With the “International Women’s day” and the associated week long celebrations coming to a closure, I write this blog with a mixed bag of incoherent feelings on the significance of this day and on gender (in)equality.
This month started with a surge of offers from various shops ranging from restaurants, beauty salons to women’s inner garments (yes! believe me! I received a SMS from a shop) to celebrate the “women” in our life or ourselves. Then followed the ethnic day drama asking to be dressed up in sarees. Then Women’s day wishes poured in from everyone and in all social platforms asking to celebrate the women in our life. Messages flew from the top management of all organisations too. I would like to pick up two messages that caught my attention out of all these messages that I came across in various platforms.
1) While there are lots of women at the lower management in all firms, we have to introspect why the number fizzles out as we climb up the management ladder. This is probably the only thought provoking statement I came across on women’s day.
2) Make a woman colleague at your work feel special. Take her out for lunch.
Well, both these statements lead to a lot of thoughts to ponder upon.
Women start their careers with lot of ambition and there is definitely lot to aspire for. Also career does go their way until they get married, as there is nothing really to take care in the personal front. Climbing up the ladder at work is easy then. With marriage and greater responsibilities at work, dual role does take a toll on them physically and mentally. The first casualty is career in most of these cases. Only a negligible percentage of women retire from their jobs at 58, while most of them quit much before that.
Let’s take the second statement now. Do women really need a guy to buy them a lunch? I thought a working woman can earn her lunch. Also why should a woman feel special? Is it not enough if she feels comfortable in her own skin?
Every single wish that I come across patronizes women in some way or the other. Gender inequality begins here. Why should a woman be made to feel special? Why should her roles as a mother/sister/daughter be celebrated? Then are the roles of men as father/brother/son inferior or superior? Every role comes with its own set of responsibility. The society at large will stay in harmony if the individuals realise their responsibilities and act accordingly. The instability arises only when one gender considers superior to another.
Interestingly, I came across a documentary on the life of tigers in television. The mother tiger brings home food after great struggle for its 2 male and 1 female cubs. The 2 male cubs pounce on the meat, while the poor female cub had to wait till it’s brothers feed on the meat and then had to eat the left overs. Well the situation in their species is no different from ours. May be a natural instinct. But don’t we have a so-called 6th sense to be rational?
Women’s day commemorates the struggle of women against wage inequalities. Unfortunately, the situation is no different even today in most places. Women employed in farmlands, construction sites are a few examples. Women carry out the most strenuous activities in all jobs involving physical activities but are paid less. Maternity leaves and a career droop after it is always a nightmare for a working woman. Jobs involving technology innovation and research have less female members. Was there any productive debate regarding any of these issues?
Making a woman “feel special” or celebrating womanhood sounds like a kind of appeasement or ego-massaging (to put it bluntly). Let the inequalities remain, let’s not discuss the sensitive topics but let’s only show tokenism. The very reason that we are still celebrating a “Women’s day” itself shows we have a long way to go. A woman does not need appreciations just for being a “woman”. She does not need patronage but a level playing ground. Make the game fair instead of calling her the “fairer” sex.
This month started with a surge of offers from various shops ranging from restaurants, beauty salons to women’s inner garments (yes! believe me! I received a SMS from a shop) to celebrate the “women” in our life or ourselves. Then followed the ethnic day drama asking to be dressed up in sarees. Then Women’s day wishes poured in from everyone and in all social platforms asking to celebrate the women in our life. Messages flew from the top management of all organisations too. I would like to pick up two messages that caught my attention out of all these messages that I came across in various platforms.
1) While there are lots of women at the lower management in all firms, we have to introspect why the number fizzles out as we climb up the management ladder. This is probably the only thought provoking statement I came across on women’s day.
2) Make a woman colleague at your work feel special. Take her out for lunch.
Well, both these statements lead to a lot of thoughts to ponder upon.
Women start their careers with lot of ambition and there is definitely lot to aspire for. Also career does go their way until they get married, as there is nothing really to take care in the personal front. Climbing up the ladder at work is easy then. With marriage and greater responsibilities at work, dual role does take a toll on them physically and mentally. The first casualty is career in most of these cases. Only a negligible percentage of women retire from their jobs at 58, while most of them quit much before that.
Let’s take the second statement now. Do women really need a guy to buy them a lunch? I thought a working woman can earn her lunch. Also why should a woman feel special? Is it not enough if she feels comfortable in her own skin?
Every single wish that I come across patronizes women in some way or the other. Gender inequality begins here. Why should a woman be made to feel special? Why should her roles as a mother/sister/daughter be celebrated? Then are the roles of men as father/brother/son inferior or superior? Every role comes with its own set of responsibility. The society at large will stay in harmony if the individuals realise their responsibilities and act accordingly. The instability arises only when one gender considers superior to another.
Interestingly, I came across a documentary on the life of tigers in television. The mother tiger brings home food after great struggle for its 2 male and 1 female cubs. The 2 male cubs pounce on the meat, while the poor female cub had to wait till it’s brothers feed on the meat and then had to eat the left overs. Well the situation in their species is no different from ours. May be a natural instinct. But don’t we have a so-called 6th sense to be rational?
Women’s day commemorates the struggle of women against wage inequalities. Unfortunately, the situation is no different even today in most places. Women employed in farmlands, construction sites are a few examples. Women carry out the most strenuous activities in all jobs involving physical activities but are paid less. Maternity leaves and a career droop after it is always a nightmare for a working woman. Jobs involving technology innovation and research have less female members. Was there any productive debate regarding any of these issues?
Making a woman “feel special” or celebrating womanhood sounds like a kind of appeasement or ego-massaging (to put it bluntly). Let the inequalities remain, let’s not discuss the sensitive topics but let’s only show tokenism. The very reason that we are still celebrating a “Women’s day” itself shows we have a long way to go. A woman does not need appreciations just for being a “woman”. She does not need patronage but a level playing ground. Make the game fair instead of calling her the “fairer” sex.
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