WILD FEMINISM

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*Feminism in the wild *

* * *Female rhinos let rival males fight it out among themselves*

 

*female inequality paranoids (FIPs), more popularly known as ultra

feminists, have something to cheer about. They are not alone when it comes

to uncomfortable male attention. This is common among many animals and the

females of the species have some unique strategies to punish persistent

Casanovas. *

 

*Take the case of guppies, a popular aquarium fish. The female of the

species risk their lives to avoid too much attention from males, says a

study published in the latest issue of the journal American Naturalist.

British researchers have found that female guppies swim in habitats that

contain few males — but many predators. Brightly-coloured male guppies are

big show offs when it comes to courtship. Unsuccessful males, however,

attempt sneak mating with the females. Left with no choice, the females,

which are dull brown in colour, rush to waters infested with predators. The

males' bright colours attract predators, making it too dangerous for them to

follow. Male guppies really swim in troubled waters. *

 

*In some cases, females take it in their own hands, or rather legs, to teach

the males the lesson of their lives. The female black widow spider kills and

then eats its male partner after mating. It's another matter that the male

spiders encourage their partners to kill them slowly because it increases

the time spent in mating, and thus the number of eggs fertilised by its

sperm. Sex will make a martyr of any man. *

 

*Sometimes, however, the females are more prudent. They leave it to the

rival males to sort it out among themselves. The female rhino stands aside

as two males in heat fight it out for her sexual favours. The victor gets

the female and the loser goes away to lick its wounds. Surely, a well-built

boyfriend or husband is a clear warning to a roadside Romeo to stay away.

The female koel, on the other hand, flies in a zigzag fashion to evade the

males' " flights of fancy " . *

 

*Notwithstanding their aggression or coyness, female animals do seem

justified in trying to escape unwanted male attention. Females living in the

wild routinely fall prey to sexual harassment and male chauvinism, say

researchers at University of California, San Diego. During mating, the

female moose is subject to excessive biting and nipping, and the male has no

qualms about using sheer, brute force to overpower his sex partner. The

female, accustomed to this sort of rough treatment for millions of years,

doesn't even realise that there is something wrong. Men will be men. *

 

*Therefore the occasional abusive slap or disgusted ignorance are not the

only way. To foil those irritating stares and gestures from men, women have

other options too.*

*MONOJIT DASGUPTA*