Competition Poem by Asit Kumar Sanyal

Men are very much competitive
But women are not
Men like higher
And wider competitions
In jobs, business, politics …
They opt for competition with coworkers
Where affects pay rate
bonus and perks
Confidence encourages men
They become competitive
But women are not
Women are less competitive
More cooperative.
It is said from all fronts …
Women are able
But less confident In their abilities
It makes them shy to compete
In larger competitions
They have undesirable traits too
Don't learn to be competitive
Never share their competitive spirit
With others … openly, happily
or even jokingly
They have different attitudes
Than the men
Toward competition, risk and altruism.
Indian women have advantages
Over their western peers
In terms of affordable child care
And access to extended family networks
Yet they end up near the top of
Corporate ladder
They drop out of the work force
Or do not compete for promotions
In upper management positions.
Is it the cultural factors?
Or the way in which
The competition is framed?
In Kerala, women found competitive
But it's limited in literacy, property rights,
Access to health and education
They fail to translate it
Into tangible success at upper level of
Business, government
and society.
Only Khasi women in Meghalaya
Are totally different
Because, girls are socialized there
In households headed by mother
And grand mother
They can do better everywhere
Than their male peers.
The big question is
How it can be reproduced
In very different family and social settings
In the rest of India?