It’s not a denying fact that women have conquered all
the avenues of knowledge as well as of profession. She has applied her
talent to all the streams to increase the frontiers of her views and
understanding. Women have also tried her hand in each and every
profession. She is walking equal steps with man in every sphere of
life. The clamor of the feministic activists and feministic authors
have helped them a lot in securing them this social status and
theoretically let all the social creatures know that women are the
backbone of the society. But still there is some gap and something is
missing. Though the gender ratio in job sectors are significantly
changing but the price of women in the marriage market has remained the
same as it were. This is especially prevalent in middle-class families
and the lower middle-class society. All women both employed and
unemployed are put to the test of beauty. Beauty is the first thing
that all men ask for. Dark is still not fair for them. Though dusky
women are redefining the parameters of beauty in the glamour world but
actually nothing has changed strikingly. There are many such examples
that will be enough to prove that they are also successful in their
respective professions. . In India, the ruling party at the centre is
headed by a woman; a woman president is also likely to take over the
office. Naomi Campbell, now a super-model, won the Miss Universe crown
and is a very successful woman in the world of glamour. Some dusky
beauties of Bollywood are Rekha,Hema Malini, Kajol , who are reigning
the Indian film industry. So their dark skin color has failed to
prohibit them to relish the nectar of success and fame.
But at
the time of marriages, the parents as well as the groom are united in
their desire for a fair and lovely bride. This is applicable especially
in cases of arranged marriages though the issue is quite different in
the matters of hearts and love affair.
If the would-be-bride is a
working woman, the eligibility criterion is a little relaxing for them.
But again, the working women have their won problems. Professionals
like doctors, lawyers, policewoman, models, journalists, BPO employees,
are look down for their erratic workloads and hours. Even women working
in IT companies are not spared from this, due to their irregular
working hours. Moreover, women working in night shift are not eligible
bride as staying long hours outside the house after marriage is not
desirable. If a girl is returning home at night, it becomes the talk of
the town and the news is sold like hot cake. Gossip and that about a
nocturnal girl is more to cherish than others.
There are many
such families who pre-set many conditions like, the girl would leave
the job after the marriage or in some cases, she is compelled to leave
her hard-earned job to shoulder all the house-hold responsibilities.
Jobs that make a man lucrative in the marriage market goes against the
woman.
Men want their brides to accept their decision on whether
to work or not after the marriage. Moreover, there is question of
moving with husband in case of a transfer.
There are also such
families who search only working brides for their son to appease their
hunger of money. In such cases the woman has to work both inside and
outside the house. And moreover she has to face weird questions from
groom’s family at the time of match making regarding her choice of
career.
It has been noticed that the preferences of jobs changes
with community. While Marathis and Bengalis look for working woman who
is also homely, Punjabis prefer pure housewives. Marathis also give
importance to brides with government jobs and Marwaris prefer a woman
who has a small business of her own.
One profession is surely the
most lucrative in marriage market. School teachers are more in demand
and even more than college lecturers. Primarily for the reasons that
school offers more paid holidays and vacations other than good salary,
convenient working hours and schools are pretty large in numbers.
In
such a moody marriage market it is really a curse to be the bride’s
parents or the bride herself. Socio-economic conditions sometimes
change the directions of the wind but unfortunately any direction has
so far proved to be against the bride’s wishes. The irony of the fact
is that though the decision rests with the bride, it is mainly governed
by her father, a male.
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