Can a woman live alone? Being a woman is more mental than physical. That is,a person who is a woman physically,may not feel feminine at heart.
Being woman means being vulnerable and being committed. Only then feminity in a person can be understood.
Woman is bodily fragile. It is easy to hurt a woman just by touching her wrongly. Any woman can be abused that way.
When a woman commands respect, she becomes safe, to some extent. She may be respected because of her conduct or position or both. By position here I mean becoming someone's wife.
Marriage is the safeguard which society provides a woman. But again just the vulnerability changes from onething to other. Instead of being bodily abused, she is used and exploited in many other ways. Probably by demanding in laws. Probably by mean husband.
Modern times give choice to a girl to come out of that vulnerability. She may choose to enjoy life by coming out of a relationship.
But allowing oneself to be vulnerable is the only way to grow as a human being. By being vulnerable,we are given an opportunity to learn.
Many old generation woman have withstood dominating inlaws. Duty came first to these women. Marriage was never seen as a way to enjoy life. They saw it as shouldering responsibilities. They made themselves vulnerable to the situation. They did not try to meddle with the relationships. They underwent hardship in their early days of life. It was their later part of life that provided them leisure and happiness.
Only when we are vulnerable,we grow and earn wisdom. It is ok to get exploited.
I know no one will see eye to eye with me. But let me pour put my feelings.
