WHEN EMPOWERMENT GETS HIJACKED: HOW FEMINISM, EDUCATION, AND LAW BECAME TOOLS FOR EGO, NOT EQUALITY

“If your feminism hates homemakers, then your feminism is just another patriarchy in high heels.”

She has a Master’s degree. She makes tea at 5 AM. She negotiates electricity bills better than any MBA, mediates in-laws with the diplomacy of a UN officer, and raises children while society whispers, "Wasted potential."
Welcome to the 21st-century paradox: an educated woman is respected until she chooses to be a homemaker. That’s when the eye-rolls start. And if she defends her choice? She’s accused of betraying the "empowered woman" brand.

You see, somewhere along the feminist highway, we took a wrong exit into a confusing cul-de-sac. What was once a powerful call for dignity and equal rights has been hijacked by shopping bags, hashtags, false cases, and emotional blackmail.

Let’s unpack this twisted tale.
Today, feminism is often confused with consumerism. 

We’re told empowerment means:

• Not cooking.
• Ordering online.
• Wearing what you want, even if it’s visibly uncomfortable.
• Partying hard.
• Rejecting any domestic responsibility.

Feminism doesn’t mean rejecting housework it means you have the choice not to be forced into it.

Apparently, equality now means equal access to clubs and food delivery apps. Somewhere between real liberation and WiFi-enabled narcissism, feminism was reduced to a lifestyle choice rather than a life philosophy.

What began as a battle for equal rights and dignity has been hijacked by consumerism.

Modern feminism in some circles has become less about liberty and more about lifestyle.

If a woman chooses to work 12 hours in a corporate job, great. But if she chooses to manage a household full-time, she must be either uneducated, brainwashed, or bored. Because apparently, freedom is only valid when exercised outside the kitchen.

This shift reflects what psychologists call "identity dissonance" when people adopt a concept (like feminism) but understand it only at a surface level.

They mimic symbols of freedom without embracing the responsibility it carries.

Funny how the same society that demands educated wives forgets that education is not job training. It's not a return-on-investment tool. It’s intellectual fuel to think, to live, to parent, to build.

Homemakers: The Most Misunderstood Professionals
Let’s get something straight: running a household isn’t laziness. It’s unpaid project management. From budgeting and logistics to child psychology and HR-level conflict resolution with extended family, homemakers wear more hats than your average startup founder.

Yet, ironically, they are often looked down upon by:

• Educated women preparing for government exams.
• Corporate climbers who order lunch but can’t boil water.
• Self-proclaimed feminists who think "domestic" is a dirty word.

Here’s the ultimate twist of irony: the very women who fought for choice now mock those who make a different one.

The Legal Arsenal: Designed for Protection, Now Up for Rent
India’s legal system did something revolutionary: it created laws to protect women from generational abuse, violence, harassment, and neglect. And thank God for that. Because for decades, women suffered. Not in whispers but in screams:

• Burned for dowry.
• Beaten for birthing daughters.
• Molested by uncles, bosses, and neighbors.
• Silenced inside the walls of their "shelters".

These laws were necessary. They still are. But somewhere along the way, a few clever minds discovered a loophole: emotion sells in courtrooms.

And thus began the saga of legal misuse:

• False dowry cases filed to settle personal scores.
• Domestic violence complaints with no scars but heavy drama.
• Maintenance demanded not out of need, but entitlement.
• Child custody turned into blackmail tactics.

These cases aren’t mythical exceptions. They’re trending, and they’re damaging the cause they pretend to represent. There’s a growing class of husbands who aren’t viewed as partners they’re revenue streams.

Wives, sometimes deliberately unemployed, expect:

• Premium alimony.
• Full maintenance.
• Complete control over children.

And if the husband resists? Out come the legal nukes. What was once a relationship turns into a courtroom vendetta. Welcome to the divorce-industrial complex. And before you say, "But that’s just a few cases," let’s be clear: Even one manipulated law is a crack in the system. And we’re seeing fractures everywhere.
When children become pawns, everyone loses. Some mothers use custody as leverage, denying the father access unless he pays up or gives in. Others engage in character assassination campaigns not to protect the child, but to punish the spouse.

