Feminism has seen many waves in developed as well as developing world, and yet there is a long road ahead. Looking back at these waves, one would wonder what kind of feminist movement is real? Is ‘Bra burning’ a true feminism which would assure gender equality? Would a ‘Pad man’ change the fate of women in rural India? Would some kind of social reform to abolish the patriarchy will do the trick? Or should it be bridging the political and economic divide? Or one should think of a combination of all? What should ideally be the first step in a country like India to assure gender- equality?
While travelling on a bus in Oslo, I offer my seat to a woman standing next to me, and she thanks me saying, “No! Thanks’. I have heard of stories where women would go a bit arrogant if you push the conversation further. They simply don’t wish to get obliged, just for the sake of being a woman.
There are no reserved women seats in buses or trains. There aren’t any women queues. No women special compartments. Absolutely nothing to ‘care’ for them? What kind of gender equality is it? Well, women themselves have chosen such privilege-free world almost four decades ago.
They just didn’t wish to be regarded as a weaker sex. They would prefer to stand through the entire journey rather than being shown pity and offered a seat.
In Iceland, the most gender-equal country on earth, feminism has reached to more subtler levels. The country has plenty of nursery schools to empower the girl child from almost toddler ages. They will hang a visibly tender little girl to a monkey-bar and she will be asked to jump. She would cry, get hurt, and will be pampered a little bit, yet again to be hanged on the monkey bar. This activity will keep on happening till the girl gets her strength to do it often. A little girl child achieves the strength of a boy of her age! Is it reversing the natural genetics?
Well, this may not be entirely true as one would see a poor girl child in Indian villages rolling in mud unattended, soiling her clothes, while her mother is doing chores for somebody. They are indeed built stronger than cuddly bubbly children nurtured otherwise. Its more about the environment one provides to a child, which shapes up their strength, be it a girl or a boy. This differentiation begins from childhood, where even the games are graded as boyish and girlish games. Forget the hockey playing girls from the movies, the truth is hockey or cricket still remains a game where chances of getting hurt prevents a girl from playing it. Whatever happens, her face and body is precious for her future. She might chose to play safer games like Badminton or may be Tennis, but definitely not Football.
But, Iceland has moved this far after four decades. I wouldn’t argue on providing gender equality from tender age, as this seems to be the final stage of feminism. This has to begin from the point, where the feminist movement actually has its roots. And one is mistaken if they think that breaking taboos about sanitary pads or sexual freedom is the first step. There is somethin g more vital to set the ball rolling. If we reverse this proven strategy common to all such movements, there would be chaos.
The first milestone any successful feminist movement has tried to achieve is, economic and political equality. The movement which began in Iceland in 70s, and later in Leeds, England and in different countries was demand for this equality. To break the glass ceiling! Equal representation and pay in jobs. Equal political representation, with women taking on parliament. And equal responsibilities in their home. The Indian feminist movement too has to bridge the pa y-gap.
Women agricultural workers sadly don’t even have a recognition as workers in most labour census. When we have such a vital deficiency, how can we think of moving ahead to breaking down sexual taboos.
In a capitalist world, the divisive factor is not sexual freedom, but the income and representation. Once women achieve this uniformity, the other things would fall in place. If we go the other way around, all one might have, is a chaos of broken families with no economic support-system left for women. They would end up in fighting divorce cases and social isolation with no channelised means to support them. Countries like United States have achieved sexual freedom before they could bridge the economic divide, resulting in a society with 25% gender pay-gap, lying somewhere down at 49th rank in gender equality among 144 countries.
Does that mean, the Indian feminism is riding on a wrong wave? One needs to ride on Scandinavian wave of feminism rather than the American. The feminism of vital economic and social needs for all strata of society. Debates on sexual taboos are welcome, especially related to female sanitation and health, but a consolidated movement to eliminate politico-economic divide needs to be prioritised. As far as sexual freedom is concerned, the lowermost and uppermost social strata of Indian society have already achieved it to some extent. One would find fragile relations and switching of sexual partners, right in the slums as well as the flashy posh localities of Mumbai. Sexual freedom is a middle-class struggle, while representational divide is a common factor among all strata of society. And this should be the first and foremost agenda of feminism.
One might certainly blame the inherent patriarchal society for the state of women in India, but this too has been successfully broken after the surge of working and earning wome n in last decade. Economic independency or rather participation in societies by women is key to equality. There are issues of childcare and housekeeping which keeps women a bit less involved than men , but gradually society learns to adapt with mutual participation and sharing responsibil ities between sexes.
The day will come when pseudo-privileged sex no more wishes to remain privileged, and stands on a strong politico-economic foundation. Just like the woman in Oslo bus!
(Dr. Praveen Jha is a radiologist doctor from Norway, a columnist and an author)