Nilanjana Rai Reward Points : 27800 Member Since : Saturday, March 14, 2009
In an age where women are travelling to space, has the distinction between working and non-working women really been obliterated? Women are still expected to leave their jobs after marriage or after they have a child. They are expected to return home within a stipulated time and they are expected to strike a balance between personal and professional lives with lan. Instead of expecting so much from a single soul a little cooperation, I guess, would be more helpful.
Posted On : 3/26/2009 3:53:40 AM
Priyangana Laha Reward Points : 18600 Member Since : Saturday, March 14, 2009
Well Nilanjana, myself being a woman, every other individual might say that i am being biased while answering to your question. However, by stating in a completely neutral manner, i would like to say that yes, still this very distinct distinction between a working and a non-working prevails. However a husband, boyfriend, or mother-in-law states that he/she does not have any objection to the lady of the house staying out of doors for her work, or that the woman can leave for work after motherhood, he/she is sure to possess a little bit of pinch within his/her heart that oh no how can she be so late?? Or else, oh no how can she be so unreasonable?? Things like these do very much exist in the present Indian society. You are very right also in saying that women are looking towards travelling to space, while here in India, thousands of women still have to face backwardness in thoughts and beliefs, a kind of hindrance to every path of life. What one fails to understand is that the woman, married or un-married, mother or not a mother, is still very much concerned about her family and its well-being. She can never forget her household, can she?? We however, do get to see improvements in some families, a kind of revolution after Indian Independence, but the male chauvinistic sensibility is very much present.
Yes Nilanjana. You are right, a little co operation would have been better. But do you really think that the mass of men will implement their thoughts into action after reading our forum? However, I felt like sharing my expanded thought on this topic. We Indians have always bowed down before woman power our Goddesses are proof enough, if proof is needed. Goddess Durga personifies strength and determination. When all the Gods put together failed to find out ways and means to conquer the evil forces, they prayed to her, they prostrated themselves before her and requested her to deliver them from the evil forces. That was probably the starting point . Centuries have passed by since then. Today we swear by science and technology. A look at the software scenario tells its own story the boys go after the hardware leaving those delicate fingers to solve the puzzles of softwares that make the world tick The choices are obvious. There are exceptions but, then, exception are supposed to prove the rules. In the arena of fine arts, women rule 76 years of age has not mellowed the golden voice of Lata Mangeshkar. Women past their prime can still be found to be making waves Aparna Sen and Shabana Azmi are best examples. Yesterday, we saw them on the sets of Aparna s latest movie 15 Park Avenue. The first frame and whatever little information one could gather about the story show promises. Political heavyweights have their share of persons of the fair sex when the situation demands, they can be even more tough and non wielding compared to their male counterparts. We had the likes of Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, Srimavo Bandernaike, Benazir Bhutto and Sheikh Hasina. At present we have a large group of women leaders. Each of them has left her mark of authority in all her dealings. On this all important day, may we pray for one more Durga like Goddess to emerge from the murky waters of Indian politics, trample all those evil forces, and take the country to a path of glory? Let us pray for her to tackle the modern day Asuras who wield cell phones, who sport large moustaches and gory beards, who consider all human beings to be nothing but living specimens of opportunity to be discarded once the ballot has been cast.
Posted On : 3/26/2009 5:13:28 AM
Nilanjana Rai Reward Points : 27800 Member Since : Saturday, March 14, 2009
Thank you both Priyangana and Priyadarshini for sharing your thoughts. I completely agree wit both of you that it is the thought process that requires changes. And Priyadarshini I wasn t only talking about men. even women do not support working women and its not necessarily the in-laws. there many households where you will find that your immediate family is against your job. Rather husbands and boyfriends support their ladies if they are working. May be there are a handful of them but such men do exist. But, yes, as i said earlier it is only love, understanding and support from families that can encourage more and more women to be independent.
