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| Emma Watson on being #self-partnered |
The truth is, everyone on this planet earth needs love and human connection to live a fulfilling life, and that is inclusive of romantic relationships and marriages. I am not saying that everyone SHOULD choose to get married. If you were to look ten to twenty years down the road, those who stayed single were largely those who had issues finding the right person and not because they planned on being single from day one. However, things are pretty much the opposite today.
A couple of days ago, I came across the term “self-partnering”,
which is now trending after Emma Watson glorified her singlehood by coining the
term “self-partnership” to her current relationship status. I’m not sure if the
women’s liberation movement and feminism in general have been focusing on
solving the root causes behind the need to have such movements in the first
place.
.
Take the scenario of working women today, who fight for equal
pay, longer maternity leaves and flexi work hours. All these demands go back to
their ultimate concern: childcare. During the old days, the men used to be the
breadwinners and the women played the role of homemakers. Then, as the living
standard increased, women were expected to help share the financial load and
this became a necessity for some women who were both victims of domestic
violence and financially oppression.
.
We saw women joining the workforce to address the issues
they were facing. Of all these “solutions”, we hardly see where and how men are
involved as a part of the solution. We only see women largely adjusting their lifestyles
to meet the demands of their family. And today, we paint a picture that
relationships are fragile, not worthy, and that men are not dependable. Women
are glorifying the status of being single because it is liberating, and it
depicts how strong women can be.
.
If only women are allowed to just be who they are, all these
unnecessary restrains wouldn’t have surfaced. If we stopped measuring the worth
of women from their skin colour or how well they cook, we could have slowed
down the aggravation behind radical feminism. And today, we are subconsciously nurturing
financially independent “strong” women because that is the next yardstick that
would measure the worth of women. This also indirectly tells that men are not
to be dependent on, and if women shed tears or are weak, they are losing the
game.
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It is so sad to see that we are undervaluing relationships,
portraying the wrong image of human and family values to the generations to
come. If only we teach men how to rectify issues coming from them and if only women
are not restricted and judged for who they are, cared and loved for by men, the
second wave feminism and the power struggle in modern relationships could be a
lot easier to handle with.
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