Monday, June 10, 2019

A rather basic explanation of what Feminism and Women's empowerment means to me. (Written a year ago for an NGO's magazine on a relative's request)


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.’

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