By Sindhu Nathan: Male ego is a term very commonly used for men. What is this male ego? It is used to refer to the attitude and behavior of a person who has an exaggerated opinion of his capabilities and importance. As this behavior is more often observed in men rather than women, so it is most commonly referred to as the male ego.
All human beings have ego, but then why male ego is so prominent. Actually, home is the first place where this belief is seeded, watered and nourished. From the beginning, man is given a superior place in the family. It is somewhat psychologically embedded in his mind that he is the responsible person of the family. The pressure of taking care of the female counterpart, managing the house and the burden of the family is his responsibility. This notion gets skin deep and is supported by various conscious and sub-conscious beliefs.
In the changing times, where women are becoming more independent and liberal, they find themselves no less than the opposite sex and are at par with them. They can share the responsibility as much as their male counterparts. It is true, but unfortunately, not taken so well by the man. Even though psychologically and economically women have changed, the deep-seated belief inside the male mind still remains the same. They find it difficult to shed off the role of guardian and protector. How competent the wife may be, he still wants to be in control. There is a lurking fear of being overtaken by his spouse in terms of intelligence and competency. So he retaliates if she behaves otherwise.
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It is difficult to decipher male ego and is equally important to handle it in the right way, so that it does not bloat up out of proportion. Women should learn to understand this aspect of men in a proper manner and take care not to hurt this core point in man’s psyche. It could be traumatic for a man if his ego is tampered.
Women want friendship and equality as men want guardianship and friendship. This is a contradiction of some sort. Unknowingly, women take the help of assertive tactics when they are abused or cornered. The two most important things that women need from men are respect and recognition and should demand only that. Equality is still a far-fetched dream.
In this male dominated society, women still have a long way to go to make the dream of equality come true. Major social and psychological structure reorganization is needed for it to be a reality. The core fact remains that we are not prepared for that change as of yet – neither men nor women.