Patriarch subjugation on women: It is gradually diminishing though in slow pace

Ch Priscilla Thiumai *

Global empowerment on women

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs has already recognized the importance of women to play a vital role for the success of The United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be attained by the year 2030.

According to the report, 193 member countries, in 2015 September, including India, signed in support of these goals, considering that those goals are the urgent call for action by all the countries. The United Nations itself has empowered the women community in fulfilling the set targets on the consideration that the role of women is inseparable with men.

The Sustainable Development Goals No. 5. Gender Equality and No. 10. Reduced Inequalities (including women and men inequality) clearly indicate that women should not be subjugated in their social life and activities towards revolutionizing society.

In response to these challenges, many women are translating these targets into reality by implementing and enforcing the adopted agenda according to their own capacitance. Gradually, the importance of women is recognized in tribal society but still have to be persistently assert to bring balancing and equilibrium status between male and female genders in striving towards greater change.

One of the prime objectives of the United Nations is to empower both men and women for the sustainability of the human race and other resources.

Need to recognize the efficacy of women

It is obvious that women's efficacies are very high once they are equipped. In tribal society, in spite of the pressing need of women’s involvement in saving the earth and sustainability of the human race for many generations hereafter, the restricted opportunities for women participation in decision making and developing policy is still magnified in some societies.

Many people fail to recognize that women have analytical thinking capacity rather than what people consider as emotional beings. Women have distinct qualities that significantly enhance organizational success. They can see things minutely, the minute, which is useful for the success of big things.

What is gender subjugation?

In simple terms, “Gender Subjugation is either a group of male or female dominating upon another by taking away their freedom.” It is a type of suppression based on gender. In general, women are the victims of subjugation of their male counterparts. (The degree or severity of subjugation may vary in civilized and non-civilized society.)

There are two types of subjugation

1. Subjugation of needs: Example; She has to wake up and prepare breakfast even though she wants to sleep longer than usual due to unsound health.
2. Subjugation of emotions. Example; women may not comfort with the male led meeting resolution but to pretend they are fine.

These examples are the realities, an abstract reality that most women are facing today.

Challenges of Structural Patriarchy in Women Leadership:

Patriarchal egoism is ingrained in our society. Therefore, how hard it is tried to reduce or free from this deeply rooted structure, it is still found as a challenging factor in taking up leadership positions. The man has been seen to dominate over women, dictating that men are superior to women and their decision is superior and final.

This trait is especially seen in those who are below the educated class and a man of egoism even though educated. Maybe, it is the perception of men that their power over women is obtained from the norms within the given culture.

Whereas, the female is considered a relational agent. The patriarchal based social structure is a great hindrance to women leaders in spite of their potentiality and efficacy that can influence to a large positive extent.

Today, there is an undeniable fact that there are times when men feel the importance of women during agitation and confrontation. This shows the interdependence between man and woman that is bound to create an asymmetric relationship, which enhances the dependency of both the genders.

According to the UN Women press release 18 July 2023 globally, women are empowered to achieve an average of only 60 percent of their full potential as measured by the Woman Empowerment Index (WEI).

This set up structure does not give a viable place for exercising their leading skills. The stereotyping, which has been ascribed from the beginning, is finding difficulty to blot out until today. This hinders women from participating in most aspects of our society.

Women of dynamism face a challenge of gender subjugation in their role even at this present day though it is reduced considerably. Their efforts are undermined and the feedback of women is considered rebellion. To overcome this male dominant perception, one has to be tough if need arises.

Gender subjugation, according to my view, is more hurting than gender discrimination. The former one is applied in women’s professional life and beyond the domestic domain, in which women are considered as inferior to men. And, the later is applied that women are treated unequally or disadvantageously based on gender.

Need of Space for Women

The idea of the importance of women incorporation with men has been recognized many years back. Now, it is already the time that the society has to give a space for women to act themselves in societal issues, solving social problems, economic venture, political participation, educational pursuance, conflict resolution, conflict management, etc.

And, women representation in taking major decisions, high-level talks, political process and an inclusion of women in non-women organization level will leap the entire women community directly or indirectly. For, the empowerment deficits and disparity practices are harmful for human progress.

There are professionally elite women in the high tech workforce, global agencies, governance, etc. There is no place where women are unrepresented. Still then, women are less represented not due to lack of efficacy or expertization, but due to subjugation.

Today, the dogmatic attitude and behavior of monopolism of men towards women is a matter of tolerance. Many women are maintaining a tolerant approach to all types of subjugation in spite of their wide range of potentiality. On the contrary of belief, the competency of some men is sometimes limited in its range, power and it cannot comprehend the nature of reality in its totality.

Conclusion: There is no prescribed formula of equality and equity for women to rise above the normalcy. But, society has to accommodate and arrive at consensus and ideological preference by slowly breaking the man-made ascribed cultures. Conditionalities on women render society unpopular and illegitimate and reduce stability.

The Global Agency, United Nations has empowered women in changing the world. This is the fact that, “No local can suppress global empowerment of women.” For, a woman has the qualities of guiding the destiny of a nation.


This article is written on personal experiences of working in various levels of women community, civil organizations and NGO for 16 years who studied sociology, public relations and B Ed.