The Privileges of Womanhood and the Realities of Being a Man
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There are many unspoken truths about life, especially in how society treats men and women differently. I have observed these realities firsthand and sometimes, I even leverage them when necessary. Let me share a few honest reflections.
After work, whenever I want to get home without spending a dime, I simply stand by the roadside with my female colleagues. Most times, a free ride will stop for them. Of course, they cannot leave me behind, so I hop in and enjoy the favour that comes with their presence. In that moment, their grace covers me.
However, on days they are absent or I am in a hurry to get somewhere, I head straight to the park or wave down a car and negotiate the price. As a man, no one offers you a free ride just like that. If I dare stand there waiting for a free lift alone, I might as well wait till the second coming of Christ.
It does not stop there. There are times I need to access the office of certain senior people to ask for something important. Rather than go alone, I would call a female friend to accompany me. She may even go in first, and when I join her later, things go smoothly. Sometimes, I get what I need without stress or cost. The strength of a woman indeed speaks volumes.
I have come to understand these dynamics clearly, and once in a while, I make use of them. Sadly, some women misuse this influence, but that does not change the fact that it exists.
I once wrote something about the power of a woman, and I may write on that again. The topic is as deep as it is fascinating.
Now let us shift focus to another area, prisons. Yes, women are also found in prison cells, but have you ever heard a female ex-convict openly complain about harsh treatment, torture, or inhumane handling in custody? Rarely.
It is usually the men who return from prison and say, “Guy, fear anything that will land you there, that place is hell.” Why the contrast? Because female prisons are handled differently. The conditions, the treatment, the overall environment, very different.
Even in our day-to-day interactions, this disparity plays out. If you and I are playfully teasing each other and you slap me, it may be seen as a joke or simple affection. But if I slap you, intentionally or even by mistake, it immediately becomes a case of domestic violence. And if God is not on my side, I could be arrested or jailed.
Let’s talk about theft. If a woman is caught stealing in public, the worst she might face is a round of beating, public shaming, or being handed over to the police. But if a man is caught stealing, and unfortunately dangerous mobs are around, his life could end right there. He becomes a burnt sacrifice in the name of jungle justice.
These are the realities. Society, knowingly or unknowingly, often tilts its scales. While some of these privileges are soft and subtle, they are real. And as men, we live with the harsher edge of those scales every day.
I share this not to complain or compare, but to spark thought. To awaken understanding. Let us all, men and women, understand our spaces better and use whatever influence we have with wisdom and integrity.
In the light of a world where we live in patriarchy this is a very interesting perspective. What you are observing is not really "female privileges" but rather expressions of patriarchy. It might seem counter-intuitive that in a world dominated by men, women are sometimes treated better. But are they really? The fact they are picked up on the side on the street is because they are regularly objectified by the drivers. It is prestige to carry a woman in your car, while men that are about a trillion times more violent than women can pose an immediate threat to the driver.
Same logic applies to prison cells: It is a problem of the system that male prisons are not preparing for re-integration into our society but rather are plagued by violence. But the fact that this does not happen that regularly in female prisons is that women are just less often violent.
On the topic of physical violence: I don't know about your lifes realities, but in my world almost everyone can make a difference between a soft and friendly slap and an act of violence. This difference can be made regardless of gender. It is just a fact that femicides, where for example an ex-partner kills a woman, are a thing of reality, while the contrary is virtually never the case.
Also it might be true that a woman can get your senior workers in a better base-mood than you can. This might be something you can profit off of if you use it correctly. But have you ever thought about who earns more? Almost exclusively males earn more than females for the same work. So is it really an argument for "female privilege" or rather yet another argument how men can use women?
There might be moments when it might seem like women are in a more fortunate position than men. This might actually be true in a few areas. But is it really fair for women that suffer under the male-dominated system to say they are "so privileged" and men "have it so bad"? Let's rather focus on fighting patriarchy, rather than strengthening it. In the end also men can profit from a more emancipated society.
I so much love you points and how you approach them.
But in some cases, can't SOME OF these be tagged " FEMALE PRIVILEGE" ?
And can you me some insight about the concept " female / women privilege"
Let's learn
Of course some things can be tagged "female privilege". In certain aspects, as you mention with being picked up on the street to get a lift home, it certainly is a privilege of being a woman. But my hypothesis is that mentioning this will not make our world a better place. All this does is portraying men as being in a worse position than women - while the opposite is generally true.
What I strive for is an emancipated society where men and women live with equal rights, both de-jure and de-facto.
Your observations have not been wrong. Quite the opposite: Your observations are correct and are correct to be criticized. But at the same time the phenomenons that you have observed have reasons that lay deeper - and this is what we should study.
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