Vaidehi’s poem “The Girl in Kitchen” captures the harsh reality of a male dominated society where women are suppressed and ruled

upon.

The poem is a heartfelt plea for freedom by a young girl who is shackled to the kitchen and sings of her longing to be rescued by a knight in shining armour from the drudgery of cooking and tradition-

bound activities.

The poem portrays how women are

considered as weak, fragile and brittle as they are not expected to revolt or defend a

just cause, like gender equality, in any manner. This highlights the hierarchy of

authority prevailing in society where social expectations often put women in positions of

lower level power.

At the one hand, women are considered in the

Indian religious scriptures as respectable and worthy

of worship

And on the other hand they are, in practice, they are exploited,

tortured and humiliated.

Gender discrimination and injustice is widely practiced in the society. Because of the lack of acceptance from the male dominant society, Indian women suffer immensely.

Women are responsible for bearing children, yet they are malnourished and in poor health. Women are also overworked in the field and complete all of the

domestic work.

The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful. The position of women in society has revolutionized when it is compared to a

hundred years ago all over the world. Years and years ago, women were considered to be responsible for only their house, but now they have more active role in society. With the

changing world, they have been altering. Women become more conscious about their status in society. As time passed, women have made progress in view of family rights and business life.

Earlier, a woman’s duty at home was just cooking meal, cleaning the house, taking care of children and many things like these but today, with the guarantee of the laws which were made in

that time, women gained the rights they deserved in both family and business space.

They become equal to men in every area owing to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Women in India now participate fully in areas such as education, sports, politics, media, art

and culture, service sectors, science and technology, etc. Indira Gandhi, who served as Prime Minister of India for an aggregate period of fifteen years, is the world's

longest serving woman Prime Minister.

However, women in India continue to

face atrocities such as rape, acid

throwing, dowry killings while young girls are forced into prostitution; as of

late rape has seen a sharp increase

following several high profile cases of young girls brutally

raped in public areas. While we see a

change in the roles a woman

plays in modern society, old

traditions and practises have

still not changed.

There still prevail gender

differences based on

social influence,

but not because of nature or biological difference

but because of the roles

that people play in

society.

Men tend to

be relegate

d to positions

of greater

authority. Again, these are

social expectations, not biologica

l function

s.