en. The Third World women often denounce male supremacy by rejecting household chores. But their maternity entices them. A Third World mother can resist patriarchal authority but not her children. Like Radha in Purabi Basu’s, short story “Radha Will Not Cook Today”, Astha wants to resist male dominance. Radha, in this story, can denounce her husband, mother-in-law by keeping herself from one day’s cooking but when her only one son Sadhan says that he is hungry she is in a dilemma what to do ( Basu, 2007). Astha in this story builds up a same sex relationship with Pipee in order to be herself and to resist Hemant. But when she was with Pipee, she was used to be worried about her children.
In Third World Patriarchal society, gender discrimination starts from the womb and lasts till the tomb. Indian culture is a culture that idolizes sons and dreads the birth of a daughter. So the daughters are not brought up with same perspective like the boys. But in First World, there is no discrimination between son and daughter or there is no custom of son preference. But women in India live and struggle under the oppressive mechanism of a closed society that is reflected in this story. Astha in this story is much traumatized at the uninterested response of members of the family and society at her daughter, Anuradha’s birthday. But she obtains an appraisal and sanction of motherhood after the birth of her son-Himanshu. She abhors such a false notion and discrimination between a daughter and a son, such an outlook of Indian traditional society is injurious to equal status of women who “feel caught up in the web of daily life.” (Kapur: 76) When Astha gives birth to a boy child, everybody is very happy. Her mother thinks: “When Astha’s son was finally born she felt a gratitude as profound as it was shamed. The family is complete at last’ said Astha’s mother agreed, too happy in the own contribution. Hemant’s mother agreed, too happy in the birth of her grandson, carrier of the line, the seed, the name, to respond with her reserve to someone she increasingly felt was her social inferior.” (Manju Kapur: 68) Women under the patriarchal pressure and control are subjected to too much more social injustice. They are more discriminated and are biased in lieu of their sex.
In Third World India, women are the victims of religious patriarchy. Indian women are colonized by the power of religion. Virginia Saldanha comments: “Men have been dominant as recipients, interpreters and transmitters of divine messages, while women have largely remained passive receivers of teachings and ardent practitioners’ religious rituals. Attitudes developed around patriarchal interpretations of religious belief have defined and shaped the social and cultural contexts of Indian women resulting in their disempowerment and second class status.” ( Saldanha, 2016) In Western societies, patriarchy does not subjugate women in league with religion. Western family is patriarchal in nature but patriarchy is not absolute there. But women in India are manipulated by religion and patriarchy uses it as a tool. Indian woman’s history of suffering and rebellion against patriarchal dominance remains almost the same. There are old models and newer ones but the paramount question of adjustment or rebellion in search of identity still remains.
Male domination in India leads to woman’s subjugation, discrimination, and exploitation presents sexism in its worst form. Karthika says: “Ancient or modern, the society is always male-oriented and views women as objects for pleasure.” ( Karthika, 2015) More than half of the population of the world is made of woman but she is not treated on par with man despite innumerable evolutions and revolutions. She has the same mental and moral power, yet she is expected to serve, sacrifice, and submit each ill against her peacefully. Her individual self has very little recognition in the patriarchal society and so self-effacement is her normal way of life. In Indian society, the institution of marriage holds a place of prominence and the women usually abide b