Feminism, a noun, the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes. Equality, not superiority.
Feminism is the notion that all humans are equal regardless of their gender. Feminism is uplifting women so that men and women are treated equally. It’s not about demeaning men or declaring them inferior. It’s not based on women having power over men; rather, the idea is that women should have power over themselves.
Most often, feminism is misconstrued as a “women’s movement” as it originates from the word “feminine”. But, it’s imperative we realise that feminism is not just a women’s movement, it’s a “movement for all humans”, that is concerned with the liberation of both, men and women. However, it’s important that we also accept that women have been the prime victims of years of patriarchy and toxic masculinity. Feminism is an attempt to get rid of this notion of dominance and subordination, to bring both genders on the same level.
India needs feminism because a woman should not be considered a responsibility of a male throughout her life, whether it be her father, brother, husband or son. Practices like ‘kanyadaan’, ‘and the ‘purdah system’ where a woman is veiled behind a ghoonghat, highlight the extent of male dominance. These practices emphasize that strong, capable men have to protect the weak, fragile women and that women aren’t designed to protect, but to be protected.
Females in India have been for generations, oppressed and not given their rights. Often told that ‘You are a girl sit’: properly, dress appropriately, keep your head down, live subdued, don’t have dreams and dream only about having a family.
India needs feminism because a woman deserves the same amount of money and respect as a man does for performing the same tasks. Working women in India earn only 66% of what their male counterparts earn for the same amount of work. This gender pay gap and disparity in opportunities discourage women from performing well in the professional domain. This disparity is not because female work lesser hours or are incompetent it is purely because they are females.
A report suggests that India would be 27% richer if there were higher employment rates of women. The glass ceiling effect is present in India, which means that there is an invisible barrier that prevents women from rising to higher ranks in a corporation. Moreover, even If feminism was born in the "first world", it does not mean that the first-world is free from gender-based issues. These issues; such as gender-based inequalities and discrimination are not exclusive to the third-world, they are a global problem.
The problem is that women didn’t and still do not hate men by saying, We want equality. It is that all women have lived under the shadow of men for so long that when they have the spotlight men feel endangered. What is actually an act of self-love and supporting themselves and finally raising their voices comes out as ‘disrespectful’ to men because earlier women did as they were told and not as they liked. The modern era has gotten a new ray of hope for the female fraternity and they are finding themselves in a more accepting environment and they are adapting to it and hence men should too join this movement and celebrate women. Reward them for finally breaking the shackles and coming out in the open, learning to voice out their feelings. If men think of feminism as a human agenda and not what ‘Woman has to do’ then in no time the process of reaching a state of harmony will be achieved.
Empowered women can empower women. A saying we have all heard but never realized the importance of it. While men are still to learn to be allies to females, women have to learn how to love and support fellow women through their hardships. If we do not help other women realize their rights and tell them that they deserve so much more than they are being offered, then feminism’s true spirits are non-existent. If we want the men to support this notion we must promote it. Malala Fund once said, “I want every girl to know that her voice can change the world” that being said be your voice and help others find theirs.
By:
Amika Patel
BSc
202796
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