Men at work

Dear reader,

Audre Lorde, the American feminist and civil rights activist, once wrote: “Your silence will not protect you.” Her words ring true today in India today.

In West Bengal some weeks ago, an unprecedented sight greeted the early morning hours of Independence Day. Thousands of women took to the streets, candles in hand, not in celebration but in protest. Their rallying cry, “Meyera raat dokhol koro“ (Girls, seize the night), demanded justice for the young doctor brutally raped and murdered in R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Meanwhile, in Kerala, the release of the Justice Hema Committee report on August 19 ignited a series of revelations from the Malayalam movie industry. Several women accused powerful figures in the industry of rape, assault, and misconduct, leading finally to the collapse of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), the industry’s most influential (and male-dominated) collective.

The protests in Bengal and Kerala stem from women saying “Enough is Enough”, the cry for justice that Frontline endorses in its cover story this fortnight. While the continuing protests in West Bengal are unparalleled in the State’s history, they reflect a growing global movement of women demanding justice from male violence.

To understand why men commit such heinous acts, we must examine how patriarchy functions and evolves. What is patriarchy? Simply put, it is a social system where men hold primary power, dominating the roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and property control. The system took root as societies shifted from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to agriculture, thus solidifying gender-based divisions of labour. Over time, the division morphed into a hierarchy, where men’s roles gained greater social value and power because of men’s greater physical strength.

Organised religion further cemented patriarchal structures, often interpreting the scriptures to reinforce male dominance. Religious sanction provided a powerful justification, making the unequal system difficult to challenge or dismantle.

It is these inherited patriarchal norms that have shaped men’s attitudes and behaviour over millennia. The expectation that men must be strong and in control has led to their emotional suppression and the glorification of male aggression. The playing out of this toxic brand of masculinity has had disastrous consequences for both men and women.

Men who faithfully adhere to these traditional masculine behavioural norms are the ones who engage in risky and aggressive behaviour and are more likely to perpetrate violence. The oppression of women is perhaps the most visible manifestation of this masculine crisis. Despite having been historically denied basic rights and freedoms and relegated to secondary roles, women are yet subjected to various and continuing forms of violence at the hands of men. Patriarchy has created a system where women are seen as less capable, less valuable, and therefore more disposable.

In many cultures, women are still considered the property of their fathers or husbands, their bodies seen as objects to be controlled and exploited. Domestic abuse, sexual assault, rape, femicide, and honour killings are all aspects of this understanding of women as objects of ownership.

The emergence of feminism posed the first challenges to male power. It has succeeded, in varying degrees, in liberating women from the crippling prisons of housework and caregiving into the public sphere, from dependence on men to independence, economic power, and self-sufficiency. This challenge to male authority has resulted in a serious crisis of confidence in men that experts link to the increasing incidents of violence against women. The other reason for male violence is, of course, the indifference of families, the society at large, and the state to recognise violence against women as worthy of attention.

Global statistics show a grim picture. The World Health Organization reports that about 1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.

The tragic event that unfolded in R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital that fateful night reflects some of these factors. That the young female doctor could be raped and killed in her own workplace highlights the pervasive nature of gender-based violence and the failure of systems to protect women. The alleged involvement of a civic police volunteer and suspicions of a cover-up point to deep-rooted political issues that continue to keep the rot in the system alive. The delayed and questionable actions of the police point to law enforcement’s failure to handle gender-based crimes sensitively or fairly.

We document these many failures in our cover stories this time. As we examine the details, it is crucial to view it not as an isolated incident, but as part of a global pattern that demands urgent attention. The crisis in masculinity is not just about men; it is about how societies structure power, how institutions function, and how the state protects its most vulnerable populations. The protests raging in Bengal challenge us to reimagine masculinity and build a more equal and just world.

As Frontline’s Editor Vaishna Roy writes: “The solution lies not in more laws but in more change, a sea change that must begin in homes and classrooms and take down the patriarchy brick by brick.”

Do read all the thought-provoking articles. We will continue the debate on this crucial issue in our upcoming issue as well.

Until then,

For Frontline,

Jinoy Jose P. (He/Him)

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