Many may remark that it is sheer sarcasm to say that India’s macho image or masculinity is mirrored by the frequently published finding by the country’s demographers namely, the number of females per 1000 males in the land is steadily going down, given the current figure of 950 or thereabouts. Further, the males of the land, including those in Mysuru, stand degraded socially, a view that is hard to question, going by the alarming number of reports in the dailies, including this one, with details of the reasons for and manner of murdering or causing the death of women, mostly those who are married and also having children born out of legally valid wedlock. As far as cases of women figuring in such reports of crime, allegedly in live-in relationship with men, the reasons for the heinous act are not far to seek. In short, one may take the liberty of pointing the accusing finger towards cupid, the God of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection (however short-lived) according to classical mythology.

Although theoretically all women, barring those with one or the other feature (physical or otherwise) not acceptable to the man shall find their life partners, given the growing gap in the number of males and females in the country, as mentioned above, the number and issue of single women have earned space as news in a widely read daily early this week. While girls in their pre-wedlock stage as well as women who are married and also dependent on their kin are free from threat to their security, barring destitutes, a growing number of single women are reportedly battling for their safety in society.

The scenario in the land concerning the female population in the era of society abhorring women leaving their homes to pursue the life of working women, particularly in urban spaces, stands thoroughly changed with the females figuring prominently in our times among the country’s workforce in all sectors. As a result of a multitude of causative factors that compel working women to get isolated from their families, such as transfers, family discord resulting in divorce, desire to go it alone in life and so on including the unfortunate and unexpected event of losing one’s husband, the issue of survival of single women has arisen more visibly in regions of high literacy.

The members of a family that has seen happier moments, particularly the man as her husband, realising the dire need of the home-maker after she stages a walkout is common knowledge. Hostels for working women, paying guest system and gated apartments with accommodation for single women are also features that are part of urban life. One cannot but miss the point that as the woman favours living alone away from the family stands to lose her time-honoured revered status of better-half. At the end of the day, the plight of the single woman as she gets into advanced age is beyond words.