Today is Holi and alas I got an off on weekday after ages I guess. I have already written two posts and aspire to finish this one too. The very title of the post indicates it’s got something to do with qualities that characterize women or about women. Apparently when will women’s concerns end? When will they stop crying for rights? How long will women need idols to look up to and set trends for them? Feminists, chauvinists, you, me and sundry seem to have a laundry list of questions such as these. These questions do not need a brainstorming answer. The answer is rather simple-women’s concerns will end when society will become an equitable one and not characterized by patriarchy, when it stops to blame women for everything and when men will look upon their spouses as their equals and share responsibilities.
This womens day, lets look at the new age woman- where does she stand today and what did she achieve? On womens day, the first few from whom I received wishes and compliments for being a woman were men. One of them was my MA classmate and another was my colleague who sent a text message saying “you make us proud”. I felt the winds of change have certainly hit men. Today if women are successful and pioneers, it’s because the credit goes to men also. They have become profusely acceptable of women and the unseen, unheard, women-barely-entered spaces women foray into. They no longer say- it is not viable for women but believe in our potential and extend their unrelenting support to us.
Women like chanda kochar (joint deputy manger and to be CEO of ICICI), Indira Nooyi (CEO of PepsiCo), Ekta Kapoor, Kiran Mazumdar and the umpteen successful women in the corporate world busted the myth of glass-ceiling. A woman VP in our organization said that it is self inflicted. Our organization believes in gender diversity and I will vouch for it, as I personally never suffered a gender bias. My acumen is definitely valued over my gender. Most of us lose opportunities by merely imagining obstacles. This mindset of women in corporate world and any other male bastion should change. However issues like unequal pay and harder work, lack of negotiating skills leave women vulnerable. Issues like these should be tackled before they could grow into problems. Both the organization and employees should mutually work at it.
One of my aunt works as a lecturer in South Africa and ostensibly there are lesser crimes against women compared to any other region in the world. Gandhi’s idea of freedom holds true to that country as women can walk on the roads at midnight sans apprehensions of being attacked, assaulted, molested and teased. I salute her husband who has no qualms about her working so far away from him. She is lucky to have a husband who respects her stance and lets her pursue a career and thus satisfy her creative urges. Today any woman who is a globe trotterer is no longer seen as an adventuress but a woman of spirit.
A smut on the achievements of women is gender cleansing. The ratio in India stands at 927 women per 1000 men. Sex determination test is a punishable offence but is still carried in some places especially rural India. More awareness has to be created and this should be averted. We must accept that rural women have different paradigms of life from urban women.
Nevertheless, the new age woman scripts her own success stories, enters into a workable marriage of her choice where there is honesty, intimacy and space to make decisions. She flaunts her assets with the same panache as she flaunts her sexuality. She wants a career for her creative outlets and for economic self sufficiency and carved an identity for herself that is no longer defined by domesticity or relationships but comes across as a person with a strong sense of self and self worth. Might I add she wins battles with masculine skills.
PS: The new woman, like me, also blogs to voice her angst, express outrage and disapproval, fulfill the need for acceptance and approval and to speak out. We seek treasure and pleasure!
This womens day, lets look at the new age woman- where does she stand today and what did she achieve? On womens day, the first few from whom I received wishes and compliments for being a woman were men. One of them was my MA classmate and another was my colleague who sent a text message saying “you make us proud”. I felt the winds of change have certainly hit men. Today if women are successful and pioneers, it’s because the credit goes to men also. They have become profusely acceptable of women and the unseen, unheard, women-barely-entered spaces women foray into. They no longer say- it is not viable for women but believe in our potential and extend their unrelenting support to us.
Women like chanda kochar (joint deputy manger and to be CEO of ICICI), Indira Nooyi (CEO of PepsiCo), Ekta Kapoor, Kiran Mazumdar and the umpteen successful women in the corporate world busted the myth of glass-ceiling. A woman VP in our organization said that it is self inflicted. Our organization believes in gender diversity and I will vouch for it, as I personally never suffered a gender bias. My acumen is definitely valued over my gender. Most of us lose opportunities by merely imagining obstacles. This mindset of women in corporate world and any other male bastion should change. However issues like unequal pay and harder work, lack of negotiating skills leave women vulnerable. Issues like these should be tackled before they could grow into problems. Both the organization and employees should mutually work at it.
One of my aunt works as a lecturer in South Africa and ostensibly there are lesser crimes against women compared to any other region in the world. Gandhi’s idea of freedom holds true to that country as women can walk on the roads at midnight sans apprehensions of being attacked, assaulted, molested and teased. I salute her husband who has no qualms about her working so far away from him. She is lucky to have a husband who respects her stance and lets her pursue a career and thus satisfy her creative urges. Today any woman who is a globe trotterer is no longer seen as an adventuress but a woman of spirit.
A smut on the achievements of women is gender cleansing. The ratio in India stands at 927 women per 1000 men. Sex determination test is a punishable offence but is still carried in some places especially rural India. More awareness has to be created and this should be averted. We must accept that rural women have different paradigms of life from urban women.
Nevertheless, the new age woman scripts her own success stories, enters into a workable marriage of her choice where there is honesty, intimacy and space to make decisions. She flaunts her assets with the same panache as she flaunts her sexuality. She wants a career for her creative outlets and for economic self sufficiency and carved an identity for herself that is no longer defined by domesticity or relationships but comes across as a person with a strong sense of self and self worth. Might I add she wins battles with masculine skills.
PS: The new woman, like me, also blogs to voice her angst, express outrage and disapproval, fulfill the need for acceptance and approval and to speak out. We seek treasure and pleasure!
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