Punish the SMO

In the past, men had to compete with only half of humanity. Now they have to compete with all of humanity. This stress creates all kinds of fears. The Webster dictionary explains gynophobia as a morbid fear of women. The phobia grows in men due to several psychological abnormalities. In our society, the root of such fear is found in the social foundation, growing shaky. The patriarchal fabric, made of intense misogyny, is losing its grip due to women's growing power as they take over male bastions. Their assertion to demand justice when their rights are usurped has thus angered a certain privileged class. A senior medical officer posted in Jalandhar has issued a notice barring the entry of all female employees, aged 26 to 55, into his office, fearing an implication in a false case of sexual harassment. 

One had heard of men being scared of feminists, but to be afraid of the mere presence of colleagues is a step forward. The fact is almost all women face sexual harassment at some point in their life — from men. In a survey conducted by a Delhi-based NGO, after the Nirbhaya case, of the 2,500 respondents, including students, homemakers and working professionals, 99 per cent had faced sexual harassment in metro trains, markets, educational institutes, workplaces, on social media websites and during morning walks. But 70 per cent of these women never took any action. They knew it won’t lead them anywhere.   

Going by the SMO order, these women would be justified in demanding the exclusion of the male species — from home to workplace. If such gynophobia is showcased by a senior medical personnel, who could be trusted with the responsibility of checking female foeticide which continues to go unabated? Such actions are symptoms of a deeper malaise.  Even though the health authorities have revoked the order of the SMO, such actions should not be taken in a lighter vein. The SMO should be given exemplary punishment for showing distrustof his colleagues. He should be made to work only with women colleagues for the rest of his career to cure his gynophobia.