We the equals - by blogger Snehal

Achieving gender equality requires the engagement of women and men, girls and boys. Its everyone’s responsibility - Ban Ki-moon

To all the misogynist men in the world I would like to put it straight. Feminism is not about hating men. It speaks of striving for gender equality that women have been deprived of for centuries together. March is Women’s History month; so I take the privilege of penning a few thoughts about Gender equality. The global scenario depicts that male dominance has been deep rooted in the society for centuries together. The emergence of the feminist era has broadened the social horizons thus paving way for the rising of women to their appropriate prominence. As a result the beautiful day will arrive when the whole world will recognize the harmony between man and woman.

Gender inequality refers to the difference in the status, prestige, power, opportunities, decision making rights and identities that the women are subjected to in comparison to men in a society. This is a global issue.  For instance: In some countries of the world women are restricted from driving cars while in others women do not have the basic right of education too.   Many a time’s women are paid less for the same work as men while in few countries house work is only vested with the women and not the men. Female infanticide and female foeticide are alarmingly rising in many countries. This is mainly because boys are considered to be the ones who shall carry forward the lineage of a clan. Women are deprived from inheriting the property too in various cultures and religions. These are only a few instances to name. The list is extremely long. Can a reasonable person recognize these instances as equality? We are women but we are humans too. We are not slaves or maids to receive such ill-treatment.  Why is this simple aspect forgotten?

I agree men are physically stronger and more aggressive by nature whereas women are construed to be the embodiment of inner dignity and subtleness.  In many cases this soft attitude is considered to be the weakness. In reality, subtle inner dignity is much stronger than the aggressive outbursts.  The true liberalization of both the sexes would be when both the sexes forget their respective egos and work in harmony for the betterment of mankind as a whole. Both the sexes should strive hard to bridge the gap of inequality.  Men should use their aggressive and dominant nature to good use whereas women should use the subtle nature not to portray weakness but power, motivation, understanding and intelligence.

Most of you may still pose the question, why this movement is still termed as Feminism and not Equalism or Humanism? Well, a simple answer to this is that we are still waiting for the beautiful day to arrive when women are considered equal in each and every field and in all walks of life.  That is when this long struggle of striving for equality shall end and then probably we can rephrase the term from Feminism to Equalism or Humanism.

Rape Prevention by blogger Shaleen

It is common knowledge that many traditional families instill the thought that men should “protect” women but when it comes to stopping or acknowledging a possible sexual assault, many question themselves. We see all the time in movies that when men see an assault, he stutters or questions himself and how he would be viewed. Many colleges are stopping the victim from speaking out of even pressing charges. The lack of prevention is outstanding because educated human beings should know that it is not a woman’s fault, ever.

Women are taught to not get raped instead of men getting taught not to rape. It’s a simple enough concept but then again, it happens. Zerlina Maxwell from Ebony.com, wrote an article called, “5 Ways We Can Teach Men Not to Rape.” I understand where articles like the get their theme of the article but that thought should be instilled in everyone from birth. It should not have to be taught.

Every man and woman are responsible for their actions, including not stopping someone be raped. Education equals prevention. There are many men who are feminists from Jimmy Carter to Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Where these men consider themselves a feminist or the media spanned their words, I’ll never know. All that aside, feminism is the radical notion that all women are human beings.

No means a big No - by blogger Snehal Gajare

"Consent"- What is it? Is it important? Who cares? How dare she refuse me?........ And then the male chauvinist monster attacks the girl/woman. He forgets that he is denying her the basic right of voicing her choice about what is happening to her mind and body. As a woman I strongly condemn such an act where a woman's right of bodily integrity and autonomy is not only neglected but crushed. Every woman on this planet has the right to say "No".  It’s simple, ‘No’ means a clear, big and bold “No”.

When 'Yes' is easily understood and accepted, what's the issue in understanding and accepting its antonym 'No'? A study conducted by United Nations by surveying 10000 men in 6 Asia Pacific countries (the word “Rape” was not mentioned, instead men were questioned if they ever forced a lady to indulge in sex) has revealed that "sexual entitlement" (a mindset where a man considers that he has an automatic control over the body of woman irrespective of what the woman wants) is the trigger that drives men to rape women. Another shocking outcome of the survey was that some men admitted to raping women for entertainment to fight boredom. A small set of men cited anger as the reason for forcing women.  Shut Up! Wake up Guys! Come out of your world of fantasy. Rape is not a joke; it’s a heinous crime that seizes the entire existence of a woman, leaving her soul panic stricken, wounded for life. Furthermore, our ‘so called patriarchal society’ depicts its double standards by drowning the Rape victim into the pond of shame with a tagline "It’s your Fault"; whereas the excuse used for the rapist is “After all he is a man, he has desires”.

