Women and Feminism in a "modern" India

Feminism, the word has always been a trigger to some people who believe it is an encroachment on men’s rights. The internet is full of people telling that feminism is not relevant anymore as the modern or the urban society has achieved basic equality and women are just using their “ feminism card” to get privileges. Often, feminism and misandry are used interchangeably thereby pinning feminism at par with something it seeks to destroy: the supremacy of any gender over others. In this article I shall not talk about the increasing number of rape cases, the number of heinous crimes against women of which the majority cases remain unreported, or the dismally low conviction rate of our country. There are already plenty of informative articles out there which talk about these things and educate about the history of feminism, the three waves of feminism and how it has evolved as a movement . I shall be very specific in my approach, talking strictly about feminism and women in the modern or urban India.

Let’s start with what this basic equality is that our ‘modern’ and ‘urban’ society has achieved today which has negated the need of feminism for women. So, In a modern India, women can wear shirts, pants ,skirts or whatever they want, they can go out and have fun like men, women are “allowed”  to get their education, they are free to do jobs, they are not forcibly married off at a young age and they can work after marriage as well. Today , the men folk of our homes realize that household chores should be done equally, so  they often do the chores on Sundays or when they are free and in a good mood, they respect their wives, mothers, sisters, they “give” them freedom and treat them with basic human decency. Women hold important positions in our country and are excelling in every field, we have stringent laws for crimes against women and In the words of a great social media influencer, "aaj ek gareeb gaao me bhi ladki IAS banne ka sapna dekh sakti hai" (Even a girl from a remote village can dream about being an IAS officer today) . See? Patriarchy is gone.

Now read that again? Is this equality? When an entire gender is being “allowed” to study, work, marry, wear certain clothes and basically LIVE?  It’s like we have been given a façade of freedom, a freedom that comes with limits. You can dream as long as you are dreaming within the limits that have been conditioned to your freedom. As you try to break free from those restrictions and limits, you become problematic. You may wear skirts and shorts but make sure the place is safe so that you are not looked at by men, you may go out and have fun but make sure you leave before it gets dark because well you can not change those men who have a sick mentality but you can prevent yourself from being hurt, you can study as long as your education doesn’t turn you into a much ambitious woman who can not adjust in the society, you may work after marriage but make sure you’re not neglecting on your household duties and you must prioritize your in-laws over career. You must applaud the men of your household if they try to help with chores whilst you must do them thanklessly nonetheless as they are essentially your duty. And well you know what, maybe, just maybe, you can even go out to party at night like your male friends. But remember while returning home if you see someone suspicious, a man would fear being robbed or hurt, but you as a woman would fear being  raped, attacked and murdered. And if something unfortunate happens, if the victim is a man, he would be sympathized because he was alone. But if victim is a woman, she’d be blamed and shamed for her own predicament because she was out at night. And now this is the difference between the freedom men have and the freedom women have in today’s “modern” society.  

As mentioned, this article only talks about the urban society of modern India that has according to some people championed equality; I have not even started about the conditions of women in rural area. By this article I want people to understand that patriarchy is so deeply rooted in our minds and systems that what should be one's basic rights seem like privileges for women. If an independent woman is living her life according to her rules, she is not privileged as a woman. It is her right to live the way she wants, just like a man does.

This concept that feminism is not relevant anymore is also stemmed from the belief that modernity means equality. That a modern society’s women are empowered enough and do not require feminism, for that we need to stop assuming that a modern society is inherently equal. Even the most advanced and modern societies of the world face and suffer from inequalities.

Feminism has never been about "all men are the same", it's not about man hating, it's not about dismissing a man's grievances. It never was. Yes, not all men, without a doubt, but enough men to harrass almost half the population. Enough men to shout "NOT ALL MEN" whenever a woman speaks up. Yes, we do realize that there are some women who would have misused feminism, but never have we defended them. Never has someone said "Not all feminists" when a pseudo-feminist wrongs someone. 

In a country whose national capital has been often called as the rape capital , saying that feminism is not relevant anymore is not only foolish but also disrespectful to those who have been working for the upliftment of all the victims of patriarchy. 

 

And just in case, it's still not clear : 

Man>Woman= Patriarchy/ Misogyny 

Woman>man  = Matriarchy/ misandry

Man=Woman= Other genders= Feminism=Equality.

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Author:

Akanksha Singh
BA ( Hons) History 2nd year