A woman in India has had her work cut out for her. She has to face harassment at multiple points in her life, and after that, there is the problem of discrimination.
The American woman can feel empowered by listening to Taylor Swift and watching AOC, but who does the Indian woman have? An Indian woman who has a strong support system is fortunate because society continues to ridicule her. Many times, women are ridiculed by other women.
I may be generalizing here, but haven’t you noticed the older generation of women being interested in the spicy stories?
Whose daughter is having an affair?
Who is getting involved in a love marriage?
Look, her daughter got divorced. She couldn’t even sustain a marriage.
Today’s society is full of bad elements like the live-in arrangement.
Of course, there are many exceptions, and it is possible that the feminist exists in this circle. The love for one’s daughter makes every mother a feminist. However, this doesn’t stop them from trashing the character of others.
Go talk about section 378 of the Uniform Civil Code to the aunties of your mohalla and many will sigh relief. They will want the same to be applied throughout the nation!
The ideology gap between a woman in her 50s and a woman in her 20s is extremely high.
Politics is the game of time. You enter it, you wait, and then you get the power to act.
Women in Indian politics are not appealing to the millennial or Gen Z population.
How can they be?
When Smriti Irani said, “Menstruation is a natural part of a woman’s life and not a handicap.”
This statement was an insult to women and to those who are differently abled.
Yes, menstruation is a natural part of a woman’s life, but it can be painful. The degree of pain is different for each woman. Did you never take a leave because of period cramps?
Instead of being honest and saying that India is not ready for such a policy. Smriti Irani had to demean millions of Indian women.
There have been many times when female political leaders have blamed victims for sexual assault. A political leader Asha Mirje said women too were “responsible to an extent” for rape and that their “clothing and behaviour” played a part.
Now the question is how can the buzzing Indian woman feel comfortable in a society where first she is trashed by her mohalla wali aunty and then brought down by female Indian politicians?
Can Identity politics work in this country? I don’t think so!
When you see a woman in Indian politics, you already know you cannot expect anything feminist from her. She is there for power and she will say whatever she wants to keep that power. Whether it be Mamta Banerjee, Mayawati, Sonia Gandhi, Smriti Irani, and others.
Women need to be wary of feminist identity politics. The celebrity will not speak for you and the politician will not do anything for you. Only you can do something for yourself and other women!
How you want to achieve that goal is up to you. Feminism in India is here to stay, but feminist identity politics can never work here!