Vol. 5, Issue 1, Part A (2023)

In a traditional society the image of men is generally formulated by the role models they have before them. Their grandfathers, fathers, uncles, elder brothers and other male members around them offer examples of a so called ideal man. This reveals that men are merely products of patriarchal system than independently developed human beings. In an effort to be men as per the patriarchal image they suffer a loss in their behavior and outlook. They feel themselves bounded to act in the way their elders have acted. Hence, they suppress various human impulses and inclinations which are, in fact, indispensable for a healthy human being. Men’s stifling of natural impulses leads to lopsidedness in their personalities. In many patriarchal societies, including India’s, we tend to equate the masculine and the feminine with men and women. However, this forceful equation harms not only the men but also women, their families and societies at large. In a bid to prove themselves masculine boys and men develop a tendency to suppress the traits described as feminine and in the same way to prove themselves feminine girls and women strive to repress the so called masculine side of their personality. This denies opportunity to both men and women of growing into human beings having the qualities of both the sexes. The mad pursuit of men to prove themselves ‘masculine,’ force them to be tough, authoritative, aggressive, and domineering. They almost forget the fact that they are first humans and then men and women. However, there are some men who realize that dividing human traits into masculine and feminine is injurious to both the sexes. They exhibit the courage to cross the confines of their sex for bringing harmony and balance between men and women.