  due to the Delhi fridge kind of cases (headstrong daughters as a menace), for instance.  Given the significant rise of crime against men, the Bangalore case to the blue drum case or the Meghalay honey moon case, more and more is the perception that daughters are dangerous, especially because of their meddlesome maternal families. Silly stand up jokes and stupid comedies vitiate the atmosphere further and more. 

In other words, daughters, and their lot, are no longer derailed, even if not every sphere of growth and development enjoys a supersonic speed. Well, social structures, societal attitudes do change . They have a unique pace though. When they proceed one step ahead, they regress two steps backward!

Pratima@ Sad, however, it is to witness how daughters, who now have wider horizons, are wasting it all as slaves of consumerism! Fashion, food, fads, fun, frolicking through awful reel-making, Gen Z 'attitudes' are just that, attitudinizing, all froth and no solid substance!