There are two dominant images of the modern Indian woman. The first image is that of the meek sati-Savitri, an eternal victim who is yet to see the light of modern values. She may have donned modern clothes and started living in metropolis, yet she remains her conservative self, steeped in values of a male-dominated society. The other is that of Durga, the irrepressible rebel, who cannot be contained or tamed. Radicals and feminists often draw upon this imagery to script a story of the hidden modernity of Indian women. The tyranny of these two images often prevents us from listening to the voice of the modern Indian woman. Majority of working women often do a tightrope walk balancing a rather hostile domestic environs and professional lives as husbands and in-laws are yet to adopt modern mindsets, says a survey. A survey conducted on 1,000 working women in Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai by industry chamber ASSOCHAM found that domestic violence are high in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, while the tribal areas have a low percentage of domestic violence. Nearly 38 per cent of women reported experiencing physical violence at least once in their married life, while 72 per cent encountered psychological abuse. Both physical and psychological violence was higher in rural areas compared to urban areas, it said. It said the women who have a regular job, have reduced risk of long-term physical violence. The survey also revealed that women owning properties are less likely to face physical violence from in-laws. Around 35 per cent of those who do not own property experienced physical violence and 88 per cent experienced psychological abuse, it said. According to the survey, around 80 per cent of the households expect their daughters-in-law to cater to their requirement, leaving the official routine work behind. Employment does not offer the same protection to women as does property ownership. Land access enhances woman s livelihood options and gives her a sense of empowerment, ASSOCHAM Secretary General D S Rawat said in a statement. What empowers a woman is not the money or career but a freedom to exercise her choice, that s how the women achievers feel. Economic independence is important but if a woman cannot spend her money the way she wants to, how relevant this independence is? Earning money minus the freedom to spend it is not empowerment. How about maids who come and work at our homes. They earn but are they free to spend what they earn. We certainly can t call them empowered, asserts Shabana Azmi. She finds a grave supporter in actress-politician Smriti Irani who believes that to be empowered it is not essential to be working. Its not just a choice about spending money but about choosing a way of life. How a woman wants to live her life, what she wants to do. No matter if it is about buying a Saree or choosing a career. Women empowerment is not merely a buzzword but the true index of country s development. It is as important an issue as national GDP, says Azmi who feels women are different and it is this difference that needs to be celebrated. The women achievers, participating at a discussion on women s empowerment in Delhi recently, agreed that its illiteracy that is responsible for the plight of women, but it is not the only cause. If education reinforces gender divide, how long can it help, says Azmi. Women need recognition, support, motivation and opportunities to move forward as much as they need education, is how Gursharan Kaur, wife of Prime Minister, puts it. Had lack of education been the only cause, we would not have seen female foeticide practiced at alarming rates in the upper middle class families of South Mumbai. I guess, those people are not illiterates. Many educated women still face violence, in one or the other form, at their home. Acording to Azmi, its the mindset that makes all the difference. We need to change our thinking. Talking on the same line, Sapna Gupta, who started an Air-Hostess academy with three students in 1997 and now has 25 branches all over India, says that denying girl child a chance to learn and grow is the biggest injustice against women. Kiran Majumdar Shaw was denied a loan by a bank just because no one at that time knew about biotechnology and they can t believe a woman to do good in a lesser-known area. Such mental roadblocks need to go if we want to emancipate women, says Gupta. Its the struggle of childhood and youth that makes woman so goal-oriented. She has to fight for everything and it is still true of majority of girls who are discriminated against their brothers, says Irani who feels that a woman is her best judge and competition. Citing survey reports, she says that woman make better managers and effective leaders, because she has the capacity and capability to nurture, remember and forgive. Women are, no doubt, effective leaders but I think it negates the impact when they try to impersonate or mimic men. The true effective change would be when women do it without compromising on their feminity, says Azmi. To which Irani adds on a funny note, but they should learn one thing from men and that is abstaining from introspection. I think its this tendency of woman that makes her vulnerable at times. Giving political undertones to the cause of women emancipation , Farooq Abdullah calls for at least 50 per cent reservation for women in political units. Women need fair representation everywhere. Its not a matter of competition but of equality, says Abdullah. Just like charity begins at home, we have to start making change from our home and society. We need to work together to make this world a better place for women, Irani says. Now everybody knows what is happening about the women s bill in parliament.
Indian Working Women
