Sir — No matter what the roadmap of development the new Government proposes for the country, the status of women as the ‘weaker gender’ in society shows no discernable improvement. Atrocities against the fairer sex have become a matter of routine, with perpetrators of the ghastly crime not even sparing children. Incidents of crime against women reported from different parts of the country show a sharp decline in our moral values. With ethical standards and relationship values in Indian society degrading to abysmal levels, our cultural mores are at risk of losing the sublimity that was once our proud heritage.
Respect for women remains a much eulogised concept which has failed successive attempts to be inculcated as a way of life. On the contrary, though sometimes perceived as condescending to women, the term ‘weaker sex’ reinforces the stereotype of a weak female, at least in the mindsets of a typical Indian male. Violence against women may be an offshoot of this belief. Suffering meekly —an attribute woefully ascribed to them — our women folk, right from their birth, are taught to be subservient to the imposing manners of men.