WE : THE SHEROES FOR LIFE

Just seven more days and we'll be flooded with hypes all around. There will be texts, messages, stories all savoring a gender and its fraternity. People will be promoting commercialization around the day endorsing women as `ideal' wives, mothers, homemakers, and office goers who after work take care of family and still fit in the "image of beautiful women". For instance, a beauty parlor launched recently announced free manicures, pedicures, and hairdos with a 50% discount because `women are special and on the women's day they need to feel special' says the tagline. A cosmetic product company offered a special discount on the women's day on the “Exotic eyeliner for the special woman, because your eyes speak much more than you think”. Another one selling women's branded clothes declared, “This women's day, indulge for the `woman of substance' in your life”.  

The question to ask today is,

Has International Women's Day lost its significance in its rampant commercialization, or do working women — to whom the day was originally dedicated — benefit from its existence?

Needless to say, Women's emancipation entails changing the mindset, initiating revolution, and bringing radical transformation in the ways contemporary capitalist patriarchal society operates. It demands meaningful understanding and interventions in day to day struggles of women situated in different contextual backgrounds. Rectifying prejudices, stereotypes and discriminatory attitudes that have denied women of their constitutional or human rights is essential.

Breaking the Bias

This time IWD campaign fraternity has chosen "BreaktheBias" as its hashtag. And that sets the stage for more heated discussions on gender biases and narratives.

The narration of women's inequality has a long history. Right from ancient times till date, Women have to struggle for their basic rights. What makes it much more unfortunate is the fact that we still haven't achieved those heights. And if these thousand of years have not been enough, we don't know what would be! The dominance of men hasn't done more damage than the silence of women has. 

Now the time has come to,

Imagine a gender-equal world.

A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.

A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

A world of Empowerment!

The Real Empowerment

So what does real empowerment calls for?

In this sense, I recall the famous sayings by India's first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru who also raised the bravest stalwart Indira Gandhi as his successor.

It goes as, " To awaken the people, it is the women who must be awakened. Once she is on the move, the family moves, the village moves, the nation moves."

Rightly.

Women Empowerment is giving power/ability to all women. It is making all women better off. It enables a greater degree of self-confidence and a sense of independence among women.

Women Empowerment is a process of acquiring power for women to understand their rights and perform their responsibilities towards themselves and others in a most effective way. It gives the capacity to resist discrimination imposed by the male-dominated society.

Women Empowerment enables women to organize themselves, increase their self-reliance and provide greater autonomy.

Women empowerment means women’s control over material assets, intellectual resources, and ideology. It challenges traditional power equations and relations.

It is to this empowerment, we cherish and celebrate the 8th of March as International Women's day every year.

This year, The theme for International Women’s Day, 2022 given by UN Women is, 

“Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”, recognizing the contribution of women and girls around the world, who are leading the charge on climate change adaptation, mitigation, and response, to build a more sustainable future for all. 

So why not make a promise today, a promise to yourself that you'll be the torchbearer to this better world. The world of equality, the world of parity, the world of sustainability. The World where we would want to live!

Continuing to examine the opportunities, as well as the constraints, to empower women and girls to have a voice in decision-making is essential for sustainable development and greater gender equality. 

Without gender equality today, a sustainable future, and an equal future remains beyond our reach!

With that, I wish I could hug all the empowered women reading this today. May your blemishes and scars turn into the weapon that you can use to question the "not so okay" status quo!

So, wish you all a very Happy International Women's day with a cradle of hope that you will turn into lifetime Sheroes for yourself, society and nation as a whole.

#BreakTheBias

#BreakTheChains