Marriage lowers a woman’s IQ

Bhaskor Banerjee (Amitabh  Bachchan)
Bhaskor Banerjee (Amitabh Bachchan)

Does it?

On Sunday I watched ‘Piku‘, a new Bollywood movie starring Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan and Moushumi Chatterjee.  The movie is directed by Shoojit Sircar, famed for Madras Cafe and Vicky Donor.

The story revolves around an ageing, widowed father (Amitabh Bachchan) and his single, career-driven daughter (Deepika).  It is a very well-directed movie, with an excellent cast who performed beautifully in a very simple story line.  It has all the right elements of a comedy, mild romance & adventure and is thought-provoking at moments.

Without revealing too much of the story for those who have not seen it yet, I wanted to focus on a statement that Bhaskor Banerjee (Amitabh) uses very often when speaking about his late wife, ‘Marriage lowers a woman’s IQ’.  

The character makes many references about his late wife not having a high IQ as a result of dedicating her life to look after him, their home and their daughter. (He also makes these statements to dissuade his daughter from getting married for two main reasons; one being that she too will lower her IQ by getting married.  It’s actually hilarious in context and there are plenty of jibes with other characters in the movie about this.

It does make one think however.

Is that a common perception of a woman who solely dedicates her life to marriage, home and children?

Is it common for women who leave a thriving career to do all the above to feel that they have been ‘dumbed down’ by the so-called mundane tasks?

Do working mothers feel ‘smarter’ when at work and less mentally competent at home?

Managing a home, the needs of a demanding and cranky man (Bhaskor) and a child surely requires a very intelligent and patient woman. N’est pas?

A wife needs to be in tune with all the members in her household, keep her household a safe and nurturing environment for them, understand the needs of both sexes and various age groups, and ensure that the mechanics of her household are in good order and running smoothly at all times.  Managing household staff should she have them, e.g. helpers, cooks, nannies, gardeners, etc.  It does require people skills, being on top of current affairs, and having eyes and ears all around her.

Another view that can be taken is, so she has lowered her IQ or her potential but there has definitely got to be some internal growth as a person as she plays and juggles all these roles?

Is there a disparity between IQ and Spiritual growth?

Different thoughts keep popping up in my mind regarding this statement.  I would love to hear the thought process and experiences of all you women out there.  How do you perceive marriage?  What has marriage done for you?

Going back to the movie, it was quite funny to hear a man repeatedly say that he thought his wife was stupid for taking care of him.  She should have done more with her skills and talents.  Granted, it’s a man and a view from a different generation, and fewer men now view their partners as their care takers, but view them as partners in every sense of the word.

Do watch the movie however as the story really has nothing to do with women, but a very simple and necessary daily function of our body!

How do you perceive this statement, ‘marriage lowers a woman’s IQ’?