We are living in the third decade of the 21st Century. We hoot for women empowerment and liberation. Public outcry, slogan shouting, cribbing and complaining, debates and conferences are however, not the solutions for transformation of the social fabric. Regardless of the plethora of legislation, women’s rights are still a far cry when it comes to the gravity of the problems that confront us and the sincerity of intent in implementation. The recent court ruling in a country like USA is a case in point that pushes women back to dark ages.Also,while social media has at one end highlighted “women” issues at large, this medium has also made society more regressive, ruthless and unfeeling towards our cause.Our patriarchal society continues to penalise women to be women and holds us back from being what we want to be.
Seriously, it is time to sit back and introspect has ground reality dramatically changed?
- Do we women feel empowered and courageous enough to step out of the self-limiting (or otherwise) boundaries and make our own independent choices without fear of reprisal or any pain?
- Can we truly get rid of the age-old fear of patriarchal norms and beliefs that are embedded deep within our social fabric?
- How do we justify the malicious attack and stigma that women are subjected to when they dare step out of the traditional mould to be “bold” and “different”?
- Why are women objectified and demeaned about the choice of dressing, to career choices to decisions pertaining to marriage, pregnancy and even their conduct and demenour in name of culture and norms?
It is in fact, rather sad that we women surrender so easily to give up our careers, our dreams and aspirations and put ourselves into the sacrificial fire. We are conditioned to feel less entitled, expect less, demand less than men in all aspects of our lives. We downplay our small or big achievements and underestimate our own potential, our talent and our strength. We allow ourselves to play the conformity games and be treated as second fiddle in society.Yes, we are vulnerable and when the successful amongst us stand out but takes a break for call of family obligations, she is harshly judged for supposed breach of the haloed professional bounds and is once again penalised by those in corridors of power. Of course, exceptions are there who inspire us in their journey but their struggles and travails have their own tale to tell. In any case exceptions are not the rule and most of us are compelled to resign to fate to eventually slip into the oblivion.
We need Young India to wake up and change the story line, if we wish to take advantage of the rapid and unstoppable changes that are taking place in our country where our demographic dividend and under utilised potential of women work gives us a distinct advantage in the world. Centuries of hide bound traditions that weigh us down like an albatross need to undergo dramatic changes. It is time to tear the walls of hypocrisy and reshape the societal norms to free us from the tentacles of stereotypes roles, biases, beliefs that have chained us in manging various phases of our lives.Let us not be intimidated by the vitriol of faceless and heartless society and get out of the “Log Kya Kahenge” mentality. No one’s lens matters any more. Yes, we are different but certainly no less than our male counterparts. In fact, let us not be apologetic but feel blessed being women and proud of our identity.It is high time we repose our faith in ourselves, emerge out of this victim mode and embrace ourselves whole heartedly. We alone now need to challenge the traditional moulds and pigeonhole assigned, reconcile our inner conflict, dilemmas and set our own expectations of who we are and what we want to be. No one can stifle us, dictate to us. We deserve to empower ourselves and exercise our own free will. We need to listen to our head and heart, to assert our own personal choices and reset the way we want to live our lives not out of compulsion but what we consider is best for us. No doubt what we do requires tremendous courage and conviction.However, if we women come in our own way, resist change,sit back helplessly and hopelessly; nothing will change barring symbolism that belies ground reality. It is only when we free ourselves of inhibitions and resolve to be the “change” that the world will view us and treat us differently. Let us become the torch bearer in our own circle of influence, individually and collectively to draw strength from each other to encourage and inspire many others for the change to happen.
What do we then do to break then break oppressive mindset that punishes women for being women and stepping out to be different?
- Define our own path unapologetically, live by our own values, choices and rights uninhibited by social barriers and constraints (including guilt) that suffocate us.
- Zero tolerance to the malicious gossips, taunts,insults and toxic and vicious trolling in the offline and big bad world of internet that damage our self-esteem and put us to shame.
- Respect our own self and take control, charge, and responsibility of ourselves – our body, mind, and soul without dictates and rulings from the suppressive society that invade our lives and privacy.
- Stand up against the injustice, exploitation and fear of abuse, rape and harassment that haunts us even in our dreams.
- Empower ourselves economically to set new benchmarks to shatter the glass ceiling and overcome the challenges that prevent us from realising our aspirations.
- Demand respect, appreciation, and acknowledgement for all our accomplishments, our grit, and tenacity to live and survive.
- Become our own cheerleaders, support group to inspire each other in our quest for what we want to become.
- Stand up purposefully to change the mindsets of our menfolk to share the burden of responsibilities we have for our families.
- Resolve to raise our daughters and sons as equals as surely when we raise our boys better, we can hope for a better world.
- Engage and enlist support of women in position of power and influence to mentor and influence our tribe to spread the message of the change we seek.
Do remember the world needs us more than ever before and both men and women are two sides of the same coin. We just need to team together for the betterment of our lives and the world we live. Surely, one day not in the distance,we can hope to realise our dreams provided we all want to and we put in our best efforts with a can-do sense of optimism and a must-do sense of responsibility.
Are you willing to take the plunge to and take the first steps to make it happen? Remember every small drop in the ocean makes the ocean. So, make it happen in your own small way; the ripples will spread far and wide.
Cheers to all of us!