8 Double Standards Women Often Face

Let’s face it — women don’t always have it easy. No matter how hard you try, there’s always someone to shoot you down. Even the most well-accomplished women have been subjected to unfair scrutiny and judgment, all for being a woman. Society can be brutal and unreasonable, but we all need to stand in solidarity against such unfair double standards set against women.

There are hurdles for women in every sphere of life. In professional settings, such struggles can be real as issues like unfair compensation and snubbing for higher posts are all so common. Even in domestic life, women are expected to act and live in a certain way which suits the society and not what they might actually want. The world has come a long way, but sadly, archaic and outdated thinking remains — we’ve listed eight double standards that are so common that the chances are you experienced a few of these yourself! Scroll below and keep reading:

1. When It Comes To Makeup

Many women have found themselves at the receiving end of insensitive comments, but most importantly, senseless ones. Women who wear makeup are often termed as “fake”. They are subjected to statements such as “natural beauty is the best”, “you’re wearing a mask”, and “beauty without brains”. On the other hand, women who don’t wear makeup are often looked down upon too! People are quick to say that these women don’t make efforts to take care of their appearance. Some even go so far as to say that they are lazy! Maybe this is where we need to stand up and say that the choice to wear makeup or not depends solely on ourselves!

2. When It Comes To Homemakers And Working Women

The career choice (or the lack thereof) is always the subject of great scrutiny and judgment. When a woman chooses to be a homemaker or is forced to make this decision due to circumstances, she is labeled as someone without ambition. But when women are career-driven, spiteful things are said about them too. This is particularly true in the case of new mothers. Mothers who choose to resume work are often called “bad mothers”, while mothers who stay at home aren’t spared either! Is there any winning with such a society?

3. When It Comes To Breastfeeding

We agree that breastfeeding is the best food you can give your child. But in some cases, it could be that the mother is unable to breastfeed. So, she chooses to use baby formula instead. We want to reiterate that baby formula is the best substitute for breast milk. But despite this, people judge a woman if she takes to the feeding bottle. What’s interesting, though, is that the same people are ready to trash a woman who breastfeeds in public! It’s puzzling, isn’t it?

4. When It Comes To Romantic Partners

Derogatory remarks and names are thrown at women who have many romantic partners. Interestingly, when men have plenty of romantic partners, they’re considered macho or charming. Make up your mind, society!

5. When It Comes To Post Pregnancy Bodies

There are plenty of articles where the “dad bod” is glorified — men who have a dad bod are “natural”, “attractive”, and “the perfect family guy”. But a woman who’s just managed to grow and deliver a watermelon-sized tiny human is expected to “get back in shape” in no time after delivery because the postpartum body just doesn’t fit well with societal expectations. We’d like to watch men do the same and retain their sculpted figures… not a possibility, right? Well, far-fetched, insensitive societal expectations are far from the realms of possibility too!

6. When It Comes To Wages

The gender wage gap is a sad reality that some of us are victims of — and this has to change. Women who do the same work (or sometimes more) as their male counterparts are paid much less. Why? No one has a logical reason except that men belong to the workforce and women don’t, so they probably don’t need to be paid as much. It’s unfair and ridiculous. Women worldwide are working wonders in the workspace, and this is testimony to the fact that your gender doesn’t define how good you are at work. Equal pay for the win!

7. When It Comes To Mom Shaming

Children don’t come with a parenting manual — we all learn on the go. Also, each child is different, so your approach to parenting can be dissimilar to other parenting styles. And that’s okay. But a lot of people don’t think that’s okay (not that you should care). They have unsolicited advice and opinions to offer, and some even go to the extent of mom-shaming you!

8. When It Comes To Pink Tax

In several countries, women pay extra for similar products that men use, thanks to what is known as the “pink tax”. For example, both men and women use razors, but for some reason, women’s razors are far more expensive. Similarly, some countries impose a tax on essentials such as sanitary napkins and tampons. In doing so, it sends the wrong message — that the needs of women are not important and these are luxuries that only a few can afford.

As a woman, you’ve probably experienced one or more of these double standards — but don’t let that get you down. You don’t need society to validate who you are or what you should do. Someone once said, “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish” — truer words were never once spoken! And also don’t forget the fact that we have come a long way from the worst days where women weren’t even considered at par with men. Perceptions are undergoing rapid change and it’s a gradual change. Till then we continue facing these challenges but that doesn’t deter our resolve. What other double standards have you faced for just being a woman? Let us know in the comments below!

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