Women Must Support Women
A Wealth of Optimism, Motivation, Aspiration and graciousness, she is, a WOMAN. She is a variety in herself; representing a blend of all the cultures in the best possible way. She respects tradition while supports freedom, independence and liberty. Who that woman is? She is you, she is me; she is, in every lady.
She is the twenty year old college student with loads of female and male friends. She often likes to hang out with them. Group studies, night-outs, parties are a regular routine. Though her parents do not object; few women of the neighborhood leave no opportunity to express their bitterness. They would instruct her mother about her upbringing. Let her learn to manage study as well as household work, some would suggest. Don’t let her roam everywhere while she is menstruating, other would say. She must not interact with so many males, it might bring disgrace to the family; after all she is of the age of marriage; few others would pour in this suggestion. She is the divorced single mother to a daughter, working in a multinational firm. The whole locality looks at her with disdain. The other women, even the ones at her office; talk about her stylish corporate get-up, involvement with male colleagues; doubting her morals. She is the working mother, a career woman as well as a homemaker, who leaves her one year baby at the creche. Inconsiderate is what few women of the community call her. They point fingers at the ways of her house-keeping and motherhood. She is mocked at for not wearing vermilion, bangles and other souvenirs of marriage. She is the young woman, an aspiring model; a lodger at the adjacent house. The contemporary dresses she wears, the photo shoots she has are much talked about. People, even women do not hesitate to look down upon her as a whore.
She is you, who has been probably much suppressed and enslaved than her. You were not allowed to pursue higher studies, or follow your passion. You were supposed to learn all the household chores and marry at an early age. You did not sleep on the bed or entered the kitchen when menstruating. You could not voice your opinions and spent all your life caring for your husband and children. You are an epitome of sacrifice! The college going girl, the aspiring model, wants to fulfill their own ambitions. To believe in equality, feel as empowered as men, they interact with them. It required a lot of courage for the divorcee to walk out of an abusive marriage. Subjected to daily humiliations and marital rape, she finally chose her identity as an individual over being a wife. The working mother is struggling hard to balance her career and family. She works to lend a helping hand for the daily expenses.
She is every girl, every woman, who wakes up every day to make her own identity in this world. The sad part is her fight is not against the opposite gender, but even the members of her own sex. . The men who used to earn by working in the farms work at offices today. The turban clad, dhoti wearing old men do not object the modern get up of their sons, then why women shall object the women? Times have changed, let the development be equal for both the genders. To fight the bigger issues like rape, let us first subdue the differences in our own voice. Let us first become one, let us first as women support women!!!
\ ———— About the Author: This article has been contributed by Srishti Raj, our intern. Srishti is a student of Computer Science & Engineering at KIIT University at Bhubaneswar. She is an avid reader and a keen observer who yearns to see a change in the society.
