by Rosa Radikalis

Created on: July 03, 2007

Does society favor men? It is difficult to provide a simple answer to this question, because it's a complicated issue.

To begin with, it depends on what we mean by society. If society encompasses the entire world population then men are undoubtedly favored over women. In many counties of Asia, South America and Africa women still have very few rights. Below are just a few examples.

Hindu widows in India live a life of abject poverty for the remainder of their lives when their husbands die, even when the female in question is still a very young child. Seen as societal outcasts, they lead wretched lives in the dharmashalas and choultries of Vrindavan, totally dependent on the owners of these establishments. The widows, who cannot afford their own accommodation, often spend their final days on the streets or in shelters provided by the State government.

In Nigeria, men don't appreciate the financial contributions of their spouses. They don't regard the woman's occupation or household chores as particularly challenging. Overall, Nigerian men constantly undervalue their wives. Additionally, even wealthier Nigerian women don't have certain rights. In general, men don't have any legal liability for their offspring, and they often discard women, expecting them to carry the economic obligation of the family. To add insult to injury, aggression against women in the family in Nigeria is rife and complex. Violence can be corporeal, emotional or economic. Husbands, lovers and fathers are accountable for most of the abuse. Furthermore, sometimes employers of female domestic workers are also complicit

Islamic women are generally at the mercy of men. First of all a woman cannot marry without the permission of her protector - if she marries, her husband becomes her new guardian. A woman who requests a divorce typically needs the approval of her husband, while men have the right of independent divorce. A divorce only becomes real when the man informs his wife that he is divorcing her.

While they ruled Afghanistan, the Taliban implemented the most rigid analysis of Sharia law ever known in the Muslim world, and became infamous globally for their behavior towards women. Women were compelled to dress in the burqa in public. They were not permitted to work or seek an education after the age of eight, and until then were only allowed to learn the Qur'an. Women who wished to learn had no alternative but to attend subversive schools, where both they and their teachers risked the death sentence

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