“The womb, it was her safe place
Until the word came, “Ah, what a disgrace!”
The world isn’t so kind, o mother!
A bit more for me, than for you, o brother!
Why did you wear this, why did you do that?
Oh! she’s too thin, Ugh! she’s too fat!
You can’t cook? Be ashamed!
Oh! it’s her mother to be blamed
You’re a girl, learn to behave!
You’re a girl, learn to be brave!
Yes, I’m a girl, but not your slave
I have, all I need
And your approval? I don’t crave!”
What is International Women’s Day?
A day retained to celebrate womanhood? Or a day that commemorates the innumerable struggles women had to combat across centuries to get basic human rights?
Honestly, for me, an Indian woman living in the 21st century, the very first thought that crops up is that why is there still a need to mark and celebrate a day for women? And in a flash, the answer follows. Because there are still so many things to fight for and fight against. Living in a democratic nation, we may have been granted the basic human rights of women. But is that all? What about our safety, the freedom to go around without being perturbed by a bunch of men? What about the rapes that still occur unabashedly, the countless cases of eve-teasing, of sexual harassment at the workplace we still face each day?
Even when we talk about something as basic as gender equality, there’s still so much to work on. There’s still an assumed division of labor in the society that expects a woman to be the homemaker, to cook, wash and feed the children while the man is expected to go out and work. And even if she works, it is contemplated to be an ‘additional’ source of income for the husband, who is supposed to be the traditional bread-earner for the family.
Even today, a woman and not a man is expected to leave her job when she becomes a parent because for the society, her highest priority should be for the role of a mother before having expectations of her own. On the other hand, if a man has to work, there are hardly any such obligations. So, why is it that what’s basic for men to have, still becomes a privilege for women to have?
Even today, the majority of the families do expect some or the other kind of dowry from the bride’s family. While the groom’s family is considered to be the esteemed guests, the bride’s family presumedly becomes the serving hosts.
The widely celebrated ritual of ‘Kanya Daan’ is still problematic as it reduces the woman to no less than an object meant to be given in 'daan' to the groom's family.
Till the mentality exists, the problem exists.
"But the world is getting wise and so the hope never dies."
.jpg)
