I believe women are always at an advantage. Being a woman, I feel those advantages which are given to us.

For instance, there are reserved seats for women in buses, there are separate ticket counters for ladies, some trains have women only coach and so on.

These are just mere instances which show the advantages given to a woman and discrimination against men.

Yes, discrimination or sexism exist against men and boys as well.

Sexism against women or girl is still a more severe problem in most parts of the world. However, contrary to the popular belief, men and boys can also be subject to discrimination.

Men are also a victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, but state institution and society in general take such violence less seriously because of the prevailing attitudes towards men, such as the belief that men are fearless, sustain greater pain and are more capable of self defence.

The most prominent example of sexism can be Rape. According to the Indian penal code, rape is a non bailable offence and is gender specific. Which means a man or a boy can be arrested if a girl files a case of rape against him, without even investigating the matter of truth.

I don’t say that every case being filed is false but 2 out of 10 cases is false. And the two false cases are the example of misuse of law.

Another example of sexism against men include male disadvantage in terms of child custody in divorce cases, paternity leave, and the shorter life expectancy of men as compared to women.
There are instances when the law is abused to harass or even victimize individuals.

No law should be misused by anyone. An allegation by the women is not enough to make an arrest. The police must investigate the matter and then register a complaint, under the sections they deem fit.

In a landmark judgment, the hon’ble Supreme Court had said that women are spreading legal terrorism in India.

More than 66% of respondents to a recent survey say laws for protection of women are being misused.

The survey was conducted by a group of St. Xaviers College students, aimed to look at The social discrimination of men.
The purpose of the survey was to find the issues that men face like discrimination, harassment and so on. The basic idea was to promote awareness about men who are often seen as promoting patriarchy in society.

A total of 58.95% of the respondents said that men were threatened by laws for protecting women.

The Dowry Prevention Law (Section 498A/ 406 of IPC)is one of the most misused provisions of law in India and yet no modifications seem to have been made in it over the years.

This section was enacted to protect the dignity of a woman has become a widely misused weapon by them and is used to harass and blackmail their husband and his family. Once an FIR is filed under 498A/406 (IPC) it becomes a stooge in the hands of the police to harass the husband and all his relatives named in the FIR without an intrinsic worth or preliminary investigation. This provision further diminishes all chances of an amicable reconciliation between the couple. The prolonged trials further add bitterness to the already strained relationship between the families.

There have been ample cases where this law has been misused. Women use this law as a weapon to extort money out of their husbands at the time of divorce. Small incidents of little consequence are exaggerated in a large number of complaints.

According to a survey conducted by Fight against Misuse of Dowry law has revealed that 98% of the cases filed under section 498A is false.

Recently Supreme Court had modified its judgment to ensure there is no misuse of section 498A.

The Supreme Court said that, In every district one or more Family Welfare Committees be constituted by the District Legal Services Authorities preferably comprising of three members. Every complaint under Section 498A received by the police or the Magistrate be referred to and looked into by such committee. Till report of the committee is received, no arrest should normally be effected.

After discussing all this, I would like to conclude that it is an accepted academic stand that sexism is systematic and structural, and that it involves the subordination of one group as a whole by another group which enjoys power and advantage in the system. The locus of sexism is primarily in the system of framework, not in the particular act.

It is the patriarchal system itself which places the extra responsibilities on the male, and it may be the price that same men are paying for their overall advantageous position in the society. However, one must agree that the overall greater severity of the first sexism (sexism against women) does not imply that the second sexism (sexism against men) should be denied, ignored or tolerated.

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