I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress women have achieved.”
—Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
In a patriarchal society, many times women are left unheard. Lack of female participation in society gives men the advantage to dominate and women’s points of view are subjugated. Almost half part of the population is restricted from contributing to its development. Unheard opinions of females hinder understanding of women’s needs and half part of the needs of society. Feminism is not about hating men, the concept is often misunderstood. It is about women’s upliftment and bringing them equal to men in terms of skills and opportunities.
It is about making women powerful so that they are not considered a burden on others, not considered weak, not taken advantage of, and live in a world where
their choices are valued. It is a movement to strengthen women against atrocities and ensure their needs which have been neglected for a long. A woman who is as independent as a man gets more exposure in life than she would have gotten otherwise inside the walls of her house. It leads to her intellectual, emotional, and overall personality development. A woman who is educated and trained with the same skills as a man can contribute to the better working and overall development of society. There are numerous examples of women like Kiran Bedi, Rani Laxmi Bai, Kalpana Chawla, Jyotiba Phule, Lata Mangeshkar, Pratibha Patil, etc. who have proved themselves worthy in various fields of work.
“Before any social revolution, there needs to be
a psychological revolution.”
—Ex-Chief Justice Markandey Katju Social change is a universal phenomenon and it is an ongoing process. Women and their loved ones definitely watch out for their safety as it is natural for them, however, it becomes problematic when the blame and responsibility are imposed on them alone and men reject their social responsibility of making women feel comfortable in society. If women’s voices and movements are restricted and they are given defined gender roles to protect them from the lustful maze gaze, it means we have failed in maintaining law and order, we have failed in maintaining social security, and failed in giving women the respect they deserve as human beings.
A healthy positive criticism is always appreciated, yet education activists like Malala Yousafzai have been
targets of hate.
Some questions against feminism “Why is there no Act protecting the rights of men?” The answer to them is that the ratio of crime between harassment against women and against men is large, hence there is no such Act protecting men. There is also a fear in some of the men of losing power over women rather than supporting women’s upliftment and thinking of society’s benefit as seen in the case of Razia Sultan. When all humans can equally contribute in making the world a better place, then feminism is not a curse, it’s definitely a cure.
