When it’s a woman’s world...

It’s an axiom of civilised societies that while men may be physically stronger than women, it’s the women, and mothers in particular, who make up the primary emotional strength in families and in relationships between the sexes.

Choreographer Sharmilla Khanna, who’s a wife and the mother of a teenager, agrees with the premise.

“Woman go through childbirth, which is a life transforming experience and the process of bringing up a child can make a woman extremely patient and understanding during her 30s. Also, women are more flexible, encouraging and accepting of situations while men tend to be rigid. Women can adjust to their partner’s food habits, sleeping habits, partying habits — in fact to a lot — which makes them better able to cope with life’s existential issues,” she says.

However, as Sharmilla adds, “However a child needs the guidance and love of both a mother and a father. I need my husband because men tend to be stronger and more confident.”

Magazine publisher Anu Ranjan, who forms a potent social combination with her husband Shashi, is more forthcoming.

“Women are definitely emotionally stronger,” she declares unequivocally. “Not just that, but in a physical sense they can withstand a lot of pain as well what with having to deal with childbirth. Women are also more organised in their mind and experts at planning — they can juggle their careers, their homes and a lot of other things because they tend to plan very well. Whereas, men will first take action and think later. A woman’s organisational skills are unparalleled — she’s a better manager of people. On the other hand, men can’t handle the home front because they weren’t built to.  They’d rather have someone else handle it for them,” she says.

Singer Shibani Kashyap, who’s single, feels that women are not only emotionally stronger, but that they’re more emotional than men. “Women are able to express their emotions better, which makes them better able to balance out their energies. That makes for greater emotional strength,” she says.

“They’re also more loyal to people and situations and more consistent in their efforts. They can extend their emotions while men tend to suppress theirs.”

Adds Shibani, “Men, on the other hand, tend to think less and are more chilled out. They don’t fret as much and the fact that they’re not generally hyper can be a nice experience.”