As a teen living in the 21st century, you probably might call this a silly one to pop in my head, as you brag about the progress women have made in leaps and bounds. But of what I have observed and experienced in my thirteen years - I don't think so.
A few years ago, I faced an interestingly difficult situation. I was serving as the head girl of my school and I had to work with my male classmate, the headboy, to lead the Student Council. Despite my efforts to contribute as a leader, I felt my ideas and views were being suppressed by the headboy. My competence was constantly criticized. I could not find any equality in between, despite being of the same age and importance.
Stepping into the shoes of the headboy, he was a student of my age who came from a patriarchal family, that exalted men to authority. He was raised by a family that favoured its sons over its daughters, and grew under the impression of a man's superiority over a woman.
Despite my situation, I gave my heart and soul to my purpose and eventually, I was able to overcome this obstacle with utmost sincerity to my work, which was also emotionally fulfilling.
Parents shoulder the greatest responsibility of the human race - to shape their children, the future minds of our countries, into responsible citizens. If parents themselves unknowingly sow wrong, misogynistic ideals in their children, we are only risking the future of the world by creating clones of mistakes we made in the past. We are creating intolerant, unbalanced individuals who will reduce the acheivements of today, to dust tomorrow.
Employers cash on us, as author and social activist Sudha Murthy recounts, as they "get the same brains for lesser money." This was meant to be a compliment, whereas this is an outright insult. Mrs. Sudha Murty herself broke the glass ceiling for women, nearly five decades ago, by winning over JRD Tata with her outspoken nature. She went on to become the first female engineer of TELCO with tremendous success.
In this 'progress-driven' dog-eat-dog world, women earn 24.4% lesser than men and amount to just 3.3% of employers in the workforce, as reported by Wikipedia. If statistics speak the truth, how can we call ourselves a ‘developed’ society?
I spent my early years in Japan, a country known for its impeccable culture. Coming from India, it was astonishing to watch young schoolgirls effortlessly switch from trains to buses after dusk, on the way home, all alone without an adult or any defensive alarms that Indian women are forced to be armed with. As a child, I felt secure. I felt safe, as a child was only looked upon as a child.
Once, a casual train commute turned into an scathing experience for my mother, when a man broke the ice to kindle a friendly chat. As they moved past greetings, the man, after a few minutes, asked which country we were from. When my mother said we were from India, his immediate reaction was, "Are you from the rapist country?"
This should be a shameful moment for every patriotic Indian. My mother was left shocked and was unsure how to respond. India, the epitome of rich heritage and culture, now stands first in things like these as well. This is shocking, but true. We all can agree that the man's knowledge was half baked, but what can one deny? This is the reality.
In Japan, a woman can take a stroll anywhere, even in the wee hours, without any fear whereas this is unimaginable for a woman in India.
The truth? Men are scared of our potential. But we are still far from the world I dream of - an equal world, where being a girl will not be looked down upon on the success ladder. I feel the feminine race is a cursed one, for the value and beauty it holds. It is you, men, who create us female. We are the origin and the limit of the Universe. Our goal must be to create tolerant, capable individuals who will bring pride to the human race. Let's teach our children to respect one another, despite their gender. Let us teach our sons that girls are as strong as his male friends in every way. After decades of dipped scales on equality, this concept is finally seeing better days, with more acceptance and change. Our true victory in this battle will be the day inequality is deemed a fragment of the past and women are considered capable competitors in every phase of the society. How long it will take for this to become common reality– I am not sure.
*Written for New York Times - Seventh Annual Student Editorial Contest 2020*
A few years ago, I faced an interestingly difficult situation. I was serving as the head girl of my school and I had to work with my male classmate, the headboy, to lead the Student Council. Despite my efforts to contribute as a leader, I felt my ideas and views were being suppressed by the headboy. My competence was constantly criticized. I could not find any equality in between, despite being of the same age and importance.
Stepping into the shoes of the headboy, he was a student of my age who came from a patriarchal family, that exalted men to authority. He was raised by a family that favoured its sons over its daughters, and grew under the impression of a man's superiority over a woman.
Despite my situation, I gave my heart and soul to my purpose and eventually, I was able to overcome this obstacle with utmost sincerity to my work, which was also emotionally fulfilling.
Parents shoulder the greatest responsibility of the human race - to shape their children, the future minds of our countries, into responsible citizens. If parents themselves unknowingly sow wrong, misogynistic ideals in their children, we are only risking the future of the world by creating clones of mistakes we made in the past. We are creating intolerant, unbalanced individuals who will reduce the acheivements of today, to dust tomorrow.
Employers cash on us, as author and social activist Sudha Murthy recounts, as they "get the same brains for lesser money." This was meant to be a compliment, whereas this is an outright insult. Mrs. Sudha Murty herself broke the glass ceiling for women, nearly five decades ago, by winning over JRD Tata with her outspoken nature. She went on to become the first female engineer of TELCO with tremendous success.
In this 'progress-driven' dog-eat-dog world, women earn 24.4% lesser than men and amount to just 3.3% of employers in the workforce, as reported by Wikipedia. If statistics speak the truth, how can we call ourselves a ‘developed’ society?
I spent my early years in Japan, a country known for its impeccable culture. Coming from India, it was astonishing to watch young schoolgirls effortlessly switch from trains to buses after dusk, on the way home, all alone without an adult or any defensive alarms that Indian women are forced to be armed with. As a child, I felt secure. I felt safe, as a child was only looked upon as a child.
Once, a casual train commute turned into an scathing experience for my mother, when a man broke the ice to kindle a friendly chat. As they moved past greetings, the man, after a few minutes, asked which country we were from. When my mother said we were from India, his immediate reaction was, "Are you from the rapist country?"
This should be a shameful moment for every patriotic Indian. My mother was left shocked and was unsure how to respond. India, the epitome of rich heritage and culture, now stands first in things like these as well. This is shocking, but true. We all can agree that the man's knowledge was half baked, but what can one deny? This is the reality.
In Japan, a woman can take a stroll anywhere, even in the wee hours, without any fear whereas this is unimaginable for a woman in India.
The truth? Men are scared of our potential. But we are still far from the world I dream of - an equal world, where being a girl will not be looked down upon on the success ladder. I feel the feminine race is a cursed one, for the value and beauty it holds. It is you, men, who create us female. We are the origin and the limit of the Universe. Our goal must be to create tolerant, capable individuals who will bring pride to the human race. Let's teach our children to respect one another, despite their gender. Let us teach our sons that girls are as strong as his male friends in every way. After decades of dipped scales on equality, this concept is finally seeing better days, with more acceptance and change. Our true victory in this battle will be the day inequality is deemed a fragment of the past and women are considered capable competitors in every phase of the society. How long it will take for this to become common reality– I am not sure.
*Written for New York Times - Seventh Annual Student Editorial Contest 2020*
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