Consent plays a key role in most of the sexual assault cases; as it impacts the entire prosecution process. Consent can be determined by various factors: Age of consent (the victim consenting was below the age specified by law for having sex), Inability to consent (if the victim consenting was insane, mentally retarded, intoxicated), withdrawal of consent; (if the victim gave consent out to fear, embarrassment, coercion, helplessness and later withdrew) the violation of these can attract the offence of statutory rape. In simple sense, sex without ‘consent’ is Rape.

As a feminist I intend to ask a question to the society, - The rape victim is blamed for her rape, for the injuries inflicted on her body and her mind; despite her constant refusal to entertain the advances of a man. So, what should be the punishment for the rapist who so "innocently" rapes a woman, thrashes her self- esteem, insults the essence of womanhood thereby uprooting her existence and destroying her life; against her will and consent?

                        

Can women progress in a male dominated society? by blogger Shaleen

The belief that women are living creatures, who are able to make rational decisions on their own baffle so many people, so one can assume women are viewed as the lesser human. New feminism is a new concept that many people don’t understand because many believe the definition of feminism is the superiority of females over males. Before this philosophy can be known for what it actually is, people need to understand that not every feminist hates men. It supports the idea that men, and women are indeed different but both sexes deserve equal worth and dignity.  Even though women are living in a so called “man’s world,” we have made a lot of progress since the start of the feminist movement. Equality between the genders is a difficult thing to accomplish with so many different viewpoints and cultures around the world.  

            

Unless life was started over again, there is no way women will ever feel safe in a male dominated society. There are set stereotypes that women have, as there is for men, and women will always be seen like the lesser of the two because of that stereotype, as much as it saddens me to say. Many people grew up learning that tradition is the route to live by, which the new feminism points out saying its fine to stick with the stereotypical roles for both men and women. The difference between the two is the treatment of one another. The traditional role of a women would be one where she submits herself to her husband, while staying at home and being the the homemaker or caregiver of the family. New feminism wants a woman to feel comfortable being about to be a woman who stays at home with the children or the woman who goes out into the workforce.

    

We can all join together and fight the inequality in many ways. We just have to be willing to stand up for what we think is right and how we think others should be treated. Both men and women have opinions and voices to speak them with. No gender is lesser than the other because of a tradition that is no longer being used in other aspects.

I was, I’m and shall continue to be – 'A woman of Substance' - by Blogger Snehal

A Sanskrit (a prominent, ancient language) verse states – “Yatra naryastu Pujyante ramante tatra devatah yatraitaastu na pujyante sarvaastrafalaah kriyaah” :- Divinity rejoices where women are honoured and respected; where they are not, even sacred acts are fruitless. This verse gives us a glimpse of the social stature of women in the ancient time that boasts of social equality.

 Myriad significant changes suppressed the status of women across the globe over the centuries. There was an emergence of patriarchal structure of the society that perpetuated oppression of women, mainly through sexual violence. “Masculinity” was defined through power, violence, aggression and dominance whereas “Imposed Femininity” was defined as weak, inferior, powerless, oppressed, exploited sex who had no choice but to surrender as a victim or a prey to these male predators. The tyranny continued in the form of rape, sexual assault, violence, oppression, fear of death, apprehension of grievous hurt that pushed womanhood into the dark, unbearable abyss of humiliation and self pity for centuries to come.

An honest, deep introspection then led women to stand up for their right, their right to live with dignity, right to breathe freely. A flash! Then was an emergence of a feminist era that not only revolutionized but refined the status of women. Women now can walk shoulder to shoulder with men and voice their choices too. Feminism is a strength that changed the face of victims into survivors and opened the doors of competitive world for them. Today, women are not mere sex objects; women are a symbol of power, equality, strength and much more. All that a woman needs is to be loved, to be heard and to be respected. Simple!

The question that arises is, are women really safe in this male dominated world? The answer is yes, provided men use their strength for creating cultures free of violence and have a positive influence on womanhood.

It is always said that the apprehension of rape limits the potential of a woman. I believe that encouragement coupled with support and love can help them expand the boundaries of their potential and proudly say “I’m worth it”.  

Too Many Expectations by blogger Kendra

Jay-Z is not the only one with 99 problems. Women have to deal with a number of things like their jobs, families, and household chores, and it does not stop there, nor does it begin there. From an early age girls are told they have to look, think, and behave a certain way in order to gain respectability from society and to appease boys. There is an unfair advantage that comes with being a man, and that's that the expectations for them are significantly lower than women.


Many of today's feminists say there are just too many expectations for women and they are working together to close the gap. When walking down the street minding their own business, women are expected to be flattered and grateful for the men shouting sexual puns at them; women are expected to wear clothes that are sexy, but not too sexy because when they do “they're asking for it”; women are also expected to be independent but not too independent, and submissive but not too passive. Women often find themselves asking, “What is it exactly that you want from me?”


There are some expectations that are unavoidable which are determined by where you work and/or go to school, but most of them can be stopped. Men will have to get on board and get involved in making changes to how women are viewed and treated. This is a progression that many feminists are hoping to move towards as soon as possible.