As always, we will celebrate March 8 as International Women’s Day.

This Saturday, our Club which was the bastion of male supremacy till as late as the last decade of the last century has organised a a day long series of events like beauty spas, cooking workshops, etc organised for women. But as I mentioned in my post last year , do we really need a special day to commemorate women?

Is it relevant in today’s times?

International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day for celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

Indeed, a curious Ms Papya also wanted to know why? 

I immediately Googled it and I was surprised to find that it was on THIS day in 1917, that Russian women textile workers exhausted with WW1, food shortages and the tyrannical tzarist rule, took to the streets of St.Petersburg clamouring for Peace & Bread. Surprisingly enough, these agitations sparked the February Revolution and compelled the Tsar to abdicate in favour of the Provincial Government!

Despite women having such an earth-shattering effect on the social fabric of a very orthodox and patriarchal system, women today still are not completely in charge of their destinies.

The pictogram in the Thursday edition of the MINT, shows that gender parity is a long way off.

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is #BreakTheBias. And we have been urged to plan events to celebrate this day in a way that will break the bias and

• Forge a Gender Equal World
• Celebrate Women’s Achievements
• Maintain Gender Equal Mindsets
• Call out gendered actions or assumptions

While I am in no position to organise any event, I am sharing my thoughts on the above.

Maintaining Gender Equal Mindsets

I must confess that I am not a “working” woman – I only work at home and from home. However, I am aware of all the prejudices that women face in the workforce and the hurdles they have to battle to prove themselves better than their male counterparts, having heard countless stories from my working mother, working daughters, friends and several other members of my family.

My millennial babies are lucky that they can pursue their careers and maintain their individual identities. This is because we come from a family where gender bias doesn’t exist .

But many women in the world aren’t so fortunate. For them, life is a struggle dealing with subjugation, inhuman living conditions and discrimination in the workforce. While the suffragettes won women the universal right to vote, very few women enjoy the benefits of feminism and women empowerment.

What is really surprising is that it is the women themselves who often sell themselves short- accept lower salaries for “part-time” work which often has them working longer hours and enjoying fewer benefits than their male counterparts or even other women. They tacitly accept any reductions in privileges or even the ridiculous explanation that they are given a loose rope only because they are women. For instance, a woman who comes late to work because of a sick child is reprimanded while a man who uses the same excuse is praised for being a good, hands-on dad!

To my mind, working women don’t need parity, they need MORE than mere parity. Working women are more diligent, more loyal, more conscientious and work longer hours than most men, since they also work at home. 

But of course, before the seesaw tips the other way, the wages have to be balanced first. It is time women’s work be recognised and their contribution to society acknowledged and rewarded. After all, as Chairman Mao always said : Women hold up half the sky. However, as Ban Ki-Moon, the former Secretary General of the UN said:

Women hold up more than half the sky and represent much of the world’s unrealized potential. They are the educators. They raise the children. They hold families together and increasingly drive economies. They are natural leaders. We need their full engagement… in government, business and civil society.

Ban Ki-Moon

Doesn’t that entitle her to an equal wage at the very least? 

Celebrating Women’s Achievements

Like the Soviet women who in a way ushered in IWD, women in every society have fostered social change. Women have been leaders and game-changers in every field ranging from the arts to the sciences. There are several women in my social circle who have changed the world with their actions. I would like to share with you the stories of two such women with whom I am still in touch albeit more through our school WhatsApp group and the occasional school reunions.

Mira, the handloom crusader has been working tirelessly for over two decades reviving the ancient craft of handloom saris in Maheshwar. These gossamer-thin saris are exquisite in their subtle colours, shaded weaves and intricate, borders and motifs woven in gold thread.

Education is the cornerstone of progress and educators like Swaroop Rawal who has revolutionised teaching with her unique methods, need to be recognised. Today Swaroop is one of the many advisors called upon to re-design and modernise our education policy.

Forging a Gender Equal World

Men are from Mars and women are from Venus

Coming from a patriarchal family with strong women, I sometimes feel that feminism sometimes goes over the top. Gender bias? Of course, it exists. In my family, women have a distinct advantage. The girls in our family are encouraged to do what they want to do (education, music, athletics) not because they are women and need empowerment but because they have the aptitude to do so.

Similarly, the boys are encouraged to help around the house, even taking on major chores like laundry, grocery shopping and cooking.

But who are we kidding? There are inherent differences between men and women. There are certain characteristics that are typically female and those that are typically male.

My two younger grandchildren are just five weeks apart. Strangely enough they seem to be connected and when one of them sneezes, you can be sure the other one is also coming down with something. They both are wise beyond their years and have a distinct sense of humour that was apparent even when they were toddling out of infancy. Both were given gender unspecific toys. But strangely enough, the boy prefers cars while the girl prefers books.

So my own personal observation is that there are gender-specific differences in terms of attitude.

And let’s celebrate the differences rather than try to make both men and women into androgynous creatures in the name of feminism.

Calling out gendered actions or assumptions

Every day there are any number of instances where women have been the target of women gend bias. Be it honour killing, subjugation of their rights, sexual assault, body shaming, denying them access to health care, education and freedom of movement, every social media platform highlights these problems.

Sadly, no amount of calling out of these reprehensible actions has prevented them from happening.

Which possibly means that International Women’s Day will have a place in our society for as long as atrocities against women exist.

What do you think? I would love to read your comments .

For all you women out there, keep safe and be happy.

Ciao