The 11 Most Alarming Signs That Patriarchy Isn’t Dead—It’s Evolved

Surat: In a stunning exhibition of selective logic recently, someone in a position of power declared that patriarchy is a myth. The exhibit A in this court of anecdotal justice? Indira Gandhi took over as Prime Minister. Indeed, it seems sufficient to destroy centuries of structural gender imbalance with the appointment of one woman to the highest office five decades ago. By that measure, one could argue that poverty is a myth because Mukesh Ambani exists.

Let’s turn this so-called “proof” around and examine it under the hard light of real numbers and history instead of romantic rhetoric.

The Political Mirage

India has had 15 Prime Ministers (including the present one) and has finished 78 years of freedom. Only one was a woman: Indira Gandhi, the daughter of India’s first prime minister, not exactly a grassroots outsider either. Her ascent followed more royal succession than a feminist triumph.

Zero women have ever held the Chief Justice’s gavel in the Supreme Court, the nation’s highest legal authority. Not at all, Zylch. Four is the highest number of women judges to have ever sat concurrently on the bench of thirty-four. That’s a well-reinforced dome, not a crack in the glass ceiling.

India’s Union Cabinet consists of seventy-two ministers right now. Just seven of them are women, or a neat ten per cent. Only 74 of the 543 Lok Sabha MPs are women, a meagre 13.6%. Obviously, someone lost the other half of the population.

But Maybe Politics Isn’t “Her Thing”?

Assume for the benefit of doubt that politics, government, and law are not a woman’s cup of Darjeeling tea. Perhaps she is storming the boardroom.

Of the almost 2,000 companies on the NSE, less than 100 have women as MDs or CEOs—just about 5%. Women make up about 14% of all business owners in the nation overall; many of them run micro- or home-based businesses, usually out of necessity rather than ambition.

And what about corporate boards, those soaring towers of financial power? According to a 2024 Deloitte analysis, women hold just 18.7% of board seats in India; most of these positions are the result of the SEBI mandate imposed in 2015, which compelled listed companies to name at least one woman on their board. Much as meritocracy?

Perhaps Leadership Isn’t Her Forte?

Better still. She might not be born a leader. Perhaps she is more of an employee, team player. After all, that is what has been said since time immemorial?

Recent ILO estimates, one of the lowest in the G20, show that female labour force participation in India is just thirty per cent. And it’s not only the rural scene where this disparity finds expression. In metropolitan India as well, offices remain men’s clubs with the odd token female invited in as evidence of “diversity.”

Let’s not forget that India boasts one of the biggest gender pay gaps in Asia, with women earning roughly 20–30% less than men for the same work, before someone yells from the rooftops about maternity leaves and family obligations. That is a pay chasm rather than a salary difference.

At Least Let Her Cook?

Perhaps the most cliché fallback—if nothing else, women can cook. That tired, dusty trope. But walk into the professional kitchens of India’s finest hotels and you’ll see a surprise: only about 10-20% of executive chefs are women. So even in the one domain society has historically boxed her into, she’s vastly underrepresented at the top. Apparently, she can cook, just not for a paycheck.

The Elephant in the Room

Clearly, something more than personal choice is at work if almost half of the population regularly falls into the single-digit percentage range across practically all sectors of power, production, and prestige.

Let us refer to a spade as a spade: this “invisible force” is not quite invisible. It shows clearly in female foeticide, in the skewed sex ratio, in the daily sexism telling a girl she is too ambitious, too loud, too bold, too much. It shows up in the lack of opportunity, healthcare, education, and safety. And it thrives in systems where women are still expected to ask permission for space, for voice, and occasionally just for existing.

One Indira Does Not Know About a Revolution

Indira Gandhi’s prime ministership argues against patriarchy like one swallow makes a summer. It’s like arguing racism doesn’t exist in the U.S. since Barack Obama was chosen President. Great women draw attention to rather than negating institutional barriers.

If anything, her success in a political swamp dominated by men emphasises her personal tenacity, not the fairness of the system. She dragged herself through it, high heels and all; the system did not carry her.

Last Notes

Therefore, the next time someone argues that patriarchy is a conspiracy theory, maybe they should sit down with a strong cup of reality and numbers. The only myth here is the assumption that the playing field is level, until representation across all spheres even starts to reflect the real population.

And while the system might love to pat itself on the back for “allowing” a few women through the gates, let it be clear: the credit belongs to the women, not to the gates, and certainly not to the gatekeepers.

Also Read: 5 Hard Truths Redefining Feminism

<p>The post The 11 Most Alarming Signs That Patriarchy Isn’t Dead—It’s Evolved first appeared on Hello Entrepreneurs.</p>