CHENNAI: Women in the late 19th Century had to fight to achieve equal status with men – be it the right to work, own property, bear children, receive education, equal pay and much more. Nearly one-and-a-half century later, the word ‘feminism’ was first coined and the first unofficial Women’s Day was celebrated in 1909.
Fast forward to present day, a lot has changed with women being at the forefront of many issues in the country today. However, as movements go, do the change makers of tomorrow – the youth of today – really understand the core tenets that they are fighting for? Is it worth ‘celebrating’ a Women’s Day in today’s world? CE tries to find out.
A popular opinion among the youth is the skewering of the original idea for a celebration of women’s rights. “I think that the idea behind Women’s Day, when it was first espoused in the 19th Century had an actual cause because women were fighting for a change,” says Niranjana Nair, a student at National Institute of Fashion Technology, Chennai. “It was a fight for equality, a struggle that brought significant change in the attitude of people towards women. It was a sort of wake-up call. But lately, I feel it has become just some sort of “show”, like it is not real anymore. We shouldn’t need a day just to acknowledge us. We want to be treated equal, not special – we don’t need a special day to celebrate feminism; we should be feminist’s everyday!” A lot of people are not even aware of what feminism is, states Mary Pascaline Dharshini Radjou, a young journalist from Pondicherry.
“I blame the media for that! From stupid movies that portray feminists as bra-burning man-haters, to Facebook, where, whenever you try to draw some attention to some issue, the infuriating #NotAllMen nonsense pops up. Women’s Day is one day where you laud the struggle of our predecessors who struggled to get women where we are now. We can work, we can vote, and are not confined to the kitchen, but we have to remind ourselves that there is a lot that is left to do.”
The mass molestation on New Year’s Eve in Bengaluru and the subsequent (yet predictable) backlash blaming women for being out late at night are case in point. Pascaline also opines that feminism has been extremely watered down to feed the masses (‘bubblegum’ feminism a la Taylor Swift) for corporate gains, or is viewed as something ‘anti-national’.
“The privileged are the most misinformed, ironically. My own friends call themselves ‘equalists’, a term that doesn’t exist, as opposed to feminists. While I agree there are extremists on this side of the board too, it is worth noting that half the world’s population still has to fight for the right to have a say about their own body. A woman’s body is not your political or social battleground. The extremism is again the product of not knowing what feminism is.”
Sheethal Jose, a non-resident Indian, admits that there is also apathy among the current generation. “I would not separate North and South India either. It's one of the reasons for indifference among southern Indians when it comes to advancing Women's rights. They automatically defer to the north and say women are faring much better in the south, when that's not actually true. Violence against women and abuse are still prevalent in the south. However, the fact that these stories (starting with the Delhi gang rape) are gaining more media coverage has a lot to do with changing that apathy and creating movements that go beyond social media.”
She also alludes to the term ‘feminazi’ as one abhorrent to the very essence of the feminist movement. “It is not really a term I tolerate. It’s a classic example of how women’s rights movements are either downplayed or painted horrifically to divert attention from the real issues at hand.” It is true that every movement has its share of radicals, but it becomes a problem when overzealous people exert undue influence over others (especially over other women) to sway them to their point of view.
“I was initially a bit discomfited by the aggression with which one of my friends berated the institution of marriage and the idea of bearing children, especially over the question of rights of women in both situations,” says Anthony Kurien, a recent MBA graduate. “While some people are emotionally invested in not marrying or having children, it’s ultimately upto the woman – she should be given the freedom to make the choice. Just because she gives up a career does not mean she loses her rights, neither does it make her less of a woman/wife if she puts her own career first. That point is what people espousing feminism (and the larger public) should understand.”