“Women are equal to men”; “They can do the same work a man normally does” and “women want equal rights”, are the slogans that are heard all over the world for the past few years. It is refreshing to look around and realize that at last women are being recognized as a powerful force to be reckoned with. They have been suffering for centuries. All women want freedom and equal rights as citizens of the world. But what is it to be an “Ideal Woman”. Does equality mean that a woman is an ideal person? you might perhaps say. “A woman who goes to work and earns a sum of money is an ideal woman”. But, is it enough if she only goes to work? An ideal woman should be much better than a man! She should be better in all the activities women can surely do.
Many people in recent years have misjudged the meaning of women being equal to men. It is not enough if she works and earns money. There are many women whose children grow without their mother’s embrace, love, and guidance. The ideal woman should be an enthusiastic worker at the office and loving mother at home, especially if the children are infants. In western countries “divorce” is a common feature. But why? If the woman was an ideal person, She should have seen that her family was happy and steady, She should have corrected her husband or if she was the one making the mistake, She must have corrected herself. An ideal woman should see that her family is united. But of course, there are always expectations where you simply cannot live with your partner.
Years ago, a woman was expected to keep the hearth warm and look after her children. While the man was out hunting or fighting as they had to earn their living in a very hard way. As the women had no modern facilities, They worked hard at home and had no time to get about to know the outside world. Now the horizon for women is wider as the modern world has more facilities and comforts. Thus, women have more leisure time, which enables them to participate in social activities. This creates more challenges where a woman has to do a man’s job, in this fast developing world. The modern concept of an ideal woman ought to be a balanced combination of a homely wife, mother and a progressive citizen of the world.
An ideal woman should be a worthy citizen of her country too. During the Chinese war, there were women who looked after their children, led a happy family and also fought for the country during the cold winter nights. They are the ideal women whom we should follow and be proud of. There are such women in the country too. Their names may not have appeared on the front pages of the newspapers. But silently, behind the huge walls and cadjans that hide them, they work! They work to make their families happy, they work to make their country prosperous; but never realizing that they are the true ideal women upon whom the whole nation looks up with much gratitude.
“We have all a better guide in ourselves if we would attend to it,
than any other persons can be”- Jane Austen, Mansfield Park
