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Working at the corporate offices gave me a clear glimpse of the patriarchy that had established itself on our business premises. The worst part is that patriarchy, in an invisible way, has disturbed the perception of women towards manhood and pushed them away from helping men to restore themselves. I remember one instance. My reporting manager, Ms. Kalavati Sharma (name changed), gave me a mundane task. Ms. Kalavati was one of those women who had seen their mother weep under the shadow of the patriarchy, aligning their desires and aspirations with those of their husbands and sons in a conservative Indian society. Patriarchy, as we all know, welcomes angry sons with open arms. So she was born and brought up with the notion that if a man can go furious, it is a telltale sign that he is a properly nurtured male. She was a woman who doesn't tolerate alternatives for men's supremacy over women, which is considered a default function of maleness. She had seen her mother cower in fear under her aggressive father, and thus she firmly believed that supremacy in all relationships, including professional ones,. For her, the manliness of the CEO was very impressive and admirable. She saw a father in him—the leader of the pack.

She believes that men's primary objective is to be authoritative leaders, use their power, satisfy basic desires, compete, be tough, and punish from time to time. These are considered L-word synonyms. Anyways, she was so much into this "father figure" CEO that she considered herself his worthy heir, and despite having chairs strewn all around the chamber, she used to sit on the CEO's chair only. For her, the chair was the symbol of aggression and demonstrative indifference. For her, even expressing one's feelings openly provoked unbearable pain and discomfort.

If you observed her actions closely, you might have the notion that being exposed to patriarchy for years might have culminated in a mental disorder in her. Even her boyfriend didn't meet the "real men" narrative of not being soft, not crying, complaining, or showing any vulnerability. The angrier the man gets, the better; it means he is a powerful master of life. Poor man, he was fighting a war to impress her, sometimes engaging in violent altercations with the CEO himself to show her how manly he was. But his efforts to establish his supremacy over men's power, authority, and rage were all useless. The more he tried, the messier it became. This pull and push was taking a toll on the office's day-to-day businesses as well. As a manager, Punit Singh (name changed) at times did the unthinkable, like making fun of the interns in front of her, whom she thought were a bit more "manly" than him. But Mr. Punit Singh did not understand one thing: since transformations are always hard, most women find hatred an appropriate means of combating patriarchy.

One day, the CEO called me and said, "Look at this project, Mr. Joy. It has been over a month now, and the project is in tatters. She does not cooperate with him, despite him being her boy friend. Can you help complete the project on time?" I began to work on the project. Mr. Punit cooperated fully, explaining everything and working together to put everything on track. Next, I approached Ms. Kalavati, requesting her time and attention. She was unapproachable to me, which was quite obvious. For the next 3 to 4 days, Ms. Kalavati did not cooperate. As the deadline was approaching, I requested that the CEO intervene. She was now available.

Ms. Kalavati's behavior towards me and her boyfriend brings the importance of violence to light. Manifestations of this violence imply a specific goal. Thus, in patriarchy, men believe that through cruelty, they can affirm their authority and control those who are weak and cannot oppose them. It is one of the painful bottlenecks driven by the damaging culture. So patriarchy demands from all males that they engage in acts of psychic self-mutilation, that they kill off the emotional parts of themselves.

As the task was nearing completion, Ms. Kalavati approached my cubicle, glanced at the computer monitor for a moment, and shouted, "Tum Itna sa kaam nahi kar sakta, toh tum jeevan main kuch nahi karsakta." (If you cannot do this small task, then you cannot do anything in life.) I was really surprised at her remark because the task had been pending for over two months. If it was a "small task," then why wasn't it completed on time? Instead of a word of praise that I had taken the initiative, I was given a rude remark. I said nothing, for my focus was on task completion.

Why do corporate women have such hearts of stone? Let us understand. Many women pay a very high price to live in a patriarchal society. Females regularly hip upon remainders of toxic maleness, from the wage gap to the impossibility of building relationships. Simultaneously, there is no chance men will change without female engagement. Men turn against women in a patriarchal ideology that includes capitalist sentiments. Thus, women are viewed as "man-haters," fueling the hostility between two tribes. As a result of this, men avoid everything emerging from women as fire. Slowly, as time passes, it accumulates a diversity of "realmenness" signifiers. The media tells us clearly that men can exploit physical force to establish power. Alternatively, men with female friends are portrayed as weak, gay, or unsuccessful. These promote a depressive state in the workplace and organizations.

Ms. Kalavati's behavior brings to light a severe crisis: women are done with solving male nature mysteries sealed under lock and key. Some of them, like Ms. Kalavati lost hope, and others experienced trauma and fear. Men and women speak different languages. Patriarchal values brainwash the men, and the women misinterpret the true purpose of feminism. Thus, what I had to undergo was a quasi-rational hatred and 'world without men' idea instead of maleness re-established. What Ms. Kalavati saw as an ideal is actually a male who is heart-washed and soul-washed, which is even more disrupted for manhood and the global harmony of human relationships.

Solution? Of course there is one: We need to revive tender passion, empathy, a caring attitude, and eagerness to explore each other and thrive for the chemistry of souls. We need to give life to a culture where men are empowered to love.