For centuries, the role of a woman was confined to the four walls of the house. As important as that work of raising the family was, it was often overlooked in favor of the work that men performed for financial rewards. For ages, the dictum has been - woman in the house and men outside. This was originally designed as such because the male or the mechanical energy in nature called “the shiv” in the Vedic lore was more suited for physical work, while the female or the kinetic energy called “the shakti” was more suited to nurture and move and shape things for the future. Without shakti, the shiv, as it's been said, is nothing but a “shav”, meaning a dead body. That in itself should suffice and speak to the importance of the female in human society. Unlike others, there was only one culture in the world, where the concept of female gods had been in existence for centuries together - India! But in the last 1000 years, Indian society forgot all that, and the era of male dominance ensued. Without nurturing or the female, ignorance prevailed in the form of male domination. However, with the arrival of the age of aquarius or the 21st century, all that has started to change. As often is the case, change can bring a lot of stress and friction before it gets accepted resulting in a conclusive peace and calm. Today’s Indian society is going through the same churning and the shift in the long established male dominance.Couples getting married in this day and age need to appreciate those changing dynamics that directly impact the way relationships have transformed themselves.

In today’s society, the role of women and their journey, from being traditional to being a professional, has brought with it certain required adjustments from their male counterparts. These compromises in expectations have created stress in today’s relationships. Today, a woman is not dependent on men for money. This financial independence has forced the males to share the family responsibilities equally - something that is still undergoing acceptance in the current Indian society. What adds to the non-acceptance is the male ego and the societal structures that have preached male dominance for 100s of years. 

The natural evolution and a forced change in balance of power is creating stress in relationships that can often lead to daily arguments resulting in the breakdown of the most important part of marriage - communication. The slow death of feelings between two individuals in a relationship is a consequence of not communicating enough. This absence of communication  can result in many other tangential problems, which if not addressed can lead to a separation or a divorce.

Another factor that might create stress in modern nuclear families is the disappearance of joint families and the birth of the Indian nuclear family. Without no one to share their wisdom, it can sometimes become very difficult for a couple to resolve their issues and set the priorities right - may it be related to work-life balance, or be it related to children. The Indian work culture has also changed. From the good old days of afternoon naps and lunches, the work culture in India has followed the west - which means no breaks, lots of travel, working long hours, and being away from family. All this eventually strains a relationship and creates expectations that are often unmet. So the males in today’s relationships need to be aware of the fact that females today are equal partners, with whom they not only have to share household responsibilities but have to treat them differently - meaning as equals as a result of her financial and educational independence. On the other hand, females in this age of feminism need to understand that they will be wise to really understand their male counterparts and balance their expectations with priorities around family and children. Should one give themselves more importance or the family can be a very hard choice to make.

When life creates circumstances where one needs to make compromises, or make a commitment then communication sans ego becomes very critical. For a relationship to survive modern day stress and for individuals to properly communicate,  one's family, culture, education, and upbringing play a huge role in balancing family dynamics and reducing day-to-day stress among couples.

For those very reasons, we at Kedar strive to give a platform to educated and professionally qualified individuals, who have somewhat similar upbringing so that their relationships unlike others can stand the test of time.

From kedar’s Blog team, we wish everyone a wonderful New Year and we look forward to serving our members in 2022.