Widow Remarriage: Is it that easy?

Abstract

We live in a Patriarchal society where a woman is always suppressed and can never be on the
equal footing as man. People of the Indian society have the perception of women being of the
lower status because of their upbringing and old beliefs which is in scripted in them. ‘Women
are the slaves of their husband’. This phrase may not be explicitly said by the way of words but
it is definitely practiced by the way of act, customs, beliefs and norms of our Indian society. In
an institution called marriage where both husband and wife should always be on the equal
footing, a woman is always deemed to be inferior to her husband. The life of a woman only
surrounds around her husband. Basically, the sole reason if living is her husband. This above
reasoning can be proved by the brutal practice of Sati System which was prevalent in India in
the ancient time. The Sati system is a practice where a widow is supposed to jump in the pyre
of her husband on account of his death. So, according to this brutal practice if a husband of a
woman dies she doesn’t have a right even to live and this senseless act was considered as heroic
act at that time. There is no social existence outside of her husband social existence or identity.
If her husband is no more then there is no identity of his wife also but this same practice was
not applicable on men. The men were not forced in the pyre of his wife in case of her death and
they also had the right to remarry.