Note: This is a rather dry, and very basic explanation of Feminism that I wrote for an NGO's internal magazine, that an older relative belongs to. There is some belabouring of points, and stating of the obvious. But believe me, some people still need to be handheld through a concept as simple as Feminism and women's empowerment. Read it if you wish. :)
Empowerment and
Evolution of Women
Ushasi Sen Basu
For millennia women have been considered secondary to men.
We had no rights at all, except for those our fathers, husbands, brothers and
sons chose to bestow on us. Except for a handful of women in history; like
Cleopatra in Egypt, Elizabeth I in England and to a certain extent Nur Jahan in
India, who wielded great power and commanded obedience of the men around them;
women have always been considered the property of men, and taught to be
submissive and sacrificial of their own needs. These lessons were learnt at the
mother’s knee and were rarely questioned.
We were barred from higher education, from most occupations,
from holding public office and in most cases from inheriting and owning
property. Only at the end of the 19th Century, after many tens of
thousands of years of human existence, did things begin to look up for the
female half of the world’s population.
New Zealand was the first self-governing country to give
women the right to vote in 1893, followed by Australia soon after, who also
gave them the right to stand for public office. Slowly, around the world, in
most places after tumultuous strikes and protests by the women fighting for
their rights, women began to be granted this right. Since then, gender roles
have achieved a profound and heartening evolution.
Over the last century, most countries, including India, have
had female heads of state (a notable exception being the United States of
America). Women are (at least officially) engaging in every profession there is.
We are increasingly recognized as individuals in our own right with the right
to pursue our interests and happiness.
Sitting at my laptop, typing this out in 2019, I am in awe
of the women who first took it upon themselves to say, ‘this is my right and I
shall fight for it.’ Can you imagine how difficult it was for them to go
against centuries of “tradition”; to stand up against the stereotyping of women
as inferior in intellect and abilities, to throw off deeply ingrained social
conditioning which taught them that asserting the right to their own happiness
was selfish and unnatural? Think of the ridicule and the social stigma they
must have faced when they first decided to protest. Yet, they went ahead and
won us, through a slow and painful process, the rights we enjoy today.
Yes, we enjoy those rights, and unfortunately, we also take
them for granted. I have had so many heated discussions with women (in some
cases, very professionally successful and liberated women in their own right)
who have run down feminism as ‘overreactions’ by hysterical women who are
making mountains out of molehills. The irony seems to be lost on them. Here
they are working at careers of their choice, after acquiring degrees at
universities which would not have admitted them even 80 years ago, and making
financial decisions without having to ask anyone in the world apart from
themselves for permission. Thanks to the first feminists who fought and were
sometimes imprisoned for their fight (look up the suffragettes) for their
beliefs. Check your privilege, ladeeez!
Of course, I’m sure it is not news to anyone that reads this
that feminism is nothing but the belief in the equality of the genders, and the
desire to see a world where men and women share all of society’s resources and
opportunities and responsibilities in a more equitable manner.
Regardless of what you call yourself, if you believe we
should have equal treatment and believe that there are still miles to go before
that is achieved, we are on the same side. 😊
Yes, we do have miles to go, because though officially men
and women are now on a level playing field, in reality there is still a yawning
gap in many things we do. There is the pay gap. Men will automatically be paid
more for the same amount of work and qualifications. Now that the issue has
been raised, many people have become more aware of this tendency and those who
are committed to the cause are working towards bridging the pay gap.
There is also the glass ceiling. Only a tiny percentage of
women are leading companies or countries due to unfriendliness in work and
social cultures across the world. Part of this unfriendliness is contributed to
by the pervasive sexual harassment that occurs in public and private spaces, by
strangers and trusted people alike. This handicaps all women from exploring
their full potential. One of the greatest and most unfair ironies is, society
will question a woman who has been harassed, rather than the harasser. “Why
were you alone in the boss’s cubicle?” “Why were you working so late?” “Why did
you let a male colleague drop you home?” are the questions asked when a girl is
molested rather than asking the simplest and most obvious question to the male
perpetrator, “Why did you molest her?”
Luckily, we live in a time when the winds of change are
sweeping across society. The “MeToo” movement is a social media phenomenon, but
it has finally sent the message that it is the harasser who should be shamed
and penalised rather than the victim. Women everywhere are finally accusing
their harassers, and making them pay for treating them as mere playthings.
The perception of women is evolving in other ways as well.
From the sole role of mother, wife and caregiver; we have added many more
facets to ourselves. I hope in another few decades, women can pursue their
ambitions and happiness without feeling even a shred of apology or worry; and
truly fulfil the dreams of our feminist forebears who risked everything to begin
to demand our rights as equals.
That is when women can say in truth, ‘We have evolved to our
greatest potential. We are empowered.’