Here’s the horror: many of these children grow up without emotional stability, believing family is just courtroom drama. And ironically, the same feminists who speak of "breaking generational trauma" often pass down a brand new kind.

Today, say the word "feminist" in a male group chat, and you’ll hear groans louder than a horror film soundtrack. Men are not just confused. They’re afraid, bitter, and angry.

Why? Because they’re:

• Being used as emotional ATMs.
• Losing access to their children.
• Afraid of false accusations.
• Watching marriages collapse faster than instant noodles.

And yes, some recent high-profile cases have added rocket fuel to their rage. Stories of husbands being manipulated, extorted, or even murdered have created a narrative: "Women are modern, selfish, and dangerous."

This narrative is dangerous but it didn't come from nowhere. It was built brick by brick by misuse, drama, and loud hypocrisy.

Let’s not lose the plot.
Feminism began because women were:

• Denied education.
• Denied rights over their own bodies. 
• Married off as children.
• Trapped in violent households.

We cannot erase that history. And we shouldn’t. The current misuse doesn’t undo the reasons why feminism was born. But it does call for a recalibration.“Feminism isn’t about being anti-men. It’s about being pro-choice with consequences.”

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” — Lord Acton

This applies to legal power too. Without accountability, even empowerment becomes exploitation. Every legal right comes with an invisible ethical responsibility.

• Misusing Section 498A not only ruins men’s lives — it weakens real cases of abuse.
• Abusing maintenance laws defunds the credibility of genuinely dependent women.
• Weaponising feminism delegitimises the movement that once gave voice to the voiceless. 
  

Victimhood Olympics: Who Hurts More?
We’re now in a dangerous game of competitive pain:
Men say: "What about us?"
Women say: "Where were you when we burned?"
This gender tug-of-war helps no one. Justice should not be a zero-sum game. One gender’s suffering doesn’t cancel out the other’s.

We need laws that:

• Protect the innocent.
• Punish the manipulative.
• Don’t assume guilt based on gender.                                

Let’s Redefine Empowerment.

True empowerment isn’t about taking power from others — it’s about lifting yourself without crushing someone else.
True empowerment is not:

• Getting your way through emotional drama.
• Filing false cases to win property or ego battles.
• Refusing all domestic responsibilities and calling it freedom.

It is:

• Having the choice to work or stay home
• Respecting others’ choices.
• Contributing with dignity, not manipulation.
• Taking accountability for your actions.

Freedom without responsibility is just chaos in heels. Feminism isn’t a club. It’s a compass. It doesn’t need louder hashtags. It needs quieter truths. Feminism must evolve, not vanish. “Feminism isn’t about making women strong. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” — G.D. Anderson

Fix It, Don’t Fake It. 

We must:

• Respect homemakers.
• Punish misuse of protective laws.
• Stop glorifying trauma as social currency.
• Give men a voice without silencing women.

Because justice isn’t about taking sides. It’s about holding everyone to the same standard.

Yes, women were victims. Still are. Yes, some men are being used. It’s happening.

Solution? Accountability. Integrity. Balance.

Because if feminism becomes the new patriarchy in lipstick, we haven’t evolved. We’ve just changed costumes.

Let’s build a society where:
Empowerment isn’t confused with entitlement.
Feminism isn’t confused with fashionable rebellion.
And law isn’t confused with leverage.

Until then, call it what it is:
Hijacked empowerment. With designer tags. And dangerous consequences.

 

And;

If feminism isn’t about truth,

If empowerment isn’t about character,

If law isn’t about balance,

Then all we’ve built is a legalised chaos machine with broken families, bitter minds, and a dying trust in relationships.

The answer isn’t less feminism.

It’s more authentic feminism with equal rights and equal duties.

It’s smart legal reform, not blind gender favouritism.

It’s respect for choice whether she chooses to build a home, a career, or both.