Woman smarter?

I wish life was easier sometimes. I've had to struggle and fight for everything and I so envy babes who have it handed to them on a silver platter. When I look back and take an overview, I'm still at the receiving end because my life choices are not conventional by Indian standards. When I do that, I feel bitter and sore at life's injustices and I wonder whether my independence is really worth such a cruel price. The people who matter to me are fairly non-judgemental and borderline supportive and for me that is enough. Sometimes and very sometimes, despite my insouciance and thick-skin, it hurts.

We had a work party yesterday that included spouses. Note: Spouses and not merely significant others. Even if it would have included SOs and I had one, I would not have taken the SO with me. If I was 2 years younger than I am now, I would have, but now I know better. For a man to take his SO it is perfectly fine and no idiotic questions are asked, but for a woman in India to take her SO along invites idiotic queries. I have never wished I was a man, but I always feel that men have got the better deal in patriarchal societies such as ours. Nobody bothers about the personal lives of any man in the workplace but a woman's personal life (especially at the workplace) is dissected, placed under observation and questioned and queried until she feels guilty for being single, married, having children, having a family and just being a woman. It sucks and it sucks bad.

Yesterday, I was talking with a bunch of senior people at work and they started talking about stabilising factors and family and the importance of being stable. I held my tongue politely though I had many biting repartees to offer and then one of them turns to me and says, "Plumpie, you're not getting any older, you should do something about your life, you know." Out of all things, that hurt the most. Whatever makes people think that single people are not stable or happy or satisfied? I'm not happy or satisfied because I have a million things to do careerwise and I occassionally feel lonely. I have just got out of a relationship (4 months actually, but it still feels like just now) and sometimes I miss human presence around, but now I can deal with it. I have so much studying to do that the loneliness creeps in very rarely. Despite my sometimes unhappiness and dissatisfaction (who in the world is actually always happy or satisfied anyways?) I think I am very stable. I do not decamp or do unstable things, I've never even been reckless all my life! I do not mix my personal and professional life, I dont ever step beyond boundaries, I dont even get high at work parties (I rarely get high, atmost I am very happy) or say inappropriate things to anyone. I have never made a fool of myself, I have never slipped up, and as far as I can recollect have been very serious about my responsibilities. How much more stable do I need to get?

This is an idiotic rant and a result of a lot of stress, but still the hypocricy remains and the deep differences between the two sexes.