When it comes to choosing a career, I have often been asked to opt for engineering or something that sticks to masculinity or shows something manly. Deciding on a career in India might be a difficult task to achieve since you’re surrounded by a conventional system where one has to do what the society or the respective community demands of an individual.
There’s no way out until or unless you try your best and fight for your future. It could be your parents, teachers, or other relatives that you need to battle with because your whole mental health revolves around them due to their unpredictable expectations. These expectations are not to encourage the child’s creativity but to infuse the spirit of competition in them. On a similar note, the competition is not to nurture the child’s creativity but to show society and the community how their child is far better than others, making the child unable to comprehend the consequences of the decisions taken by others.
These days, our youth, especially those who live in a masculine society, are trying to cope with various health issues that are the result of their wrong decisions about careers or passions. Whether it is the fashion industry, teaching, or being a nurse in a hospital, everyone has been given a role to play. These roles are so perfectly embedded in society that if one wants to choose a career out of them, especially for men, they are looked down upon by the current society. It can be said that these roles are associated with gender. However, as the roles change, embedded systems still abode in people’s consciousness, making them even harder to fight against. As a result, they affect the minds of youngsters, resulting in long-term mental issues like depression and anxiety, and sometimes panic attacks.
Most girls do not follow their passion and make the choices that the patriarchal system wants. Similarly, men are also trapped in this system. It sounds funny, right? It does sound funny. There are various instances where men are led to choose masculinity-related careers. From engineering to teaching, these are a few professions that are often considered for men and women, respectively. Even if one wants to survey India, it would be crystal clear that the numbers of male teachers in academics are way less than female. Likewise, the numbers of women in engineering fields are lower than those of men.
Another reason is the societal and cultural pressures on young people, who are bound by certain norms to follow traditions. In doing so, they sacrifice their ambitions and live up to the expectations of their community, making them vulnerable to any step taken against their people.
The whole idea of this short article is to inform our youth about the choices they make regarding careers or passions. It should be kept in mind to guide the upcoming generations in the decisions they make throughout their lives. They should, therefore, be allowed to make their own choices concerning their career or future rather than being forced into decisions that further lead to various dreadful repercussions.